Our Lady & St Oswalds Parish

Easter Sunday

2008-03-22T19:05:00.002Z

Easter is the feast of feasts, the unalloyed joy and gladness of all Christians.

In the very center of the Mass, the great prayer of thanksgiving, from the first words of the Preface, expresses the unrivalled motive for this joy: if it is right to praise You, Lord, at all times, how much more so should we not glorify You on this day when Christ our Passover was sacrificed, for He is the true Lamb who took away the sins of the world, who by His Death destroyed our death and by His Resurrection restored our life. Easter means, then, Redemption obtained — sin destroyed, death overcome, divine life brought back to us, the resurrection of our body which is promised immortality. With such a certitude, we should banish all trace of sadness.

Haec dies quam fecit Dominus: "This is the day which the Lord has made." Throughout the octave we shall sing of the unequalled joy which throws open eternity to us. Every Sunday will furnish a reminder of it, and from Sunday to Sunday, from year to year, the Easters of this earth will lead us to that blessed day on which Christ has promised that He will come again with glory to take us with Him into the kingdom of His Father.

Newsletter Sunday 16th March - Palm Sunday

2008-03-22T18:54:00.003Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 16th March - Palm Sunday. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Holy Week

2008-03-11T09:28:00.003Z

Reconciliation Service Tuesday 18th March in church at 7pm. This will be a final opportunity to recall our faults and seek the forgiveness of the Lord. There will be

Palm Sunday. Palms blessed and distributed at each mass. We will gather outside the church (weather permitting) before the Sunday morning masses followed by a procession. Please arrive a little earlier than normal.

Chrism Mass. Bishop Brian will celebrate mass at St. Columba’s, Chester on Wednesday evening at 7pm. During this mass the Bishop will bless the oils that will be used throughout the diocese for Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination and for the sick. If you wish to attend the mass then please let me know.

Maundy Thursday. Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be at 8pm. There will be a period of “watching” until 11pm.

Good Friday. The Passion of the Lord will be celebrated at 3pm.

Easter Vigil. This will begin outside church at 9pm with the lighting of the new fire, the blessing of the Paschal Candle and the procession into church to hear the Readins and the Easter hymn, the Exultet!

Easter Sunday. Masses at the usual times. We are fortunate to be able to welcome new members into the Church at both masses through the sacrament of Baptism.

Newsletter - Sunday 9th March

2008-03-11T09:25:00.002Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 9th March - Fifth Sunday of Lent. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

During the Fourth Week in Lent

2008-03-02T09:50:00.003Z

Each Friday, after the mid-day mass, there will be soup and bread in the house. Many thanks to Christie & Ursula for the spicy soup. This week (7th March) we will be having a soup from the kitchen of Jenny. All the Friday’s are now covered so thanks again to those who will be feeding us. Proceeds will be going to CAFOD.

Deacon Stephen will be leading Benediction and Holy Hour on Sunday afternoon from 3pm. A time for quiet reflection and preparation for the week ahead.

Deacon Joe is offering to arrange a Silent Exposition & Benediction offered for the needs of the parish community and the people of Oswestry. The next one will be on Thursday 6th of March from 7.30pm. This is a time of offering for ourselves and all those whom we carry in our hearts. Everybody is welcome; we all live busy lives so feel free to come along for as long or short a time that suits your needs.

There will be Stations of the Cross, lead by various members of the parish. This week it will be on Friday 7th March at 11.15am before the mid-day mass.

Sr. Jo will be continuing with an hour of prayer and reflection At Your Word Lord in the convent each Friday evening. The theme this Lent is to Touch! If you have not been able to get there then it might be an excellent season to start.

Each week there will be an informal gathering in the presbytery to look at some of the scriptures that we hear during the Sunday’s of Lent. This week it will be on Monday 3rd March after the morning mass. All welcome.

There will be a Reconciliation Service on Tuesday 18th March at 7pm. If anybody would prefer to celebrate the sacrament of forgiveness “face to face” then please contact me and make an appointment.

Lent is the traditional time when we “give something up”. This is always a good thing to do. But please read the list above and see if there is something extra you could do to help prepare to celebrate the Risen Lord at Easter

Stainer, “Crucifixion” - Good Friday (21st March)

2008-03-02T09:42:00.002Z

The Pradoe Singers are performing this moving piece in the parish church in West Felton on Good Friday (21st March) starting at 7pm. The is no need for a ticket. There will be a retiring collection. For more information contact 01691 831172.

Newsletter - Sunday 2nd March

2008-03-02T09:39:00.002Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 2nd March - Fourth Sunday of Lent. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

During the Third Week of Lent

2008-02-23T20:11:00.001Z

Each Friday, after the mid-day mass, there will be soup and bread in the house. Many thanks to Rita & Thea for a warming dish. This week (1st March) we will be having a soup from the kitchen of Christie & Ursula. All the Friday’s are now covered so thanks again to those who will be feeding us. Proceeds will be going to CAFOD.
Deacon Stephen will be leading Benediction and Holy Hour on Sunday afternoon from 3pm. A time for quiet reflection and preparation for the week ahead.
Deacon Joe is offering to arrange a Silent Exposition & Benediction offered for the needs of the parish community and the people of Oswestry. The next one will be on Thursday 6th of March from 7.30pm. This is a time of offering for ourselves and all those whom we carry in our hearts. Everybody is welcome; we all live busy lives so feel free to come along for as long or short a time that suits your needs.
There will be Stations of the Cross, lead by various members of the parish. This week it will be on Tuesday 26th February at 6.15pm, before the evening mass.
Most of the copies of My Day by Day have been bought and I trust they are being brought out in those spare moments that the day provides for us.
Sr. Jo will be continuing with an hour of prayer and reflection At Your Word Lord in the convent each Friday evening. The theme this Lent is to Touch! If you have not been able to get there then it might be an excellent season to start.
Each week there will be an informal gathering in the presbytery to look at some of the scriptures that we hear during the Sunday’s of Lent. This week it will be on Wednesday (28th) after the morning mass and will be in the house. All welcome.
There will be a Reconciliation Service on Tuesday 18th March at 7pm. If anybody would prefer to celebrate the sacrament of forgiveness “face to face” then please contact me and make an appointment.
Lent is the traditional time when we “give something up”. This is always a good thing to do. But please read the list above and see if there is something extra you could do to help prepare to celebrate the Risen Lord at Easter

Newsletter - Sunday 24th February

2008-02-23T20:07:00.001Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 24th February - Third Sunday of Lent. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 17th February

2008-02-23T20:05:00.001Z

The newsletter for Sunday 17th February - The Second Sunday of Lent will appear here shortly.

Newsletter - Sunday 10th February

2008-02-23T20:03:00.001Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 10th February - First Sunday of Lent. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 3rd February

2008-02-23T20:00:00.002Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 3rd February - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 27th January

2008-02-23T19:57:00.001Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 27th January - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

2007 Pilgrimage to Rome

2008-01-20T14:07:00.001Z

Click here to take a look at our album of photos taken during the parish pilgrimage to Rome in 2007.

Newsletter - Sunday 20th January

2008-01-20T09:05:00.000Z

The Parish Newsletter for Sunday 20th January will appear here shortly.

Newsletter - Sunday 13th January

2008-01-20T09:01:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 13th January - The Baptism Of The Lord. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 6th January 2008

2008-01-20T08:58:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 6th January - Feast of the Epiphany. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 30th December

2008-01-20T08:56:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 30th December - The Feast of The Holy Family. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 23rd December

2008-01-20T08:54:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 23nd December. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Newsletter - Sunday 9th December

2007-12-12T00:23:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 2nd December. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Christmas Stamps

2007-12-03T10:06:00.000Z

The new stamps this year are small, beautiful and, for the first time in a long time, of a religious nature. No robins, snowflakes or jolly Father Xmas! However there has been a suggestion that, in order not to offend the non-religious in the community, the stamps are not being promoted as much as they have been in the past. Rumour has it that they are being kept “under the counter”! So when you buy your stamps please be brave and ask the staff for Christmas stamps.

The Angels stamps feature illustrations by Italian illustrator Marco Ventura. He works in a style similar to those of Renaissance fresco painters drawing in pencil on gesso coated paper and then hand colouring the image.
Marco Ventura grew up with angels, son of a book illustrator, a Roman Catholic in Italy where angels flutter across the walls of every church. “Since I was a child I’ve been surrounded by images of Saints, Madonnas and flying angels with banners,” he said. He began as a teenager like any medieval apprentice, hand colouring his father’s pen and ink illustrations. His own work is traditional in technique, beginning with drawings in very hard pencil on paper prepared with a thin coat of gesso plaster. Angels bearing their messages of peace on earth spelled out in rippling banners are a common motif in Italian art from the Renaissance on. There were about 100 preparatory sketches, and originally a whole orchestra of angels - “angels playing music was I thought a nice combination and very appropriate for the Christmas theme” - before the final versions were selected. The horizon is at the same level in each so that the angels line up in the same landscape across the four stamps.

“When painting the Angels I liked the idea of them as neither female nor male, also I wanted them to be on the earth - not flying in the sky – as nice protective figures that please everyone with their music.”

The two Madonna & Child stamps feature two classic paintings of the image.

2nd class - William Dyce, c. 1827. In pearly light, the sweet faced young Madonna cradling her child before a limpid landscape, clearly shows the influence of Renaissance art, particularly of the young Raphael. Dyce led the way and in turn became a supporter of the radical group of young English painters, the Pre-Raphaelites.

1st Class - The Madonna of Humility, Lippo di Dalmasio, c. 1390-1400. Extensive damage and centuries of repairs have dimmed but not eclipsed the grace of The Madonna, crowned with 12 stars, against a disc of golden light, recalling Saint John’s vision of the Woman of the Apocalypse, “clothed with the sun”, in the Book of Revelation.

Newsletter - Sunday 2nd December

2007-12-03T09:53:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 2nd December. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Advent Shoe Boxes

2007-11-25T23:27:00.000Z

Another collection we will be starting next week is presents for children who will have little or nothing to open on Christmas Day. Last year we sent presents off to the Children’s Society who distribute gifts throughout the year to families in need. This year they have asked us to collect shoe-box sized parcels specifically designed for the under-5’s. Little presents, soaps, toys etc that will be given out before Christmas. If we collect these during the four weeks of Advent, one of the Society members will come and collect them. I suggest we try to get as many boxes into church by the 3rd week of Advent, 16th December. This will leave time to have them delivered ready for Christmas Day.

Newsletter - Sunday 25th November

2007-11-25T23:18:00.000Z

Click here to download the parish newletter for Sunday 25th November. (Newsletters are downloaded as PDF files which can be read or printed out from Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Click here for a detailed overview of December in the liturgical year.

Concert - Friday 14th December

2007-11-20T06:16:00.001Z

Fr Phil has been approached by a local promoter Tim Quinn, to invite a singer to give a Christmas Concert in church on Friday 14th Dec. Tim as involved in the recent 600th celebrations at Oswestry School. While he was in town he took time to visit our church and thought it would be a perfect place for Beck to sing a selection of Christmas music. She is from Australia and has just released her second album. One of her claims to fame is that she is a cousin of Kate Bush. Tickets will be on sale on the door and the concert will be at 7.30pm. The parish will earn a percentage of the ticket sales. Watch out over the next few weeks for posters and adverts for the concerts and lease encourage those who like gentle Celtic folk music to come along and prepare for the Christmas Season. Please visit her website to hear some of her music.

You can also hear her on U-Tube by clicking here.