Praying Together...

 

The Holy Family

CLICK HERE for the Holy Father's prayer for peace...

2025 – The Jubilee year of Hope

As Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica, the evening of 24 December 2024, he ushered in the widely-anticipated 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
With the liturgical gesture of the Door's opening at the start of the Christmas Mass during the Night, as explained in the papal bull for the Jubilee Spes non confundit, the Pope inaugurated the Ordinary Jubilee, a historic event taking place every 25 years.

The Ordinary Jubilee will conclude with the closing of the same Holy Door on 6 January 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

Jubilee Year Hymn

We will be learning the Jubilee Year hymn Pilgrims of Hope over the next few weeks and singing it many times this year.

You will also hear it in any of the Jubilee celebrations. If you would like to become familiar with it - please go the Jubilee Year website and search for Jubilee Hymn OR go to YouTube and search for Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee Hymn 2025 where you can listen to it.

Or CLICK HERE to listen to a version.

Pope Francis Prayer intention for March 2025: For families in crisis 

Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other's gifts, even in their differences.

from Fr Kevin's Desk - a weekly reflection, and more.. 

Fr Kevin McLoughlin

(15th Mar 2025)

On Monday we celebrate the feast of St. Patrick and no doubt there will be lots of celebrations across the globe. With my Irish heritage, I have always had a devotion to St. Patrick and took his name at my confirmation. Since becoming a priest and learning a little more about him (not that we know a great deal) I have come to learn how incredibly resilient he was. In his writings he is so rooted in Jesus and so faithful to his call despite the many dangers and threatening situation he found himself in he remained totally committed to Christ and his Church. He also expresses complete love and confidence in Jesus knowing that whatever may happen to him in this life he will ultimately receive the joys of Heaven. 

St. Patrick, like all our saints, provides us with great encouragement, which we all need and particularly in Ireland as we emerge from the horrific historic scandals of abuse which have devastated so many lives and the reputation of the Church. 

Today as we continue to pray for Christ’s healing and forgiveness, we also invoke the help of St. Patrick praying for his wisdom, resilience and confidence to help us in our efforts to become the Church that Christ is calling us to be. 

Let me close with St. Patrick’s own prayer taken from the ‘Deer’s Cry’ or ‘St. Patrick’s Breastplate’. It is said that Patrick would pray this every morning, what a wonderful morning offering it could be for each of us. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I arise today, Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak to me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me, from the snares of the devil, from temptation of vices,
from everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near, alone and in a crowd.
Amen.

God Bless, Fr Kevin

Personal Lent Retreat

 Lent Books - all the Lent ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ books have now been taken. For anyone else who would like to share the resources - they are available online from the Ignatian Spirituality Centre, Glasgow 
CLICK HERE where you can also download an electronic version of the book.

For anyone who would like to meet to prayerfully share the fruits of their reflections there will be a Lent Group each week in the parish hall on Wednesday through Lent 10:15 - 11:30  All welcome.

Pastoral Plan Area 1:

Accompaniment - there will be two days on this theme in Holy Family Parish Hall:

Saturday 22 March 10:00-13:00‘ Exploring Accompaniment’ What does it mean? (Karen Groves & Archie Cameron)

and Saturday 5 Jul ‘Exploring Faith in the Family’ (Archie Cameron & John Sullivan). All welcome. CLICK HERE for some more info.

We have a Deanery Patron, Carlo Acutis Carlo Acutis.

Born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, to parents who were not particularly religious. From an early age, Carlo displayed a keen interest in Catholic religious practice requesting First Holy Communion at 7, frequently attending Mass each week and making a weekly confession. He lived a fairly routine life, but maintaining a keen interest to use media to evangelize and proclaim the Gospel, setting up a website for this purpose. When he developed leukaemia, he offered his suffering to the Pope for the Catholic Church. You can read more about our Deanery journey HERE.

Please read and pray about what we can all do in response to the urgent needs of some of our local people.

We are blessed that Southport North SVP which covers the parishes of St Marie’s, St Patricks and Holy Family is very active enabling us to support those in need in Southport in countless ways. 

Last year we regularly visited and/or maintained telephone contact with over 80 parishioners who were self-isolating and/or lonely.

We helped more than 140 families and individuals in financial need, making over 1300 visits and supplying 550 food parcels/ food vouchers, 50 fuel top ups as well as well as numerous items of furniture, bedding, electrical and household goods. 

We continue to deliver good quality adult clothes to Asylum Link who are now supporting Ukrainian families as well as other refugees.

The “cost of living” crisis is having a significant impact on everyone but is particularly hard for those who have to choose between eating or keeping warm. In each of the last 4 months we have supplied 10 food parcels and 45 food vouchers/fueltop ups (an increase of around 30% compared to last year) at a cost of over £1000 per month and we expect demand to continue to increase. 

We are very grateful to those who have supported us over the last year, financially, by food donations and by prayer, however if we are to continue supporting current demand we need your help –

There are several ways in which you can assist

  • Donations (or standing order) direct to our Nat West account: Sort Code: 60-60-04 Account Number: 46084509
    Account Name: D100907 SVP Southport North

  • Vouchers (Preferably £10 or £20) from Farmfoods, Asda, Morrisons or Aldi

  • Cash or cheques in an envelope clearly marked “SVP”  

  • Please place cash/cheques/vouchers in the collection plate/SVP wallbox or hand into St Marie’s/Holy Family Office

  • Food:  We welcome non-perishable food donations which can be collected by prior arrangement (please see list at back of St Patrick’s)

  • Adult Clothing: We collect good quality adult clothing and shoes for delivery to Asylum Link in Liverpool 

  • Please pray for the work we do and those in need – never underestimate the value of your prayer, it can make a real difference.

  • If you wish to speak to a Southport North SVP member we can be contacted on 07562378873 or through the St Marie’s/Holy Family Office. All requests are treated in strict confidence.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Please pray and let the Holy Spirit lead you! 

Please don't forget to pray for our schools

We pray for protection for all teachers, staff, pupils and their families as they attend and work in school, and look after our younger members as they start their life journeys.

We especially pray for our own schools of Holy Family and Christ the King.

Adopt a Care/Nursing Home

We all have a calling, and have been given gifts and talents to use in service to others in our daily lives.

"But I'm not special, I can't do much."

If that's what you're thinking, think again. The most powerful thing we can do, with the help and strength of the Holy Spirit, is to pray, and hold up in prayer those in need throughout our parish and beyond. This is the very meaning of community, we pray for them, visit them and keep in touch as much as we can, and they pray for us, as parish even though they might not be able to actually get to church. So we feel part of their lives, and they feel part of ours

With this in mind we have compiled a list of care and nursing homes in our parish, and ask you to adopt one.

Those residents, carers and their families especially need our prayers at this time.

Could you adopt one to protect with a prayer each day? Perhaps one near your own home or with a special meaning to you? 
If you can, please let us know so we can make sure no one is left out. 

  • Acacia Court (Roe Lane)
  • Ascot Lodge (Chambres Rd.)
  • Blair House (Roe Lane)
  • Cedar Grange (Pilkington Rd.)
  • Dale Park (Meols Cop Rd. )
  • Good Companions (Roe Lane )
  • Hampton Court (Scarisbrick New Rd.)
  • Peacehaven House (Roe Lane)
  • Thomas Henshaw (Norwood Rd.)
  • Woodlands Manor (Chambres Rd.)
  • Lyndale (Rawlinson Road)
  • Poulton Court (Wennington Road)
  • Southport Hospital
  • Queenscourt Hospice