Emergency Work in Church 
- Temporary Closure of the Church -

On the 15th December, following emergency repairs to a leak in the central heating piping in the loft space of the Church, three further leaks appeared. These leaks have caused damage to the ceiling and carpets in three places.  As a result of the damage to the ceiling there is a danger that parts of the ceiling may collapse. This has caused the temporary closure of the Church for a few weeks. 

Driers were installed in Church on Saturday the 19th December and will operate throughout the Christmas period. The old central heating piping in the Church loft is being capped off. The new piping will run below the ceiling. The work by the heating engineers will commence on Monday 4th January, 2016 and is scheduled to take a week to ten days. The drying-out should be completed by the 29th December when an assessment will be made as to the extent of the repairs to/replacement of aisle carpets, the ceiling and the organ. Some redecoration will also be necessary. 

These are fairly major works that are being undertaken and we are moving as quickly as possible to restore the Church to use.  However if the ceiling cannot be repaired and sections require replacing and redecorating this will have to follow the piping work scheduled to be completed early in January.  Similarly, if the aisle carpets are to be replaced that will extend the closure a little longer. We will update you further on progress in the bulletin on the 10th January.

In the meantime, as a result of the temporary closure of the Church, the only Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes until the 16th January  2016 will be in the School Hall on the following dates:-
Sunday, 27th December 2015
Sunday 3rd January 2015
Sunday 10th January 2015

We apologise for any inconvenience caused to all families and parishioners.

Mike Box, Chair, Finance & Management Committee


IMPORTANT -  CHANGE IN CHRISTMAS MASSES

Emergency work in Church

As a result of leaking central heating pipes in the church loft and the damage and collapse of sections of the ceiling, the Church cannot be used for a number of weeks.  At least until 9th January 2016 , there will be no Masses in Church and the only Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes will be as follows in the School Hall:-

 Sunday 20th December
9am Mass in the School Hall,
3pm SVP Mass for the Sick in The Mazenod Centre
6pm Mass in the School Hall

Christmas Eve Thursday 24th December
4pm Children's Mass in the School Hall
 There will be no Carol Service at 3.30pm

THERE IS VERY LIMITED SPACE AND SEATING IN THE SCHOOL HALL
AND THE NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO ARE ABLE TO ATTEND MASS 
WILL BE RESTRICTED.
THERE  WILL  BE  NO  MIDNIGHT  MASS.

Christmas Day Friday 25th December
9am Mass in the School Hall

Sunday 27th December
9am Mass in the School Hall
 6pm Mass in the School Hall

Sunday 3rd January 2016
9am in the School Hall
6pm in the School Hall

ALL Weekday Masses and Word & Communion Services
are cancelled until 9th January 2016
We apologise for any inconvenience caused to all families and parishioners.



Christmas Mass Times & Services 2015

Christmas Eve

4.00pm Family Christmas Mass
in the school hall


Christmas Day
9.00am Christmas Day Mass 
in the school hall





Parish Commitment Form

Many Hands Make Light Work Clipart

Your Parish needs you!  Please can you give a couple of hours a month to some voluntary work in the Parish?  Have a look at the Parish Commitment Form and see how you would like to help our Parish.  Please submit the completed forms to the Parish Office at ololbristol@gmail.com or put the completed forms in the box on the table in the Church Porch.

Retreat - Who is the Holy Spirit



This weekend I led a retreat for the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette, Kingswood. We based the retreat around the Holy Spirit. The day was divided into three sections, firstly Who is the Holy Spirit, then what does the Holy Spirit do? and then lastly encountering the Holy Spirit.

In the first talk we stepped through the bible looking at points where the Holy Spirit appeared.
  • Genesis 1:2 – Right at the start of everything the Holy Spirit is present at creation.
  • Exodus 32:12 – The Holy Spirit give the gift of craftsmanship.
  • Judges 16:2 – Samson is given strength to break the bonds he is tied with.
  • Ezekiel 36:24 – The Holy Spirit works through Ezekiel allow him to prophesise, but the prophesy in this verse is about the time when everyone will have access to the Holy Spirit not just the chosen, judges and prophets.
  • Joel 2:28 –Joel continues this prophesy saying the spirit will be poured out on everyone. Every race, women and men, old and young.
  • Luke 1:15, Luke 1:35, Luke 1:42, Luke 1:67, Luke 3:21, 4:1, 4:14 – As we move into the new testament we see the Holy Spirit getting very busy. Working through Zachariah, Mary, Elizabeth, John, and Jesus.
  • Act 2 – Then we jump to the time that all these passages in scripture had been leading to the giving of the Holy Spirit to us all. The Pentecost moment.
We finished by looking at a little more in depth at some of Ezekiel Prophesy and how it was fulfilled in Christ. We compared ourselves to the Bones in Ezekiel 37 and how the Holy Spirit breathes life in our bones when we ask to be filled with the Spirit. We compared Ezekiel 47 to John 7:37, Ezekiel describes a river flowing from the temple bringing life wherever it flows, Jesus after attending the festive celebrating this prophesy then announce that those waters flow from him. We compared ourselves when Spirit filled to those waters. It was a powerful and joyful session.
During the second session we looked at Baptism and Confirmation and spent some time discussing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We finished the day with prayer, praying over people who wanted to receive the Holy Spirit into their live.

It was a joyful and God filled day.


by Deacon John Scanlon

First Holy Communion 2016

Applications forms for First Holy Communion 2016 are now available for children who have been baptised in the Catholic Church and who are in Year 3 or above.  If you wish your child to receive First Holy Communion in 2016 please complete the application form and return it to the Parish Office by Friday 23rd October 2015.  

PROCLAIM '15 Holy Hour

A Holy Hour will take place on Saturday 11th July 7.30pm at St Augustine of Canterbury, Downend to pray for evangelisation and the success of Proclaim’15. Refreshments in the Parish Hall after evening Mass has ended before going into the Church for a reflective and prayerful Hour. 

Everyone is welcome for Mass, refreshments and/or the Holy Hour.


Holy Communion

A prayer written by one of the children who is preparing to receive Holy Communion for the first time next Sunday.

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help me in Holy Communion.
Please help me not to be nervous and help me to be confident.
Amen

Please remember in your prayers all our children who have completed their preparation, ready to receive Holy Communion next week: Mathew, Ross, Christopher, Sergio, Grace, Elsie-Mae, Gracie. Poppy, Cristiano, Faith, Isabella, Ciaran, Kendrix, Rozalia, Keith, Mikha, Owen, Joshua, Ellis, Hayden, William, Shanae,  Rosie, Danny, Jeremiah and Joe.

We wish them and their families a very happy and holy celebration as they receive the Sacrament.

Fr Matt arrives at our Church on Ride for Vocations tour.

Since 21st April, Fr Matt Anscombe has been cycling around the diocese visiting every Church to promote the need to pray for vocations to the priesthood and the religious life.


Day 16 on his itinerary: He arrived at our Church to a warm welcome at 6.00pm on Friday, 8th May and led a Prayer Service for vocations.Copies of the service are available in the Church Porch. 
Fr Matt says, “Ride for Vocations is a novel way to alert parishioners of the need to pray for and encourage vocations. It’s also a great opportunity to rouse the interest of our younger members and get them asking serious questions about their calling
To find out more about 'Ride for Vocations' please follow this link to the Clifton Diocese website 

 A prayer for priestly vocations

   Loving Father, in baptism you call us to be a people of hope.
 Raise up, we pray, especially for our diocese of Clifton, many good and holy priest.
 Grant men throughout our diocese the courage and vision needed to shepherd and serve your people as priests.
 Open up, in your love, the hearts of all your children
that they may discern your holy will and know your call in their lives.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Calling all gardeners!

This time of year many of you will be preparing seed trays in readiness to sow various varieties of bedding plants, tomatoes, cucumber etc.

If this applies to you, the Social Committee would like to ask you to prepare an extra tray, which perhaps you could kindly donate to the plant stall at this years Summer Fayre. 

The fayre is being held on Saturday, 27th June so time is on your side.



Thank you.

‘‘Can religion be a force for good in international relations?’


 This is the title of a talk that Bishop Declan Lang will be giving at Bristol Anglican Cathedral, College Green on
Wednesday, 11th March at 7pm.

Bishop Declan is chair of the Bishops’ Conference Department of International Affairs.  In this role and at the invitation of local Bishops’ Conferences, Bishop Declan has visited a number of troubled areas including Lebanon, Thailand and Myanmar, and paid a repeat visit to Gaza as a member of an international delegation of Bishops.

There will be simple refreshments afterwards; tickets for the lecture are free but  you need to book, contact faith@uwe.ac.uk or 0117 32 82334.’

Ash Wednesday & Lent


Ash Wednesday Mass
7.30pm, 1st March 2017
Ash Wednesday is the start of our Lenten journey.
Today at Mass a sign of the cross will be made on our foreheads from the blessed ashes made from last year's palms that were blessed on Palm Sunday. 







Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes


This Sunday we are celebrating our patronal feast- the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Come and join us as we celebrate Mass at our usual times- 9am and 6pm. Stay after Mass to have some refreshments and a chance to enjoy friendships both old and new! 



Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes
Oh ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortess of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy. When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where you dispense your favours, and where many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. My loving Mother, obtain my request. I will try to imitate your virtues so that I may one day share your company and bless you in eternity.                                                            Amen

Alexander's Baptism

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
At the end of last year we welcomed Alexander into our Christian family. His baptism was here on December 28th and was a wonderful and joyful occasion. His family have generously shared this photo with us and we wanted to share it with you. Please keep Alexander in your prayers and rejoice.
You may also remember that I mentioned Alexander in my evening homily a couple of weeks ago as we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord. For those of you who were at the morning Mass and didn’t hear the homily it is presented below.
God Bless,
Deacon John.

Homily from Sunday 11th January, 2015  – The Baptism of the Lord
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, Psalm 28, Acts 10:34-38, Mark 1:7-11

When was the last time you were at a baptism? Was it recently, can you remember what happened? Was it a long time ago, are you sitting there thinking I honestly can’t remember. Was it your own baptism? Can you remember it or were you just a baby?
The last baptism I went to was only two weeks ago. He was a little baby only a few months old. His name was Alexander Phillip. It was a wonderful occasion, lots of happy people, lots of joy. Very Christian!
Baptism is a Sacrament, it's the first sacrament a Christian can receive as it is the sacrament that welcomes the new Christian into the Christian family.
Sacraments are very special moments, they are points where heaven and earth touch. Where Gods full glory flows over us, where we can encounter our God and creator.
We have just heard Mark describing the baptism of Jesus. Jesus standing in the water, heaven opening and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descending on Jesus.
That same thing is exactly what happened at Alexander’s baptism. I poured water over Alexander head, I said the words “Alexander Phillip, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
He shared that moment being held above our font with Christ as He stood in the Jordan. God was please and the Holy Spirit came to live in Alexander.
The baptism freed Alexander from sin. It's not a magical spell that means he will never be naughty again. But the gift of God's grace, a grace that will, through his whole life strengthen him to resist the bad things God hates and to do the good things God loves. Because of his baptism the Holy Spirit will live with him, and support him all his Christian life.
In December Alexander became a member of our Church, part of the body of Christ, part of our family, a family of over a billion Christians all taking their place and loving and serving their God and all those around them. You may never have met Alexander but he is your brother now, and I ask you to pray for him, his parents and God parents.
Baptism contains some of the richest signs and symbols of our faith.
First there is water, it represents purity, the washing away of sins. But the word baptism means plunging, the immersion in water. This descent into the water and return to the air, is the journey we share with Christ, as he died on the cross, descended into hell, defeated death and rose again to eternal life. Because baptism is sacramental, Alexander really shared that journey and that victory.
The white clothes are an unstained outward sign of Christian dignity. We wear white at Baptism, we also wear white at first communion, confirmation, weddings, father and I wear white robes to serve here at the alter, and we will cover the coffin at a funeral with a white pall. Baptism and death are linked; both are the start of a Christian life. Baptism in this life, death is the start of our eternal life with Christ.
Another symbol is light, for Baptisms we light the Pascal candle, the candle we first lit on Easter Sunday. It signifies the light of Christ returning to the world, and during the Baptism we light a candle from the Pascal candle, so that the newly baptised may always walk in the light of Christ.
We also use oils for anointing, just as priests and kings are anointed with oils at their ordination or coronation. Alexander was welcomed as an adopted daughter of God the Father and brother to Christ, part of the royal priesthood, that is our Christian family.
The one odd thing about our Gospel today is that it’s Christ who is being baptised. There has only been one man who didn’t need the gifts of baptism, and that was Christ. Christ knew was that the Baptism was for us. That moment in the Jordan has been shared billions of times, each of us at our baptism was also with Christ in the Jordan.
Baptism is a gift, it’s a joy, it’s a moment shared with Christ that enables us to live a life filled with Christ’s joy. You, all of you, are brothers and sisters of Jesus. Go out into the world and share that joy.

Holy Communion Preparation 2015

Please pray for the following children and their families as they prepare to join our community and receive Holy Communion: 
Mathew,Ross, Christopher, Sergio, Grace, Ellis, Gracie, Poppy, Mikha, Cristiano, Joshua,
Joe, Faith, Danny, Rosie, Isabella, Hayden,Mikha, Jeremiah, Rozalia, Kendrix, Keith, Owen, Shanae, Ciaran and William.


 

Lord Jesus,
Bless the children coming forward to receive Holy Communion for the first time.
May this day be an initial step into a life–long love of the Eucharist.
Give them a hunger for this sacred food so that they turn to you for comfort, guidance and wisdom as they grow in full discipleship.

Thank you for their innocence and goodness.
May their hands, extended in anticipation of your Body and Blood, inspire all of us to cherish this sacred sacrament.
Amen