A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Today at 10.45am, I will help to celebrate the funeral of Lourdes Campbell, a nurse from Bolton Royal Hospital who died as a result of Covid 19. I am very conscious of the sadness of her husband, colleagues and friends but also of her family in the Philippines who although watching on livestream will not be able to share in a Requiem Mass as our Catholic tradition encourages. She is one of many nurses who came from those islands and elsewhere to serve in our National Health Service and one of many who have died during this pandemic.
We will clap them all, living and dead, on Thursday evening but it must surely go deeper than that.

We must grow in our understanding that all our lives as Christians are lives of service - some more obviously so than others. It is the Holy Spirit which enables that service to be in imitation of Jesus. That same Spirit must also engender within us a sense of gratitude for all those who serve from wheresoever they come. And … we must therefore beware of those who seek to divide us with harsh words and posturing.

Staying safe is important; staying true probably more so.

We pray for all those who are sick:
Evelyn, Winnie C., Mary, Patrick, Paul & Adela

And for those who have died:
Roy, Alf, Malcolm, Elsie, Matthew, Stella, Chris, Kenneth, Carol Ann, Ingeburg, Winnie Y., Patricia M., Eileen, Maureen, Joan, Frank, Robert, Lynda, Cecilia, Lourdes, John, Michael, Eileen, Michael, Graham, Maria, Dale, Andrew & Gladys
Remembering too all those who mourn them

St Joseph, patron of those who mourn, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John