4th May 2025

Message from Fr. Peter:
The weeks of this joyful Eastertide follow the days after the Resurrection of Jesus on easter Sunday, though Ascension Thursday (on May 29th), right through to the great celebration of Pentecost and our recalling of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles fifty days after Easter. The prayer ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ is a most appropriate prayer to pray in this season. It’s actually a very ancient prayer, really a collection of mini lines and prayers which were put together by the praying faithful over the centuries. Some of its lines, for example. ‘Send forth you Spirit, and they shall be created’ go right back to the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament’, while other parts of the prayer can be traced right back to the early theologian Hippolytus from the second century, through a European Monk named Rabanus Maurus who wrote a song called ‘Come, Creator Spirit,’ and onwards through to the twelfth century when the prayer become a common text for the Church throughout the world. As I say, it’s a beautiful prayer to pray anytime, certainly during Eastertide, but perhaps especially in this time of ‘sede vacante’ as we wait for the election of a new Pope. Let us pray the prayer at our masses this week, seeking the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the College of Cardinals, that a worthy successor will be chosen to follow on the work of Pope Francis and his predecessors, going right back to St. Peter – present in the Upper Room on that very first Pentecost Sunday. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Let us pray. O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Week of the Month at SJSP’s
Mass at Saltcotes Cemetery Chapel Wednesday 7th May at 10am. Please note that there is no Vespers Service this First Monday.

First Reconciliation and Holy Communion:
The First Holy Communion Mass takes place This Saturday at St. Peter’s at 2pm. Please pray for our twenty candidates who we will welcome to Mass on Sunday morning in their respective Churches. May God bless them on this hugely important day in their journeys of faith.

Fr Peter’s Lenten Challenge House Appeal:
Dear friends at St Joseph’s, St Peter’s and St Bernadette’s, After our visit to you in February, when we came to thank you for raising the money for three fishing boats, I was amazed to hear that Fr Peter had set a new Lenten challenge to raise £3000 to build a house for an albino family here in Malawi. I was also very touched as the need only came up in a conversation over a coffee! On Easter Sunday I received a video of Fr Peter announcing at Mass that you had donated over £8K and likely to reach £9K – enough for three houses! I was speechless and It took me a few minutes for it to register. The news came when I was with colleagues and we celebrated your generosity, fellowship and compassion. Three very vulnerable families in bad situations are going to benefit immensely from your kindness – I cannot tell you how grateful we are. I will write again with an update and pictures of the houses being constructed. In the meantime, I pray for you all and for your wonderful charity and I look forward to seeing you all again next year when we come to stay with our friends. Love and prayers, Fr Steven, Missionary Community of St Paul the Apostle. (MCSPA)

Edwina Gillett Papal Award:
At the 12:15 pm Mass on Saturday 31st May I am to receive the Bene Merenti from Bishop Paul in the Cathedral, Lancaster. This will be followed by a reception at Lancaster Golf Club. Unfortunately, because numbers at the reception are restricted, I haven’t been able to invite everyone to the celebration but I have tried to invite a cross section of people from across our two parishes to participate in the day. However, everyone is welcome at the Cathedral should you wish to come along, you will be very welcome. On the following day, Sunday 1st June, we will have a Deanery celebration in St Joseph’s to which everyone is invited. It will take the form of Evening Prayer and Benediction at 4pm followed by a sherry reception in the Presbytery. E. Gillett.

Streetlife:
Thank you to everyone who donated to Streetlife via Team Elston (Mike, Tom, Dan and Joe) who slept out on the cobbles of Blackpool with 100 other fundraisers. Thanks to your kind donations we raised £1936, nearly double our target! The whole event has raised about £20,000 so far. It was cold but dry, generally better than you can expect if you face the prospect of sleeping rough every night. These funds will be a massive help to Streetlife, both for its nightshelter and day center in Blackpool that help young people from 16-25, often with no other support. Thank you so much for the donations, and also to Father Peter for blessing us on the day! Donations can still be made here

Catholic Voice
latest copy can be found here.

SJSP’s mini Pilgrimage to Lourdes this Summer.
Four nights 3rd-7th June, £650 sharing, £749 single. Forms available from FrP and Deacon D now if anyone would like to come along! If you have a form, please return deposits and forms to FrP or Deacon D. Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us.

Dates for the Diary, Upcoming SJSP Social Events:
Sunday May 11th: Afternoon Tea & Entertainment in SJ’s Hall 3-5pm Saturday June 28th: Lytham Club Day Sunday July 13th: BBQ and Summer Games in SJ’s Garden Watch this Space for More Details!

Diocesan Pilgrimages for the Holy Year:
Lindisfarne: 21-23 May Email: info@christ-the-good-shepherd.co.uk
Lourdes: ‘With Mary, Pilgrims of Hope.’ 23rd – 30th July. Details and booking forms at: (https://joewalshtours.co.uk)
Walsingham: 20-24 October 2025 £475.00-£550.00. For booking details contact Deacon Charlie Conner - email charlie.conner@lrdc.org.uk

Email Address:
The Diocese is changing all email addresses. The one email for our two parishes is now sjsp.lsa@lrcd.org.uk. Please do whatever you have to do to use this email from now on. Cheers.

SJSP 2025 Calendars:
SJSP 2025 Calendars still available at just £5.

Hospital:
Please remember to let us know if you or one of your family is being admitted to hospital.

Coffee & Bacon Butties:
Will be available in the church hall after the 9:15am Mass. Why not come and enjoy a chat.

St Joseph’s Care:
Do you know of anyone in our community who is in need or might need a little more support? Company or just someone to talk to? Someone who may, at times, need help with things? Please let us know and we can contact them. Or you can give them our St Joseph’s Care phone number so they can contact us: Tel: 07840112265.

St Joseph’s Facebook Page:
We now have over 300 people regularly following us on Facebook which is allowing us to reach out to those in the wider community and fulfill our parish commitment to evangelization. In the last couple of months, we have been able to help a number of people who have sought assistance through this medium.