STARBRIGHT: A Reflective Course for Advent

A date for Confirmations has now been agreed with Archbishop Mark for Wednesday 17th June at St Francis Xavier, Broad Street . Anyone who would like their child to receive this Sacrament of the Church please contact your parish priest. Please include the full name and contact details of the young person seeking confirmation, also include their date of birth and the school they are currently attending. Registration details should be received no later than January 1st, 2026. Preparation classes will begin in the New Year. Further details to follow

On Friday 12th December at 6.30pm we are holding our annual, ADVENT CAROL SERVICE. This year we welcome the choir of St Mary’s Lugwardine who will be joining us as we gather to sing the praises of God. St Augustine famously said: “They who sing pray twice” and this is an ideal opportunity for us to give glory to the God who comes to us in humility and love. So come along and join in thanksgiving and praise. There will be mulled wine and mince pies to keep us going. Jubilate deo omnis terra. (Praise the Lord all nations on Earth)

On Sunday 7th December in the Parish Hall after the 10.00am Mass we are holding our Christmas ‘shared table’ event. We want to make this a multi-national gathering representing all the different communities that worship at Our Lady’s. It would be wonderful if people could bring ‘different food from different places.’ So please bring food to share, something that will reflect the many cultures that have made their home here at Our Lady’s. Let us enjoy each other’s company coming together from our many nations and languages to praise the wonder of God’s love. You will be made very welcome. Our Lady’s Parish Christmas Draw! Prizes Include 1 st Prize: £50 2 nd Prize: Food Hamper 3 rd Prize: Meat Voucher Other Prizes Include: Spirits, Wine & Chocolates Tickets are now available after Mass price £1 per ticket. The draw will be made on Sunday 7 th December in the parish hall, during our shared Christmas table event.

Calling all young Catholics across Hereford! Sunday 23rd November, the Feast of Christ the King, is National Youth Sunday. There will be a Youth Mass at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs on Belmont Road at 6:30pm on the 23rd November with contemporary music and led by our SVP youth group members. Our SVP youth group will also be meeting at 4:30pm in the parish hall before the Mass, so why not come along early to join the youth group session and take an active part in the Mass. This is a great way to get together with other young Catholics across Hereford, to finish the Church's liturgical year and get ready for the next year in which we'll have confirmation in the Deanery. Illustration: Youth: T11108A-CW-V2, copyright © Radiant Light 2006, www.radiantlight.org.uk by Elizabeth Wang

Those children who go to Our Lady’s School will continue to be prepared by the school and you will hear from them in due course. If you have any questions, please contact the school office on admin@our-ladys.hereford.sch.uk For those children within the parish who do not attend Our Lady’s school and yet still need to be prepared for their First Holy Communion. If your child is aged 7/ 8 (Year 3) could you, please contact Father Andrew by email on hereford@rcadc.org to register your child. This must be done as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made for them. We will be in touch as soon as we have finalised the dates for the preparation course.

Here at Our Lady’s, and we are inviting years 7-11 to come join this group. Our motto is Love in Action ! The first meeting will be on Sunday 28th after 10am Mass in the parish Hall. The session will finish at 12:30pm. These sessions will be once a month, and its purpose is to serve our parish and community while learning about our faith in the process. If you know anyone aged between 7-11 who would be interested, then please come along.  If there are any adults who can help either volunteers or support in other ways, please let me know. Any questions call me on 07792540333. Annie Ridgway.

If you would like a Mass to be said for your intention, there are envelopes available at the back of church for you to use. Holy Mass makes present the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection. There is no greater prayer than the Mass, since it is the most perfect offering we can make to God. In offering Mass for a specific intention, we are asking that the fruits of Christ’s redemptive power may be applied to the requested intention. The offering you make also helps support the clergy. I will try my best to accommodate your request however, if the date given is not available, the nearest possible date will be given. Please give a contact number so that I can ring you if need be.

O God, who in your providential design willed that your Church be built upon blessed Peter, whom you set over the other Apostles, look with favour, we pray, on Leo our Pope and grant that he, whom you have made Peter's successor, may be for your people a visible source and foundation of unity in faith and of communion.

WOW (Widow or Widowers) group Since 2022 we have steadily grown in numbers and now there are almost twenty of us, aged from 65 to 80+. We meet in the Belmont parish centre on the first Tuesday of the month at 11 O'clock, share a cuppa, cake and friendly chat. We also have some sort of activity, in March it was pancakes (as the meeting fell on shrove Tuesday) supplied by the kitchen at Belmont Abbey, and a quiz. Last month we had a game of “Bird Bingo” which was enjoyed by all. We go for the occasional meal out, the Cider Orchard Restaurant at the college being a particular favourite. In the summer months we have been on outings to local National Trust Properties. We go to parish events as a group meaning there is always someone you know to sit with. As a group we help with the Annual Summer Fete either as stall holders, washer ups or car park attendants.  Although based at Belmont Abbey, the group is open to any widow or widowers not just parishioners, several of our members are non-catholic. That said, we always start the meeting with our WOW Prayer, where we particularly remember our loved ones’ anniversaries. New to this year I have also started to do a newsletter for the group. Anyone interested can just turn up on the meeting day or in any further info is required my email is: juliemirfin@btinternet.com . March 25 Newsletter