02/12/2020
Advent Prayer Share
'Churches Working Together in Burnley' have created a YouTube Channel and there is a daily "Advent Prayer Share."
A number of churches in Burnley are involved, including the Parish of the Good Samaritan, and each day of Advent will feature one or two prayers from different churches.
Today's short prayer is from Rachel of St Matthew’s CofE Church: please click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x4ofgbg0mU
If you'd like to catch up on previous prayers, or simply view again, click here then select the date you want.
02/12/2020
02/12/2020
Thought for the Day ~ Wednesday 2nd December 2020
Families in Burnley going hungry featured on a national TV news item this week. It is a reminder of the economic difficulties many people will find themselves in, as a result of the Pandemic-led recession we face. A large number of people are increasingly dependent on foodbanks and charity to provide for their families. The churches were depicted in the news item as helping with meeting the needs. As a result we received at the presbytery a few phone calls after the broadcast, from across the country offering to give practical support. This is very encouraging to hear of such concern, but feeding the hungry is after all one of the commands of the Lord and the Church.
In the First reading we get an image of Heaven which is depicted as a banquet on a mountain where people get an abundance of the finest foods and drink. In today’s Gospel Jesus gives a foretaste of the heavenly banquet when he feeds with a very small amount of food, a huge multitude of hungry people on a hillside. In the Psalm we are reminded that the Lord is a shepherd who has prepared a banquet for us in the sight of our foes ~ among our foes must include hunger and the risk of getting sick with the virus! Jesus is the one who shows us the right way to get to the Lord’s heavenly banquet through our love and service.
Advent is a time for us to hear the Lord calling us to be life- giving instruments of his presence in the world. This includes showing practical help for those in need, especially those on our own doorstep.
Fr David
01/12/2020
This appeared on the BBC News site this morning - a significant slice of life in Burnley today.
Just shows you why your contribution to the Foodbank is so important:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-55133081
Blessed Trinity are supporting the Burnley Together Foodbank. You can donate online:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/blessedtrinitysupportingburnleytogether
Or you may leave a cash donation (in a clearly marked envelope) at St John's presbytery or contact David H on 07434 763822 and they will pass them on to the Foodbank via the Blessed Trinity website (above).
01/12/2020
Advent Prayer Share
'Churches Working Together in Burnley' have created a YouTube Channel and there is a daily "Advent Prayer Share."
A number of churches in Burnley are involved, including the Parish of the Good Samaritan, and each day of Advent will feature one or two prayers from different churches.
Today's short prayer is from Martyn of Burnley and Nelson United Reformed Church: please click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=700AXECM2uA
If you'd like to catch up on previous prayers, or simply view again, click here then select the date you want.
30/11/2020
Good To Hear! 
The sound sytem at Christ the King church, including the Loop System, has been upgraded and is now fully functioning, just in time for public Masses to be reinstated!
30/11/2020
Below is the link for this week's Theme of the Week
from Rebecca Wilkinson of Blessed Trinity College
This week's theme is What is Advent?
A big thank you to Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day' and to Rhys and Lily-Mae for their readings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSUS-9T5zE0&t=57s
For previous Themes Of The Week please click here
30/11/2020
Advent Prayer Share
'Churches Working Together in Burnley' have created a YouTube Channel and there is a daily "Advent Prayer Share."
A number of churches in Burnley are involved, including the Parish of the Good Samaritan, and each day of Advent will feature one or two prayers from different churches.
Here is today's short prayer from Joan of St Peter's: please click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1JioH5RUyg
If you'd like to catch up on previous prayers, or simply view again, click here then select the date you want.
Resumption of Masses and Services
from 2nd December
We have just had authorisation from the Diocese that in line with Government guidelines we can now resume Masses and services in the parish as from Wednesday 2nd December. Therefore from that date the advertised periods of private prayer will not now take place and be replaced by the following programme of Masses and services which is basically the same as it was before the lockdown:
Mon 30th Nov
10.15am to 11.15am private prayer at St Mary’s
6.30pm to 7.30pm private prayer at Christ the King (just added 29/11/20)
Tues 1st Dec
10.15am to 11.15am private prayer at St Mary’s
11.30am to 12.30pm Private prayer at St John’s
Wed 2nd Dec
9.30am public Mass at St Mary’s
7pm public Mass at St John’s
Thurs 3rd Dec
9.30am public Mass at St Mary’s
10.30am public Mass at St John’s
Fri 4th Dec
9.30am public Mass at St Mary’s
12 Noon public Mass at Christ the King
Sat 5th Dec
9.30am public Mass at St Mary’s
10.30am to 11.30 Reconciliation and Exposition at St Mary’s.
Sun 6th Dec
9.30am public Mass at St Mary’s (Live streamed)
10.45am public Mass at St John’s
5pm public Mass at Christ the King
29/11/2020
Advent Reflection from the Diocese of Salford
Week One, a Reflection from Fr Mark Harold -
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/advent-reflection.pdf
29/11/2020
We are pleased to announce that the recording of this morning's live streamed Mass is now available -
click here to go straight to it
29/11/2020
Advent Prayer Share
'Churches Working Together in Burnley' have created a Youtube Channel and there will be a daily "Advent Prayer Share" starting this Sunday, 29th November, the 1st Sunday of Advent.
A number of churches in Burnley have been involved, including the Parish of the Good Samaritan, and each day of Advent will feature one ot two prayers from different churches.
Today there are two short prayers, one of them featuring our very own Anne Marie Coppock of St John's. To view it please click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiKZI0eqh6k
29/11/2020
Sunday Scroll
29/11/2020
This morning's live streamed Mass
begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
For Today, First Sunday of Advent, Sunday 29th November 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, First Sunday of Advent
(to catch up with any previous issue of 
please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for First Sunday of Advent, Sunday 29th November 2020
28/11/2020
ADVENT AT HOME
A delightful resource for preparing at home:
Preparing the Way:
Advent @ Home
Resources to support Prayer at Home
Find some great information on:
- PRAYERS
- SCRIPTURE
- THE ADVENT WREATH
- FOR INDIVIDUALS
- FOR FAMILIES
- ONLINE RESOURCES
- ADVENT MUSIC
- HELPING OTHERS
- SCRIPTURE CHALLENGE.
- RECIPES
- MAKING A HOME CRIB
- LITURGY FOR BLESSING AN ADVENT WREATH
28/11/2020
Covid-19 Infographics
Here is an interesting and valuable resource in the fight against Covid-19
Just click below, select your preferred language then whatever topic interests you:
28/11/2020
The next live streamed Mass will be tomorrow, Sunday 29th November
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Thought for the Day ~ Saturday 28th November 2020
Today is the last day of the Church’s liturgical year. We begin the new liturgical year tomorrow with the First Sunday of Advent. I see Advent as a genuine invitation from the Church to us to stop, slow down and think. During Advent we will prepare ourselves for the coming at Christ at Christmas as well as to focus on the Lord’s Second Coming at the end of time.
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that for both of these events we need to stay awake and be alert. We should strive for more purity and faithfulness in our lives. The Lord also urges us to be people who pray for strength. After all the uncertainty of the last year caused by the Pandemic, this Advent could be a great opportunity for allow ourselves time for reflection and thought. In this time may we try to put into perspective how the challenges and restrictions unexpectedly imposed us have allowed to see God and our lives in a new light.
May our prayer and reflection this Advent be a time to stop and think. We are to reflect particularly on our lives and the place that God has in them. If Christ is not currently at the centre of our lives then perhaps we need to change our priorities in order to place him where he should be. We also need to have the humility to ask the Lord for the strength and hope we need to deal with all the uncertainties that life can place in our path.
Fr David
27/11/2020
Advent Prayer Share
'Churches Working Together in Burnley' have created a Youtube Channel and there will be a daily "Advent Prayer Share" starting this Sunday, 29th November, the 1st Sunday of Advent.
A number of churches in Burnley have been involved, including the Parish of the Good Samaritan, and each day of Advent will feature one ot two prayers from different churches.
This coming Sunday there are two short prayers, one of them featuring our very own Anne Marie Coppock of St John's. The video premiers on Sunday - don't miss it! Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEYuESu8C_mF-hZQ7qehwg/videos
27/11/2020
How the virus spreads; each link in the chain is a social bubble:
Ladies and Gentlemen: Please Tighten Your Bubbles!
24/11/2020
Pastoral Letter from Bishop John -
Advent, Christmas and Beyond
Bishop John's Pastoral Letter was read out in all churches throughout the Diocese last Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King, whose entance into the world we are about to celebrate next month. In his letter, Bishop John talks about this coming Advent and Christmas, as well as looking forward with hope to the challenges of 2021. It's well worth taking a few minutes to read so here is the link:
Pastoral Letter for the Feast of Christ the King
22/11/2020
We are pleased to announce that the recording of this morning's live streamed Mass is now available -
click here to go straight to it
22/11/2020
For Today, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Sunday 22nd November 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, Sunday 22nd November 2020
22/11/2020
A very apt old Polish saying on this, the Feast of Christ the King:
‘A guest in your home is Christ in your home’
(and have faith, one day we will be able to have guests in our homes again!)
21/11/2020
For more InfoGraphics on Covid go to https://covid19graphics.info/ then select your prefered language
21/11/2020
The next live streamed Mass will be tomorrow, Sunday 22nd November
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
19/11/2020
19/11/2020
Ladies and Gentlemen: Please Tighten Your Bubbles!
15/11/2020
Our apologies that an internet connection problem in some parts of Burnley
prevented us from live streaming this morning's Mass
However the backup recording of Mass
is now available - please click on the link below:
15/11/2020
COVID - Remember the F A C T S
14/11/2020
The next live streamed Mass will be tomorrow, Sunday 15th November
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
12/11/2020
The recording of last night's
Catenians Annual Mass For Deceased Brothers
Lis now available to view on YouTube:
11/11/2020
Lest We Forget...
Today we remember all the young men who fell in the Great War of 1914 - 1918:
To view a list of those from our parish who fell in the Great War, and in some cases learn a little about them, click on the links below:
St Mary's (which in those days covered the area which later became Christ the King Parish) click here
St John's - click here
To learn more about Herbert Gavin who was featured on this page: click here
11/11/2020
Blessed Trinity College's Remembrance Service for Armistice Day
A Video by Rebecca Wilkinson, School Chaplain
09/11/2020
Below is the link for this week's Theme of the Week
from Rebecca Wilkinson of Blessed Trinity College
This week's theme is Remembrance
A big thank you to Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day' and to James, Olivia and Sally for their readings ...
08/11/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass is now available
Go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu
08/11/2020
Lest We Forget...
Today is Remembrance Sunday
(a Remembrance Day like no other)
To view a list of those from our parish who fell in the Great War, and in some cases learn a little about them, click on the links below:
St Mary's (which in those days covered the area which later became Christ the King Parish) click here
St John's - click here
07/11/2020
The next live streamed Mass will be tomorrow, Sunday 8th November
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Thought for the Day ~ Saturday 7th November 2020
Today marks the feast of st Willibrord who was born in 658 in Yorkshire and after being a pupil of St Wilfrid, studied for twelve years at Rathmelsige in Ireland, where he was ordained priest. He returned to England but set out again in 690 to evangelize Frisia. He was ordained bishop by Pope Sergius in 695 and founded the metropolitan see of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He preached the Gospel in Denmark and North Germany and founded several dioceses and monasteries in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. He died at Echternach in Luxembourg in 739. He was the first of the great Anglo- Saxon missionaries to Europe and is remembered not just for his devotion in preaching the Gospel but also for his joyfulness of character and his holiness of life.
Today’s Gospel is about having love for money. Coincidentally I have just discovered today that someone has fraudentally used my personal bank card details to pay their bills. With being ill and isolating during most of October, I did not go anywhere near a bank for a while, so I did not notice the fraud until the bank statement arrived today. I am amazed at how accepting my bank were in trusting my word when I reported the theft to them and that they will reimburse the full amount into my account. The matter is of course being referred to the police. I know that we live in difficult economic times and some people are resorting to crime out of desperation to keep their heads above water, but it is obviously sad when this happens.
Jesus says the man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; and the one who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. He goes on to describe money as tainted and says that if we can be trusted with money then we can be trusted with more important things. Trust is a verymimportant thing for all of us. Trust is like a very fine thread and once it is broken then it is very hard to win it back. There are lots of ways that we receive someone’s trust. For example we trust someone to keep a confidence or to carry out an important task for us. Let us reflect on all the little things that we are entrusted with and strive to do them to the best of our ability. May we never take that trust for granted. Let us particularly reflect on the gift of faith that has been entrusted to us to ensure that it continues to grow to its full potential despite the little knocks that real life occasionally throws at us.
Fr David
01/11/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass is now uploaded.
Unfortunately we had another problem with sound - the Mass itself starts at about 10:00 minutes into the video but there's no sound for the first seven minutes. We were able to rectify the problem at 17:00 minutes into the recording and sound resumed.
Our apologies and we hope it doesn't detract too much from your enjoyment of the Mass.
01/11/2020
THIS THING KILLS PEOPLE
I wouldn't normally dream of putting anything personal on this website but today I feel compelled to do so. Dreadfully sad to say, following the most awful illness my younger half-brother has just died from Covid 19. His family are devastated.
In all probability he caught Covid from someone who inconsiderately, selfishly, "couldn't be bothered" to obey the rules.
As a result of such behaviour, not only are we all kept under restictions for so much longer as the virus spreads, many more of us are predicted to have an early death.
So, a personal plea to all reading this: Take it serously, obey the rules!
Mike
TAKE COVID 19 SERIOUSLY!
01/11/2020
This morning's Mass for All Saints Day
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, All Saints Day, Sunday 1st November 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, All Saints Day
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
31/10/2020
The next live streamed Mass will be tomorrow, Sunday 1st November
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
30/10/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
Feast of All Saints
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
25/10/2020
We are pleased to say the recording of today's live streamed Mass is now uploaded and available on YouTube
Click here: https://youtu.be/6flhRmBdJMI
25/10/2020
This morning's Mass for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 25th October 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
24/10/2020
The next live streamed Mass will be tomorrow, Sunday 25th October
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
22/10/2020
22nd October is the Feast of Pope St John Paul. If you set it into the later years of his own life, it has added meaning - he grew old visibly, and clearly in pain, but he continued to strive for us all, with the greatest of dignity and love.
"There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us."
21/10/2020
Online Talks from Christian Heritage Centre, Stonyhurst
There will be an online talk tomorrow at the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst. Please share the dates below with anyone who may be interested.
"The Answer is 43" – an evening talk on St Thomas Aquinas' vision of "Life, the Universe and Everything". This talk will be given by Fr Richard Conrad, O.P., at 7:30pm on Thursday 22nd October.
Then, later this month:
"Newman 101: Why Newman Matters" – an online colloquium celebrating the 10th anniversary of beatification and 1st of canonisation. Leading Newman scholars will present short papers on different themes from Newman's legacy. 4pm on Saturday 31st October.
For more information visit
www.christianheritagecentre.com/events
for events and registration
21/10/2020
How can we secure justice for victims of modern slavery?
Below is an UPDATED link -
watch a recorded version of the event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytmTkeHqwBk
19/10/2020
WELCOME BACK FATHER DAVID!
We're all delighted to see you back!
18/10/2020
We are pleased to say the recording of today's live streamed Mass is now uploaded and available
:-)
For Today, Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 18th October 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 18th October,
Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
18/10/2020
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 18th October 2020
15/10/2020
Online Talks from Christian Heritage Centre, Stonyhurst
There will be two talks at the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst. Please share these with anyone who may be interested.
"The Answer is 43" – an evening talk on St Thomas Aquinas' vision of "Life, the Universe and Everything". This talk will be given by Fr Richard Conrad, O.P., at 7:30pm on Thursday 22nd October.
"Newman 101: Why Newman Matters" – an online colloquium celebrating the 10th anniversary of beatification and 1st of canonisation. Leading Newman scholars will present short papers on different themes from Newman's legacy. 4pm on Saturday 31st October.
For more information visit
www.christianheritagecentre.com/events
for events and registration
15/10/2020
English and Welsh Martyrs
A little reminder from last month that to mark the forthcoming 50th anniversay of the canonisation of 40 Martyrs of Engalnd and Wales by the Pope on 25/10/70, Terry Hephrun has sent us a copy of the programme for the the concelebration of a Mass followed by a torchlight procession from Towneley Hall to the church of St Mary of the Assumption in Burnley held to celebrate the event.
To view this interesting piece of our parish history please click here.
13/10/2020
The CSJ's Social Justice Conference:
How can we secure justice for victims of modern slavery?
Here's an UPDATED link -
watch a recorded version of the event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytmTkeHqwBk
12/10/2020
We are pleased to announce that the recording of yesterday morning's Mass for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time is now available.
Please click on the link below:
NB in view of our livestream providers losing the recording of yesterday's Mass, we've implemented an additional layer of backup which should mean we're able to rectify any future mishaps much more quickly.
11/10/2020
Update regarding the problems we're having accessing the recording of this morning's Mass:
5:50pm: We've been waiting all afternoon for the streaming platform support people to retrieve the recording and then get back to us.
They are in an off-shore call centre based in the Philipinnes; it will be the middle of the night there and at a guess they won't be over-staffed. If they don't come up with the goods by tomorrow morning we will retrieve the back-up copy from the church laptop and upload that to YouTube again. Once again our apologies for any disappointment.
As this has happened twice now we will devise systems to ensure this doesn't happen again - Watch this space!
11/10/2020
This morning's Mass for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 11th October 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 11th October,
Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 11th October 2020
10/10/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this tomorrow, Sunday 11th October
Streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
The Mass itself starts at approximately 9:30am
10/10/2020
For this week's edition of the wonderful series for worship at home;
08/10/2020
For more information on Hope in the Future stage 3 click the link below to download
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Stage-3-Celebration-Booklet.pdf
"Simply going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car."
08/10/2020
Online Newman Talk
Today at 7:30pm, Thursday 8th October
Apologies for the very short notice but we have been asked by the Christian Heritage Centre to circulate notice of this interesting event taking place this evening:
Given the forthcoming anniversary of Newman's canonisation, we are hosting a free, online talk on "Newman, Belief and Reality: Finding God in the World" this Thursday 8th October, at 7:30pm. The talk will be given by Dr Giuseppe Pezzini, of St Andrews university. Further info and registration can be found on the "Events" page of our website https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/, or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
07/10/2020
"Seven prayerless days make one weak"
With thanks to Karen for today's quote. If you have a quote, or a quip, or a saying you'd like to share please do get in touch with us at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
07/10/2020
Pope Francis – Prayer to Mary for Protection during the COVID–19 Pandemic.
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test –
and deliver us from every danger,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Please pray also for the people of our Parish of the Good Samaritan in Burnley who are suffering from Covid-19 that they may be healed and have a full and speedy recovory.
06/10/2020
Today's quip: An atheist is a person with no invisible means of support.
05/10/2020
In order to be able concentrate on other matters, Fr David is taking a break from writing his daily Thought For The Day for a week or two.
We look forward to his next 'installment' when it appears and would like to take this opportunity to thank Fr David for his inspirational daily thoughts, each and every day from the beginning of lockdown until now without fail.
Thank you Father David!
05/10/2020
Seen on a church notice board: "If being a Christian was a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
04/10/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass has now been uploaded
Today's problem was that the lapel microphone wasn't working.
Although the sound wasn't quite as good as usual (we're told it was OK, just not quite as crisp), at least this time there were no gaps in sound!
NB the problem was fixed straight after Mass!
04/10/2020
This morning's Mass for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 4th October 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 4th October 2020
03/10/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Thought for the day ~ Saturday 3rd October 2020
We get the conclusion of the story of Job in today’s first reading. At the beginning of the week we heard of Job’s continuing faithfulness to God in the midst of adversity The story ends with Job repenting in sack cloth and ashes for his questioning of God, daring to treat God as an equal. The result is he received an enormous amount of new blessings from God and lived to a happy old age. We are also to keep faith with God in times of trials and to accept the set backs and disappointments as opportunities to grow in faith, humility and love of God.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples return delighted at the reaction they received when they were out on the mission to the people whom Jesus had sent them. He tells them to not rejoice at their successes and achievements but that their names are written in heaven. The whole purpose of Jesus’ mission was to reconcile us to the Father and to offer us salvation where we can see God in eternity in heaven. Our Christian faith should be the driving force in our lives and its main goal.
Let us rejoice at all the blessings in our lives as we acknowledge the source of them all ~ God our loving Father.
Fr David
Click Here for Previous Thoughts of the Day
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
30/09/2020
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Good news! Masses at St Mary's are now back to normal!
See our parish newsletter for more details of Mass times -
click here to go straight to Mass Times
27/09/2020
There is a problem with our streaming provider's server so we've had to put the recording of today's Mass on YouTube - please click below:
This morning's Mass for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 27th September 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 27th September 2020
[scroll down to see information on Spoken in Song Residental weekend]
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
24/09/2020
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Father David is having to self-isolate and therefore there will be no Mass (with the exception below), Exposition or Confession at St Mary's for the next few days.
The next Mass open to the public at St Mary's will be at 9:30am on Sunday 4th October (to be confirmed).
This Mass will also be live streamed.
22/09/2020
English and Welsh Martyrs
To mark the forthcoming 50th anniversay of the canonisation of 40 Martyrs of Engalnd and Wales by the Pope on 25/10/70, Terry Hephrun has sent us a copy of the programme for the the concelebration of a Mass followed by a torchlight procession from Towneley Hall to the church of St Mary of the Assumption in Burnley held to celebrate the event.
To view this interesting piece of our parish history please click here.
20/09/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass has now been uploaded
Unfortunately there were occasional gaps in the sound and one of our team had to work hard to keep correcting the problem!
The problem was later traced back to a cable, which will be replaced by next Sunday.
Gaps in sound not withstanding, we hope you enjoy the recording of this morning's Mass.
20/09/2020
This morning's Mass for 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 20th September 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 20th September 2020
19/09/2020
Cecilia and family wish to thank all parishioners for their condolences, prayers, Mass cards and donations for the loss of my dear Tom. Special thanks to Fr David for his kind administrations, Mass will be offered for all your intentions.
Cecilia Edmondson
19/09/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
18/09/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
17/09/2020
We’re 
One of our Live Stream Team is leaving to join the navy – we’ll miss him badly and need to replace him – but we’re not only recruiting one volunteer to join our small team, we’re changing the way we work so we need two people!
If you can help us to live stream Sunday Masses for a couple of hours every other Sunday morning, ie one week in two, then we’d love to hear from you. The job’s not too tricky, full on-the-job training is given and lots of support is available. All you need to begin with is basic computer knowledge.
If you’d like to learn a new skill while at the same time providing an invaluable service to those who are not in a position to attend Mass, contact Mike Morris on 07929 451 566 or email him via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
13/09/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass has now been uploaded
13/09/2020
This morning's Mass for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 13th September 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 13th September 2020
12/09/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Thought for the day ~ Saturday 12 th September
In the presbytery garden at St Mary’s, we have two plum trees. In my two years plus here, they have already had two bumper crops and one fallow year. They really are the sweetest and loveliest plums I have tasted. This year, I invited a few people to pick them and everyone was delighted with what they got. I recently tried my hand at making a plum crumble and Fr Damien and I really enjoyed it.
However, it looks like we will have to wait a couple of years for the next good crop. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that we should strive to be like sound trees that produce good fruit. I am certain that the plum trees at St Mary’s are sound because they yield delicious fruit. Jesus is talking of the importance in ensuring that our interior lives are wholesome and nourished on God’s Word. Just as fruit trees need to be nurtured, watered and receive plenty of sunlight, so also do our souls need to be nurtured by listening and reflecting on God’s Word and by remaining close to Christ through a life of prayer and faithfulness to the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation.
Today is the feast of the Holy Name of Mary. Our Lady’s name is most deserving of being respected and revered because of the fact the Lord chose her for such a significant role in the story of our salvation. It is good to have a day to reflect on how respectful and appreciative we are in using the name of Our Lady in our words and in our prayers. She certainly bore great fruits in her life through her faithfulness to God and her Son. Through the Holy Name of Mary may we also produce many good fruits for her Son, Jesus.
Fr David
Click Here for Previous Thoughts of the Day
A recording of this morning's Mass for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time has now been uploaded
06/09/2020
This morning's Mass for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
was will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 6th September 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 6th September 2020
A little reminder of this important resource for Burnley!
Testing For Covid 19 - FREE – No Symptoms Needed
You are invited to have a test to see if you are suffering from Covid. It’s free, and available on Centenary Way near the Gala Bingo, seven days a week, between 10.00am and 3.00pm. No booking needed. J
ust turn up. Waiting times can vary, between 5 and 30 minutes. No injection – they just take a swab.
It’s being done to help measure how many people have the infection so that the authorities can make informed decisions to help control and manage the disease, and about when to end the lockdown.
And apart from reassuring yourself, you will be helping the community, and meeting our responsibilities as Christians.
Footnote: I went down for testing on17/8/20. From parking up to driving home I was in and out in less than 15 minutes. I've since heard of similar waiting times from others. Well worth going. MM
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
03/09/2020
DAVID ROSS'S "NOT (AND POSSIBLY NEVER AGAIN!) THE GREAT NORTH RUN SOLO CHALLENGE"
David Ross has written in:
Job done - 40 days of running for the certificate, and 113.5 miles for a bronze medal.
I started by asking a few people to sponsor me for the mental health charity Mind, just a little I said, conscious that there are many appeals at present, eg CAFOD's and the DEC's coronavirus appeals. So I set the target optimistically at £100.
So I am amazed, and I want to say so many thanks to everyone who pushed up the total donated to £500, raised even higher by gift-aid to over £570.
Connected with the purpose for which I was doing this (the charity Mind) I have encountered along the way some very moving personal stories, and I kept running in prayer for several people in particular, and in general for everyone whose mental health has been shattered by the coronavirus situation. For some, we can only say, "May they rest in peace", and may their families and friends find consolation.
My JustGiving page remains open for a while (just search there on my name) where the certificate is displayed (the medal may take a while to arrive). But, to show it off, here it is, above! The figure of £250,000 referred to for the NHS charities covid19 urgent appeal is from the £10 entrance fees from 25,000 crazy runners!
Thank you again, and God bless,
David.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well done Dave - quite a feat! (or should that be feet :-)
01/09/2020
The recording of the Mass in French live streamed from St Mary's this evening
is now available, together with a transcript of readings & homily
in French, plus the homily in English -
to view click here
30/08/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass is now available!
30/08/2020
This morning's Mass for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
was will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 30th August 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 30th August 2020
29/08/2020
Article on Francois Mauriac
by Fr David Featherstone
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the death of this great French Catholic Author who died on 1st September 1970, Fr David has written an article to go with the French Mass on Tuesday, 1st September.
To read the article please click here
29/08/2020
A little reminder of this important resource for Burnley!
Testing For Covid 19 - FREE – No Symptoms Needed
You are invited to have a test to see if you are suffering from Covid. It’s free, and available on Centenary Way near the Gala Bingo, seven days a week, between 10.00am and 3.00pm. No booking needed. Just turn up. Now the initial rush is over, there seems to be a pretty minimal wait. No injection – they just take a swab.
It’s being done to help measure how many people have the infection so that the authorities can make informed decisions to help control and manage the disease, and about when to end the lockdown.
And apart from reassuring yourself, you will be helping the community, and meeting our responsibilities as Christians.
Footnote: I went down for testing last week (17/8/20). From parking up to driving home I was in and out in less than 15 minutes. I've since heard of similar waiting times from others. Well worth going. MM
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
28/08/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
27/08/2020
Queen's Award for Voluntary Service
The Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, The Lord Shuttleworth KG KCVO, has made a final call for Lancashire residents to nominate outstanding voluntary groups in their area for the 2021 Queen's Award for Voluntary Service before this year's 25 September deadline.
This prestigious UK National Honour, which has the equivalent status to the MBE, recognises the exceptional contribution made to local communities by groups voluntarily devoting their time for the benefit of others. In June this year, nine outstanding Lancashire groups were announced as amongst the recipients of the 2020 Award from nominations made from across the UK. These groups were nominated by members of the public. Further information is available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
23/08/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass is now available
23/08/2020
This morning's Mass for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
was will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 23rd August 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
22/08/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
19/08/2020
CAFOD have a new page with lots of useful information - to open the page click here and see more
(for future reference, you can access the new CAFOD page from the drop-down menu under 'Home Page')
17/08/2020
A very warm welcome to
Fr Damien Louden
who joins our parish today
16/08/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
is now available.
I'm afraid the gremlins got in again for a couple of minutes, where the screen froze, went blank and the sound went off for a short while. The camera which carries the sound had mysteriously turned itself off!
After a couple of minutes we were able to fix it and all returned to normal. We hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of an otherwise perfect Mass!
16/08/2020
This morning's Mass for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
was will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sunday 16th August 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
15/08/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
09/08/2020
A recording of this morning's Mass is now available
09/08/2020
This week-end's Newsletter was delayed due to a PC breaking down (those pesky gremlins again!) but it's uploaded now. Hope you enjoy it!
09/08/2020
This morning's Mass for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 9th August 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday 9th August 2020
08/08/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Live Streaming Mass – Can You Help?
(it's not too difficult, no technical experience needed!)
Due to the impact of new work commitments, one of our volunteers is no longer able to help with the live streaming of Mass on a Sunday morning so we now have a vacancy, a chance to learn new skills!
The role involves a commitment of about two hours every 3rd Sunday morning, so it’s not too demanding! It doesn’t take long to learn the ropes and full training is given, together with an illustrated step-by-step guide and ongoing support throughout.
If you’d like to know more please contact Mike Morris on 07929 451 566 or via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
07/08/2020
The Jesuit 5 Finger Examen Prayer
This is a simplified version of the “Examen” prayer inspired by St Ignatius of Loyola. St Ignatius gets us to see that God is in everything each day including all our events and encounters. This prayer uses the fingers of one hand to think of different aspects of the day (or week) that we are reflecting on. This is a perfect spiritual exercise to do at the end of the day. You can take as much time in praying this exercise as you need.
1. The thumb;
First look at your thumb ~ and whenever we use it in the “thumbs up” position, it means that something is good. So let us think about something good that has happened in the day and thank the Lord for it.
2. Index finger
We use this finger for pointing where something is. Let is take time to reflect where Christ has been in our day ~ maybe in our prayer, hearing the Gospel at in the kind or merciful actions we have witnessed In our encounters.
3. Middle finger
Our middle finger is the longest finger so its that one that “stands out”! Reflect on what stands out from the day ~ it might not necessarily be something good ~ it could well be something that happened that was challenging or even difficult.
4. The ring finger
The next finger is the one on which that those who married would wear a wedding ring. The ring is therefore a sign of commitment. On this finger we reflect on how faithful we have been to our Christian commitments to love and serve the Lord and one another. For occasions when we have fallen short of what is asked of us, we ask the Lord’s mercy.
5. The little finger
In the light of all that we have reflected on during this time of prayer, this last and smallest finger asks us to think about what action God is asking us to take in the near future. For example; If on the ring finger we reflected that we had neglected to do something important for another person, then we should consider that as something to prioritise the next day.
Concluding prayer;
Lord, thank you for the fingers of my hand that enable me to do so much that is good. As I reflect upon this day, you have enabled me to reflect on my life in prayer. Help me to see Your hand and Your presence in every aspect of each day. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel ~ Pray for us
St Joseph ~ Pray for us
St Ignatius of Loyola ~ Pray for us
All holy men and women~ Pray for us
02/08/2020
We experienced a number of technical problems during live streaming this morning, the last of which meant that the end of Mass was cut short and is missing on the recording. However, we have gone ahead and uploaded the recording on the basis that something is better that nothing and some folk would appreciate hearing the announcements by Fr David from the pulpit.
All the volunteers engaged in Live Streaming are still on a learning curve and we're doing just that - learning - so please bear with us! Thank you.
02/08/2020
This morning's Mass for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 2nd August 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
01/08/2020
The Government briefing on Friday 31st July recommends that we all wear face coverings in places of worship. This is to become law by the 8th August. So, from next weekend we will all be required to wear face covering to Church.
01/08/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Thought for the day ~ Saturday 1st August 2020
St Alphonsus Liguouri was born in 1696 near Naples. He was from alarge family of nobility. He was gifted at many things including music and wrote many hymns. After university he gained a Doctorate in both civil and canon law and began his career in the legal profession. Despite opposition from his father, in 1723 he entered seminary and was ordained a priest in 1726 aged 30 years old. He spent his first years as a priest with the homeless and marginalised young people of Naples. He did much other missionary work among the poor and needy within the Kingdom of Naples. In 1932 he funded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (CSSR) better known as the Redemptorists. Their purpose was to bring the Good News of the Gospel to the poorest and most abandoned people. He wrote many works on spirituality and theology. However he is perhaps most greatly appreciated for his contribution to Moral Theology within the Church. He was made a Bishop in 1762 and died in Pagini on this day 1787. He is Patron of Confessors and Moralists.
It is a pity that St Alphonsus was not around at the time of King Herod who could have done with a bit of moral guidance after the predicament his own pride got him into in today’s Gospel. He ended up having to keep his rashly made promise to the daughter of Herodias, which resulted in the death of John the Baptist whom the king admired. The situation reminds us that we always need to be careful and measured in the promises that we make to others because we may find ourselves in a situation where we are so compromised that someone innocent suffers because of our blunder.
Fr David
Click Here for Previous Thoughts of the Day
31/07/2020
All the Very Best Father Kevin - and thank you
31/07/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
30/07/2020
Public Parish Masses in St Mary's Church,
Daily Monday - Saturday 9:30am
Public Parish Masses in St Mary's Church, Daily Monday - Saturday 9:30am
We hope to celebrate a public 9:30am Mass at St Mary's each day this coming week from Monday to Saturday. The church will be open from 9:00am. We also plan to have an additional public Mass at 7pm on Thursday 30th July. The church will be open from 6.30pm.
Private Prayer at St John's Church
We are delighted to announce that St John's Church will be open for private prayer with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30am to 11:30am. Stewards will be present to greet you and guide you.
26/07/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass is now available
The gremlins that beset us earlier have now been vanquished!
(at least until next week! :-) )
26/07/2020
This morning's Mass for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
was will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 25th July 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday 25th July 2020
25/07/2020
Breaking News!
Today Bishop John has accepted two men as seminarians for the diocese... One is called Carmine Rea from North Manchester and the other is Mark Mcgeehan from our own parish. In September they will both go to St Alban's college in Valladolid in Spain for their propaedeutic year. We are particularly delighted to have a seminarian from Burnley whom we can support and encourage. Please keep both Mark and Carmine in your prayers. Thank you.
Fr David
25/07/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
25/07/2020
Following successful testing, the Live Mass Page is now available again - see you at tomorrow's Live Streaming!
24/07/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
Public Parish Masses in St Mary's Church,
Daily Monday - Saturday 9:30am
PLEASE NOTE that the diocese has issued fresh instructions to us and that the document "What to expect when you come to Mass at St Mary’s during the pandemic" below has small but important changes.
In addition. the latest guidance from the diocese says that for Mass we should not use a one way system and instead use both the doors of the church as exits and entrances.
What to expect when you come to Mass at St Mary’s during the pandemic
A list of instructions of what to expect at Mass during the pandemic can be found on the link below.
20/07/2020
Religious Quiz
Here are the answers to last week's quiz
Thanks again to Geoffrey Taylor & Fr David
1. Which book of the Bible is a collection of 150 songs and poems? Psalms
2. What is the name of the Hindu festival of lights? Diwali or Deepavali
3. Which religious leader’s teaching consisted of four ‘Noble Truths’? Buddha
4. Taoism is an ancient religion which originated in which country? China
5. Cheondoism (or Chondoism) is a religion originating in which historical country? Korea (now divided North & South)
6. Which is the holiest book of Judaism? The Torah
7. The Bahá’í Faith is a religion which originated in which country? Iran
8. At what age does a Jewish boy become a ‘Bar Mitzvah’? Thirteen
9. How many books are there in the protestant Christian Bible? 66
10. How many Popes have been Spanish? Two
11. Name all of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, & Sloth.
12. The most important Muslim practices are known as the ‘Pillars of Islam’ – how many are there? Five
13. Joseph Smith, Jr. was a religious leader and founder of which religious movement? Mormonism or Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints
14. Who was the Greek god of war? Ares
15. Which is the largest religious structure in the world? Angkor Wat in Burma
16. Which movement, sometimes referred to as a religion, started in Jamaica in the 1930s and worships Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia until 1974? Rastafarianism
17. Who was the founder of Sikhism? Guru Nanak
18. Which four-letter word beginning with ‘H’ is a term used for the yearly Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca? Hajj
19. In which year did just under 400 thousand people state their religion as ‘Jedi’ on their UK census forms? 2001
20. Freddie Mercury and his family were observers of which religion? Zoroastrianism
Well done if you got all 20 right!
19/07/2020
The recording of today's Sunday Morning Mass is now available.
Hover your mouse pointer on 'View Mass' above
and select 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu
19/07/2020
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday 19th July 2020
This morning's Mass for 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
will be streamed live from 9:20am, beginning with organ music
played & recorded by Francis Ashworth of St Mary's
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
For Today, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 19th July 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
18/07/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
Quiz Time
Another chance to look at this week's quiz:
Answers will be posted here on Monday, 20th July.
1. In which country did the poets Shelley and Keats both die?
2. How many tusks does a warthog have?
3. Who wrote “Porgy & Bess”?
4. Which card game has two forms, called auction and contract?
5. In ads, what sign meant Happy Motoring?
6. Who burned his guitar at the Monterey pop festival in 1967.
7. Who preferred “50,000 rifles to 50,000 votes”.
8. Whose fan did Oscar Wilde write about?
9. On which day in 1066 was William the Conqueror crowned?
10. What is the name of the national airline of Spain?
11. Who was Pinocchio’s father?
12. Who composed the opera “The Tales of Hoffman”
13. For what is Frank Lloyd Wright famous?
14. In “Treasure Island”, which sailor dreamed of toasted cheese?
15. Which pop singer’s real name was Mary O’Brien?
16. What is a Mazurka?
17. Who wrote the ‘Inspector Morse’ novels?
18. What term is given to the making of patterns by inlaying different pieces of wood?
19. Which Chocolate bar was supposed to help you Work, Rest & Play?
20. Which city does the snooker player Willie Thorn come from?
With thanks to Geoffrey Taylor for the quiz, thanks too to Fr David for passing it on.
Answers will be posted here on Monday, 20th July. Good luck!
Exposition and Reconciliation at St Mary's
St Mary’s church will be open for private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on Friday 17th July from 10.30am to 11.30am. During this time the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available in the Sacred Heart Chapel. Please be guided and directed by the stewards.
16/07/2020
Help Available
A Sum of £10,000 is available until the end of September from which one-off payments of up to £400 per family can be made to provide immediate relief to families and individuals in crisis. (NB: it cannot be used directly to pay utility bills rent or debts). For further information on the criteria, or to apply, please go to:
www.caritassalford.org.uk/service-view/gubay-fund/
bs 16/07/2020
13/07/2020
Quiz Time
1. In which country did the poets Shelley and Keats both die?
2. How many tusks does a warthog have?
3. Who wrote “Porgy & Bess”?
4. Which card game has two forms, called auction and contract?
5. In ads, what sign meant Happy Motoring?
6. Who burned his guitar at the Monterey pop festival in 1967.
7. Who preferred “50,000 rifles to 50,000 votes”.
8. Whose fan did Oscar Wilde write about?
9. On which day in 1066 was William the Conqueror crowned?
10. What is the name of the national airline of Spain?
11. Who was Pinocchio’s father?
12. Who composed the opera “The Tales of Hoffman”
13. For what is Frank Lloyd Wright famous?
14. In “Treasure Island”, which sailor dreamed of toasted cheese?
15. Which pop singer’s real name was Mary O’Brien?
16. What is a Mazurka?
17. Who wrote the ‘Inspector Morse’ novels?
18. What term is given to the making of patterns by inlaying different pieces of wood?
19. Which Chocolate bar was supposed to help you Work, Rest & Play?
20. Which city does the snooker player Willie Thorn come from?
With thanks to Geoffrey Taylor for the quiz, thanks too to Fr David for passing it on.
Answers will be posted here on Monday, 20th July. Good luck!
12/07/2020
A recording of today's Sunday Morning Mass is now available,
Hover your mouse pointer on 'View Mass' above
and select 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu
12/07/2020
For Today, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 12th July 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
12/07/2020
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday 12th July 2020
11/07/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
11/07/2020
Thought for the Day~ Saturday 11th July 2020
Today is the feast of St Benedict, who is a co-patron of Europe. Benedict was born in Umbria in Italy in 480. He studied in Rome but did not like city life, so he became a hermit at Subiaco. He organised set up various small communities of monks and nuns in different places including the great monastery of Monte Cassino. He set up what is known as the Rule of St Benedict, which is seen as balanced and wise guide to monastic life. The Rule recognises that although we strive for perfection we often fall short of it. The Rule gives all people a chance to grow spiritually.
Today I also celebrate my 27 th Anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Although I have only been in Burnley for two years out of those twenty seven, they are without doubt two very important and significant years for me. Burnley is my seventh appointment as a priest in this Diocese. I thank the Lord for all the love, kindness, honesty, encouragement and support I have received from the people of Burnley in the last two years. I also thank the Lord for all the other parishes I have served in through those twenty seven years; Chadderton, Withington, Oldham, Blackburn, Moston and
Urmston.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Peter that those who have followed him will be repaid a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. I have felt very much called by the Lord to each of my seven appointments. Even though Salford Diocese is relatively small geographically, each of those places has been different and life-giving and have brought me many joys as well as presented me with various challenges. I know that I have received much for than I have given by serving the people of God entrusted to my care. All of which helped me to grow in confidence and love for the Lord.
Fr David
Click Here for Previous Days' Thoughts
10/07/2020
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
Private Prayer in St Mary's
Because we are introducing daily Mass (Monday to Saturday) we will NOT continue to open for private prayer. The sessions were valued by those who attended. Warm thanks to those who made it possible by acting as stewards. They did a sterling job, showing great care and concern for the spiritual and physical well-being of us all. Additionaly, the three weeks it ran have provided valuable lessons in preparation for our next steps. Thank you to everyone how contributed.
05/07/2020
Our aplogies; there is an inexplicable problem with the recording of this morning's
live Sunday Morning Mass, about ten and a half minutes into the recording;
we think something has gone wrong with our external streaming platform
and we are looking into it - once more, our apologies!
05/07/2020
For Today, Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 5th July 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Fourteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
04/07/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
04/07/2020
Thought for the day ~ Saturday 4 th July
I was more “holey” than holy when I was growing up. I say this because I seemed to quickly get holes in my clothes but they weren’t really caused by kneeling down for prayer! I remember in the early years of High school at Buxton, I was quite active ~ playing football with a tennis ball on muddy land and other games at lunch time at school. It was great fun and enabled me to expound energy, but it meant that I was hard wearing on my shoes and constantly getting holes in my trousers ~ mainly at the knees. These were the days before it was fashionable to have holes in your trousers, so my mam who was great with the sewing machine would constantly be patching up my trousers.
This would extend the life of the trousers by quite a few months. I was a bit self-conscious of having patches on my clothes, but didn’t mind too much as I was very aware that my parents couldn’t afford to be buying new trousers for me every few weeks!
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of the new life that He brings through faith in him. He uses the analogy of patches on a cloak as well as talking about new wine. Jesus brings a new kind of joy; a new cloak rather than one with old patches on it is far more appealing. We must seek and pray to be worthy disciples that we became through our Baptism. This was when we were clothed in a white garment to remind us of the new life in Christ that we are called to. This garment also speaks of being in a state of purity on the day of our baptism, having being cleansed of Original sin. So we are challenged to keep our “White garment” uncontaminated from the stain of sin by resisting the temptation to put our own ways before the Lord’s.
Today is the feast of St Elizabeth of Portugal who set up hospitals, orphanages. She also acted as a peacemaker in the challenging and complicated politics of the time. She was very forgiving of her husband’s infidelities and even provided for the education of his illigitimate children. On her husband’s death, she devoted herself to prayer and the service of the poor. May St Elizabeth of Portugal inspire us to be Christ-like in our own lives through faithfulness to the Gospel and to wear the cloak of righteousness with humility and love.
Fr David
Click Here for Previous Days' Thoughts
The next live stream Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
Public Parish Masses in St Mary's Church, Daily Monday - Saturday 9:30am plus Thursday 7:00pm
We hope to celebrate a public 9:30am Mass at St Mary's each day this coming week from Monday to Saturday. The church will be open from 9:00am. We also plan to have an additional public Mass at 7:00pm on Thursday 7th July. The church will be open from 6:30pm.
What to expect when you come to Mass at St Mary’s during the pandemic
A list of instructions of what to expect at Mass during the pandemic can be found on the link below.
Private Prayer in St Mary's
Because we are introducing daily Mass (Monday to Saturday) we will NOT continue to open for private prayer. The sessions were valued by those who attended. Warm thanks to those who made it possible by acting as stewards. They did a sterling job, showing great care and concern for the spiritual and physical well-being of us all. Additionaly, the three weeks it ran have provided valuable lessons in preparation for our next steps. Thank you to everyone how contributed.
30/06/2020
More Good News...!
This notice just in from the 110 Cub:
The KSC 110 CLUB will be re-opening on Saturday 4th July!
3pm until 11pm.
The club will be open, following government guidelines that are put in place. Keeping 1 metre apart and signing into the club, following the track and trace procedures (these will be kept at the bar for privacy and confidentiality).
The club will be offering table service to avoid customers having to leave tables.
Hand sanitiser gel is available on entry and outside the toilets for all customers to use.
We hope you all carry on supporting the club during these hard times so we can get back to normality and offer top class entertainment.
Club opening times this week ;
Saturday - 3pm - 11pm
Sunday - 3pm - 10pm
Monday - 7pm - 11pm
Tuesday - closed
Wednesday - closed
Thursday - closed
Friday - 7pm - 11pm
30/06/2020
Here are the answers to last week's Religious Quiz
How many did you get right?
1. Which book of the Bible is a collection of 150 songs and poems? Psalms
2. What is the name of the Hindu festival of lights? Diwali or Deepavali
3. Which religious leader’s teaching consisted of four ‘Noble Truths’? Buddha
4. Taoism is an ancient religion which originated in which country? China
5. Cheondoism (or Chondoism) is a religion originating in which historical country? Korea (now divided North & South)
6. Which is the holiest book of Judaism? The Torah
7. The Bahá’í Faith is a religion which originated in which country? Iran
8. At what age does a Jewish boy become a ‘Bar Mitzvah’? Thirteen
9. How many books are there in the protestant Christian Bible? 66
10. How many Popes have been Spanish? Two
11. Name all of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, & Sloth
12. The most important Muslim practices are known as the ‘Pillars of Islam’ – how many are there? Five
13. Joseph Smith, Jr. was a religious leader and founder of which religious movement? Mormonism or Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints
14. Who was the Greek god of war? Ares
15. Which is the largest religious structure in the world? Angkor Wat in Burma
16. Which movement, sometimes referred to as a religion, started in Jamaica in the 1930s and worships Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia until 1974? Rastafarianism
17. Who was the founder of Sikhism? Guru Nanak
18. Which four-letter word beginning with ‘H’ is a term used for the yearly Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca? Hajj
19. In which year did just under 400 thousand people state their religion as ‘Jedi’ on their UK census forms? 2001
20. Freddie Mercury and his family were observers of which religion? Zoroastrianism
Thanks again to Fr David for sharing this quiz
If YOU have a quiz to share, please get in touch - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,uk
28/06/2020
Please note that this edition will be the last one for a while as Rebecca and her talented readers from Blessed Trinity will be taking a summer break, hopefully back in the autumn.
28/06/2020
Breaking News…
Fr David announced this morning that Bishop John has asked Fr Kevin to take up a new appointment as assistant priest at St Peter’s in Middleton. He will join Fr Peter Hopkinson, who was of course Fr David’s predecessor and who many of you will know well.
Fr Kevin will take up his new appointment at the end of July. As Middleton is close to Rochdale, he will only be about 3 miles from his family, which is great news for him. We wish Fr Kevin well in his new appointment and thank him for all he has done for our parish.
Fr Kevin will be replaced by Fr Damien Louden, who is currently assistant priest at St James the Less, Rawtenstall. Although only ordained a year or so ago, Fr Damien has a lot of life experience. He will be moving into St Mary’s presbytery in mid-August and we very much look forward to welcoming him.
And another momentous announcement…
After 3 months of being closed, we will shortly be allowed to attend public Mass again. Fr David says his approach will be the same as when he first arrived in the parish, “Festina lente,” make hast slowly, and Masses will gradually and carefully be reintroduced. Safety of parishioners and clergy is still vital. With this in mind, only those churches with sufficient space to allow for a viable number of parishioners yet still maintain social distancing, and which were therefore permitted by the diocese to open for private prayer will now be allowed to have public Mass.
To begin with, the first public Mass will be at 9:30am this coming Saturday, 4th July at St Mary's. We will see how that goes before proceeding further. But it’s a start, what great news!
28/06/2020
A recording of this morning's Mass,
Saints Peter and Paul is now available -
go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded'
from the drop-down menu
28/06/2020
For Today, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles Sunday 28th June 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Saint Peter and Saint Paul
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Sunday 28th June 2020
27/06/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
27/06/2020
One Minute Video:
This is from the diocesan web site. A different priest speaks each week and this week it's Fr David's turn!
27/06/2020
LUKE BRADBURY
A fond farewell to Luke who leaves us today after spending his lockdown at St Mary’s presbytery. Thank you Luke for your contributions to the parish, the online events and especially the music. God bless the remainder of your journey in faith. We will keep you in our prayers, and hope to see you again when we can get to know you better.
27/06/2020
Strung Sung THREE, Live from Burnley
We're afraid this is the last in the series as Luke leaves us today.
Hope you've enjoyed this brief series - here it is:
Ladies and Gentlemen, for your further delight and delectation -
In Music and Song; Fr David (guitar) with seminarian Luke Bradbury (keyboard)
with the second of their musical renditions:
26/06/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul Apostles
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
25/06/2020
BLESSED TRINITY COLLEGE
Year 6 Welcome Liturgy (June 25th 2020)
In normal times school children who will be moving from primary school to to Blessed Trinity College in the autumn would have an induction liturgy. Of course this won't be possible this year so Fr David has done a virtual Induction Liturgy, recorded by Rebecca Wilkinson.
This charming video features readings by some of the 6th Year pupils who will be going, plus Fr David.
25/06/2020
Well Done James!
You will be pleased to hear that yesterday James Capstick completed his cycle to and from Morecambe to raise funds for the re-opening of the KSC Club (when permitted). He covered 100 miles in 9 hours 30 minutes. Hope it wasn't too hot James!
It's not too late to support James & the KSC if you are able!
Click here for further details
23/06/2020
The latest in our occasional series of quizzes come from Fr David -
many thanks to him
Religious Quiz
1. Which book of the Bible is a collection of 150 songs and poems?
2. What is the name of the Hindu festival of lights?
3. Which religious leader’s teaching consisted of four ‘Noble Truths’?
4. Taoism is an ancient religion which originated in which country?
5. Cheondoism (or Chondoism) is a religion originating in which historical country?
6. Which is the holiest book of Judaism?
7. The Bahá’í Faith is a religion which originated in which country?
8. At what age does a Jewish boy become a ‘Bar Mitzvah’?
9. How many books are there in the protestant Christian Bible?
10. How many Popes have been Spanish?
11. Name all of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’.
12. The most important Muslim practices are known as the ‘Pillars of Islam’ – how many are there?
13. Joseph Smith, Jr. was a religious leader and founder of which religious movement?
14. Who was the Greek god of war?
15. Which is the largest religious structure in the world?
16. Which movement, sometimes referred to as a religion, started in Jamaica in the 1930s and worships Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia until 1974?
17. Who was the founder of Sikhism?
18. Which four-letter word beginning with ‘H’ is a term used for the yearly Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca?
19. In which year did just under 400 thousand people state their religion as ‘Jedi’ on their UK census forms?
20. Freddie Mercury and his family were observers of which religion?
The answers will be published here in a week's time, Tuesday 30th June.
In the meantime if YOU have a quiz to share, get in touch - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
22/06/2020
Knights of St Columba
Sponsored 100 Mile Bike Ride
James Capstick will be cycling 100 miles to Morcombe and back
to raise funds for the re-opening of the KSC Club (when permitted) on
Wednesday, 24th June 2020 - please support James & the KSC if you can!
Click here for further details
21/06/2020
A recording of this morning's Mass
for the the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time is now available -
go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded'
from the drop-down menu
21/06/2020
Please note that next Sunday's edition will be the last one for a while as Rebecca and her talented readers from Blessed Trinity will be taking a summer break, hopefully back in the autumn.
21/06/2020
Apologies that there were three or fours periods during this morning's live Mass where the sound was echoing; there are a couple of things which lead us to suspect it may have been the chest microphone which had an intermittent fault but we're investigating. Hopefully we'll have it fixed in plenty of time for next Sunday's live streamed Mass.
21/06/2020
The recording of this morning's live streamed Sunday Mass
for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time is being prepared -
we'll let you know as soon as it's available
21/06/2020
For Today, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 21st June 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
21/06/2020
Happy 100th
Birthday to Alf!
Alf, a member of the Christ the King community for many years,
will be 100 years old on June 28th!
Many parishioners will know Alf, a man who is widely respected as a great Knight of St Columba. In the course of his long public service he was a local councillor and a school governer. During this period, at a time when Catholics in general were under-represented in public life, Alf encouraged young Catholics to enter public service, which many of them did.
We'd like to wish Alf all the Very Best and to thank him for all that he's done for Church and community over the years - if any parishioners would like to send Alf a card you can do so by sending it to him C/O St Mary's Presbytery, 3 Todmorden Rd, Burnley BB10 4AU and we will deliver the cards to him in person on his birthday (thanks Ken!).
Footnote: if you know of anyone else who is approaching their centenary and would like to announce it here, please check it's OK with them then let us know on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,uk and we will be glad to publicise the wonderful event!
21/06/2020
The Latest Reflection from Fr David -
Click here for Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday 21st June 2020
What to Expect When You Call into St Mary's for Private Prayer:
Watch this short video featuring Fr David giving a tour of the church as it's currently laid out and explaining the set-up
20/06/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
played & recorded by St Mary's organist Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
19/06/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
19/06/2020
What to Expect When You Call into St Mary's for Private Prayer:
Opening Hours for this week: Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 12.30pm
Watch this short video featuring Fr David giving a tour of the church as it's currently laid out and explaining the set-up
18/06/2020
Caritas Diocese of Salford Newsletter click here to read
18/06/2020
Knights of St Columba
An inviatation to Young Catholics age 16 - 23
Young People's Zoom Seminar
Wednesday 22nd July 2020
8:45am - 3:00pm
For more details click here
17/06/2020
CAFOD ONLINE EVENT COMING UP
As parishes and groups cannot gather together, CAFOD are hosting online talks to keep supporters up to date with the importance of their work, especially during these challenging times. You can tune into this week’s inspiring talk from supporters sharing the ways they have supported CAFOD at key life moments, including our own David Ross.
It will be live on Thursday, 25th June, at 11am for an hour. It will be recorded, so can be viewed at a different time.
You can register in advance if you wish at:
www.bit.ly/CAFODweb
You can ring David if you want to ask about the event in advance, at 831821.
This Thursday's CAFOD video, "Marking Life's Key Moments" (25th at 11am) can be viewed from a laptop live:
That does not work from some smartphones. Instead, go to www.cafod.org.uk Then click Volunteer / Online Talks / Marking Life's Key Moments.
If still problems, here's the link in full:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7913645188487648271
Contact details are given at the end. In addition , regarding the making or updating of a Will through CAFOD's Free Wills Network, I have copies of an information booklet, "Memories" which I am happy to deliver or post (email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring 831821). Or you can contact CAFOD's Legacy Officer, Hannah Caldwell, direct on 020 7095 5367. Hannah is most helpful.
The video which went out live Tuesday, 23rd June, tells exactly what is happening elsewhere, despite our gradual moves here out of lockdown:
CAFOD's response to the global COVID-19 crisis - an update,
is now recorded, and can be reached in a similar way to the instructions above (Volunteer / Online Talks / Recently Added / CAFOD's response to the global covid19 crisis).
16/06/2020
The Wine Quiz Answers
Thanks again to Stephanie of Christ the King community for this quiz
1. Along which river and its tributaries do the German vineyards lie? - Rhine
2. Along which river is most of France’s Sauvignon Blanc cultivated? - Loire
3. Claret wine is produced in the region surrounding which French city? - Bordeaux
4. How are fizzy wines, other than Champagnes, described? - Sparkling
5. How many normal sized bottles of wine would you have in a Methuselah? - Eight
6. In which area of Italy is Chianti Classico produced? - Tuscany
7. In which country is Rioja produced? - Spain
8. In which country is the Marlborough wine region? - New Zealand
9. In which country is the wine-growing Barossa Valley? - Australia
10. In which country is the wine-making area of Stellenbosch? - South Africa
11. In which country was a vine variety called ‘vegetable dragon pearls’? - China
12. In which part of the United States is the Zinfandel grape chiefly cultivated? - California
Once again many thanks Stephanie. If anyone else has an idea for an item please email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
15/06/2020
The Parish Walk to Hardcastle Crags, March 2020
Here are few photos of the Parish Walk around Hardcastle Crags on 15th March, just before lockdown and in happier (but colder!) times, sent in by Dave Preedy of the Christ the King community. Many thanks to Dave.
15/06/2020
A message from the Diocese:
Hope in the Future - Stage 3 - Pastoral Message and Worksheet 3:
Meeting Jesus in our Offering
As part of Hope in the Future Stage 3 we have been reflecting on our parish liturgies. Last Sunday, the Church celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi. Although we can’t currently gather in our churches, parishioners may wish to use this resource to reflect on meeting Jesus in the liturgy of the Eucharist and how even now during these challenging times we can experience special graces from the Lord. The worksheet includes a pastoral message from Bishop John, teaching on this part of the Mass and discussion and reflection questions. We invite individuals and families to reflect on this resource. This can be downloaded as a PDF from https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/HITF-3-Sheet-3.pdf
15/06/2020
What to Expect When You Call into St Mary's for Private Prayer This Week:
Watch this short video featuring Fr David giving a tour of the church as it is laid out and explaining the set-up
14/06/2020
What to Expect When You Call into St Mary's for Private Prayer Tomorrow:
Watch this short video featuring Fr David giving a tour of the church as it is laid out and explaining the set-up
14/06/2020
14/06/2020
A recording of this morning's Mass
for the Feast of Corpus Christi is now available -
go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded'
from the drop-down menu
A very special thanks to St Mary's organist Fracis Ashworth who played & recorded a number of sets on the organ at Christ the King church to be played before Mass each Sunday
14/06/2020
For Today, Corpus Christi Sunday 14th June 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Corpus Christi Sunday
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
14/06/2020
CORPUS CHRISTI FAMILY SERVICE
PARISH OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN BURNLEY
A short video of readings, hymns & prayers celebrating the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Prepared by Fr David & seminarian Luke Bradbury and featuring them, Fr Kevin & a number of families of our parish.
A very big thanks for all those families who participated in the making of this lovely video. Children appear with the consent of their parents.
14/06/2020
13/06/2020
Dont forget the Wine Quiz, posted on 9/6/20, below -
13/06/2020
And here is Bishop John delivering his spoken version of the Pastoral Letter:
https://soundcloud.com/salford-diocese/pastoral-letter-june-2020
13/06/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow's Sunday Morning Mass, Corpus Christi
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music played by our very own Francis Ashworth
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
There's also the wonderful series for worship at home;
for tomorrow's edition please click here
13/06/2020
Great News!
St Mary’s church will be open for private prayer from Monday 15th June
Intended Opening Hours for this week: Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 12.30pm
Parish of the Good Samaritan, Burnley
Things to expect when you visit St Mary’s for Private Prayer during the Pandemic:
~ The only way into St Mary’s will be by the main entrance. The only exit will be by the side door opposite the parish rooms.
~ You will be welcomed on arrival by a volunteer steward wearing a Salford Diocese lanyard
~ Please apply hand gel on your hands on arrival into the church from the sanitiser you will find at the back of church.
~ Please ensure that you “Social Distance” with everyone apart from members of your own household by keeping 2 metres apart.
~ Please follow the arrows on the floor and observe the “One way” system in operation.
~ Please make your way into one of the vacant benches that are not sealed off, for “social-distancing” purposes.
~ Please remain quiet when in church to enable all those present to have time for quiet prayer before Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament.
~ Please note that the way out of church is signed “Exit” but is different to the entrance into church.
~ If you are unsure about anything at all concerning your visit to St Mary’s, please approach one of the stewards.
~ For your safety and peace of mind, all areas where people have contact will be cleansed by the stewards after each “Session” that the church is open.
Thank you for your co-operation and understanding in enabling us to open our church again.
Fr David
12/06/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Mass
Corpus Christi
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
12/06/2020
Did You Know...?
This website has grown to be pretty large over the last year and there are now many pages. But did you know that wherever you are in the website, a quick way to get back to this Home Page is to simply click on the Good Samaritan Parish logo in the top left-hand corner? And it's not just this website either - this trick works with quite a lot of other sites that have a logo too. Go on, give it a try!
The Wine Quiz
Last week we had the yummy Chocolate Quiz (answers are immediately below this quiz)
This week it's the intoxicatingly good Wine Quiz!
Again, our thanks to parishioner Stephanie Balko for this
1. Along which river and its tributaries do the German vineyards lie?
2. Along which river is most of France’s Sauvignon Blanc cultivated?
3. Claret wine is produced in the region surrounding which French city?
4. How are fizzy wines, other than Champagnes, described?
5. How many normal sized bottles of wine would you have in a Methuselah?
6. In which area of Italy is Chianti Classico produced?
7. In which country is Rioja produced?
8. In which country is the Marlborough wine region?
9. In which country is the wine-growing Barossa Valley?
10. In which country is the wine-making area of Stellenbosch?
11. In which country was a vine variety called ‘vegetable dragon pearls’?
12. In which part of the United States is the Zinfandel grape chiefly cultivated?
Good luck with the quiz - the answers will be posted here next Tuesday, 16th June
09/06/2020
The Chocolate Quiz - with Answers
How many did you get?
1. A well-loved cuddly toy might go to one of these - Picnic
2. An upper class address - Quality Street
3. A Triangular prism - Toblerone
4. Fasteners - Buttons
5. To spin round and round - Twirl
6. Tricks in the dark - Black Magic
7. A feline with the latest gear - KitKat
8. Nine - After Eight Mints
9. Useless for carrying anything – Chocolate Fingers
10. Sounds like a quiet voice - Wispa
11. Two minus zero plus nine - Twix
12. The King of the Jungle might have a tipple here - Lion Bar
13. Clever people - Smarties
14. Red v White at war - Roses
15. A subject - Topic
16. Rebellion at sea on this ship - Bounty
17. Plop a stone into a pond to make one - Ripple
18. I’m forever blowing bubbles - Aero
19. Chocolate marbles - Maltesers
20. Rhymes twice with early - Curly Wurly
21. Street that can melt in your hand - Treets
22. Not made of snow as expected – Flake
23. No silver - All Gold
24. Fodder mixed for children - Freddo
25. Two tiered transport - Double Decker
26. Scrambled boots is a tonic - Boost
27. Brave people – Heroes
28. You’ll go a long way for this one - Mars
29. Internet dating sites - Matchmakers
30. From Eboracum - Yorkie
31. Festive occasions - Celebrations
32. Old Singers and musicians - Minstrels
33. With fruity segments - Chocolate Orange
34. A cluster of stars - Milky Way
09/06/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass,
The Feast of St Columba, 9th June is now available -
go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded'
from the drop-down menu
We are delighted to welcome Fr Kevin back after his long convalescence!
08/06/2020
The Chocolate Quiz
Here's a reminder of last week's quiz
The answers will be posted here a little after Mass tomorrow, together with this week's quiz.
1. A well-loved cuddly toy might go to one of these
2. An upper class address
3. A Triangular prism
4. Fasteners
5. To spin round and round
6. Tricks in the dark
7. A feline with the latest gear
8. Nine
9. Useless for carrying anything
10. Sounds like a quiet voice
11. Two minus zero plus nine
12. The King of the Jungle might have a tipple here
13. Clever people
14. Red v White at war
15. A subject
16. Rebellion at sea on this ship
17. Plop a stone into a pond to make one
18. I’m forever blowing bubbles
19. Chocolate marbles
20. Rhymes twice with early
21. Street that can melt in your hand
22. Not made of snow as expected
23. No silver
24. Fodder mixed for children
25. Two tiered transport
26. Scrambled boots is a tonic
27. Brave people
28. You’ll go a long way for this one
29. Internet dating sites
30. From Eboracum
31. Festive occasions
32. Old Singers and musicians
33. With fruity segments
34. A cluster of stars
08/06/2020
...to all those parishioners from all three of our churches who kindly gave us such valuable feedback and helped us improve our live streaming of Masses over the last few weeks!
08/06/2020
The next Live Mass will be tomorrow, Tuesday 9th June
The Feast of St Columba
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with Church Organ Music
the Mass itself will start at 9:30am
The celebrant will be Fr Kevin, who we will be very warmly welcoming back after his long convelescence
07/06/2020
07/06/2020
The recording of this morning's Mass,
Holy Trinity Sunday 7th June is now available -
go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded'
from the drop-down menu
07/06/2020
For Today, The Most Holy Trinity Sunday 7th June 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, The Most Holy Trinity Sunday
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
07/06/2020
06/06/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday, 7th June 2020
The Most Holy Trinity Sunday
Live streaming begins at 9:20am with organ music
featuring some well-know hymn tunes
followed by the Mass itself at 9:30am
06/06/2020
Strung Sung TWO, Live from Burnley
Ladies and Gentlemen, for your further delight and delectation -
In Music and Song; Fr David (guitar) with seminarian Luke Bradbury (keyboard)
with the second of their musical renditions:
05/06/2020
The next live Mass will be this Sunday Morning Mass
The Most Holy Trinity
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 7th June 2020
preceded by organ music at 9:20am.
05/06/2020
Queen's Award for Voluntary Service
Two Burnley Groups are amongst the nine Lancashire winners (a record number) of the 2020 Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) announced on Tuesday.
The Groups are:
Belvedere & Calder Vale Sports Club
Fulledge Colts Youth Football Club
See the congratulations to them both, together with further information about next year's awards and how to nominate: Click Here
04/06/2020
[Notice re live streamed Mass for Feast of St Columba, 9/6/20 appeared here]
Please note the change of celebrant as we are delighted to welcome Fr Kevin back after his long convalescence
02/06/2020
Family service video for the Feast of Corpus Christi
Luke Bradbury and Fr David would like to put together a video for families and involving families in order to mark the forthcoming Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ). This is the feast whereby we celebrate the great gift to the Church of the Eucharist. If any families would like to take part in this service, please contact Fr David by Friday 5th June. We will let you know how you can specifically get involved when you get in touch. Thank you. Tel 422007 or email; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
02/06/2020
The Chocolate Quiz
Here is a delicious quiz for you to enjoy, the first in a short series of two.
Guaranteed non-fattening - have a go!
The answers, and a new quiz, will be posted in a week's time, on Tuesday 9th June.
1. A well-loved cuddly toy might go to one of these
2. An upper class address
3. A Triangular prism
4. Fasteners
5. To spin round and round
6. Tricks in the dark
7. A feline with the latest gear
8. Nine
9. Useless for carrying anything
10. Sounds like a quiet voice
11. Two minus zero plus nine
12. The King of the Jungle might have a tipple here
13. Clever people
14. Red v White at war
15. A subject
16. Rebellion at sea on this ship
17. Plop a stone into a pond to make one
18. I’m forever blowing bubbles
19. Chocolate marbles
20. Rhymes twice with early
21. Street that can melt in your hand
22. Not made of snow as expected
23. No silver
24. Fodder mixed for children
25. Two tiered transport
26. Scrambled boots is a tonic
27. Brave people
28. You’ll go a long way for this one
29. Internet dating sites
30. From Eboracum
31. Festive occasions
32. Old Singers and musicians
33. With fruity segments
34. A cluster of stars
With thanks to parishioner Stephanie Balko
31/05/2020
31/05/2020
The recording of this morning's Pentecost Sunday Mass
is now available - hover your mouse pointer over 'View Mass'
then click on 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu
31/05/2020
31/05/2020
For Today, Pentecost Sunday 31st May 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Pentecost Sunday
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
30/05/2020
The Funeral Service for Michael Long
The funeral service for Michael Long will take place on Friday, 5th of June at 2.30 pm for family only at the Crematorium.
At 2.10pm the funeral cortege will drive around Todmorden Road and Yorkshire Street around St Mary’s church.
The family would welcome parishioners, and has requested the Knights of St Columba to form a Guard of Honour by lining Yorkshire Street and Todmorden Road around St Mary’s to pay their respects to Michael – ESSENTIALLY keeping 2 meters apart at all times.
Knights are asked to wear their collars and to arrive at 1.50pm.
30/05/2020
Pentecost at Home, Day 3
This is the third and final edition of three short videos produced by our seminarian Luke Bradbury, currently based at St Mary's, and Fr David to help us prepare for Pentecost. We are grateful to the support from Miss R Wilkinson from Blessed Trinity Catholic College with Year 11 students Ashwin, Cara, Raffy and Jake who all appear with parental permission. Each video comprises: a welcome, prayers, Scripture, Reflection, Music and Hymns and a Blessing . We hope you have found these reflections helpful and enjoyable.
30/05/2020
Thought for the day Saturday 30th May 2020
One of the important things that we need to do as friends of Jesus is to be people who pray. Prayer is about both speaking and listening to God. Like any friendship that we value we need to invest time into it, in order for it to flourish. Prayer is the way we build up a personal relationship with Jesus.
St Paul tells us that the Spirit is given to help us in many ways. The Spirit will help us overcome the things that we struggle with. Paul also tells us that the Spirit will be the one who gives us that desire for God. It is the Spirit who will urge us to want to pray and to overcome the things that prevent us from wanting to pray. The Spirit will even be the one who gives us the right words that we need to use in our time of prayer. The Spirit helps us to question our priorities and makes changes where needed and to get our priorities right.
The Spirit always leads us to Jesus. On this eve of Pentecost, may we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us closer to Christ and be grateful to him for being part of the universal Church.
Fr David
Click Here for Previous Days' Thoughts
29/05/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Morning Mass
Pentecost Sunday
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 31st May 2020.
29/05/2020
Pentecost at Home, Day 2
Today sees the second of three short videos produced by our seminarian Luke Bradbury, currently based at St Mary's, and Fr David to help us prepare for Pentecost. We are grateful to the support from Miss R Wilkinson from Blessed Trinity Catholic College with Year 11 students Ashwin, Cara, Raffy and Jake who all appear with parental permission. Each video comprises: a welcome, prayers, Scripture, Reflection, Music and Hymns and a Blessing . We hope you find these reflections helpful and enjoyable. There will be another video tomorrow.
28/05/2020
Pentecost at Home, Day 1
As promised Luke Bradbury our seminarian currently based at St Mary's, and Fr David have produced three short videos to help us prepare for Pentecost. We are grateful to the support from Miss R Wilkinson from Blessed Trinity Catholic College with Year 11 students Ashwin, Cara, Raffy and Jake who all appear with parental permission. Each video comprises: a welcome, prayers, Scripture, Reflection, Music and Hymns and a Blessing .
There will be a video reflection for each of the three days leading up to Pentecost, starting on Thursday 28th May. We hope you find these reflections helpful and enjoyable.
28/05/2020
Lights!
Camera!
Action!
???
Nah, we don't do any of that, but what we do do is we live stream the Mass every Sunday. If you'd like to find out more about what we do & maybe join our small team and help live stream the Mass yourelf, get in touch with Mike on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring/text 07929 451 566. Full training & support given, together with a step-by-step illustrated guide. Go on, give it a try!
26/05/2020
Prayer Petals
What a Good Idea – Protect Our Priests!
We know that even in these lockdown days, people often have busy lives but please take just 5 minutes of your day to watch this video from Sister Emmanuel (click here).
As she says, priests are often subject to spiritual battle. But our priests are precious and need the protection of our prayers. In this parish we have four priests who we see regularly, (in alphabetical order) Fathers Benneth, David, Emmanuel & Kevin, plus two others you may not know so well but who help out from time to time, Fr Jennings & Mgr Challoner, so that’s six in all who need our prayers.
If by now you've watched the video you may wish to make a prayer flower by joining with others, maybe some others in your parish group such as the Legion of Mary, SVP, etc, or maybe you can call on six friends, perhaps fellow parishioners, with whom you can join in prayer as the video suggests.
On the other hand, if you nearly have a full flower but are maybe seeking another petal or two, or perhaps you’re looking for a prayer flower to join, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will try to put you in touch.
When you're ready, choose a priest to pray for, maybe one who celebrates Mass at your church, or one of the above priests chosen at random, or perhaps pray for all 6 as a group.
Finally, if you'd find it useful to download an A4 sized copy of the blank prayer flower above on the left, please click here
(With grateful thanks to parishioner Veronica Gonzalez for bringing the video to our attention and suggesting this article)
24/05/2020
24/05/2020
We are greatly saddened to announce the sudden, unexpected and untimely death of one of St Mary's organists, Michael Long.
Please pray for Michael and for his parents.
May God rest his soul.
24/05/2020
A recording of this morning's Mass, Sunday, 24th May,
Seventh Sunday of Easter
is now available
Point to 'View Mass' on the blue menu bar above then click on 'Recorded'
24/05/2020
For Today, Sunday 24th May 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 7th Sunday of Easter
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
24/05/2020
22/05/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Morning Mass
Seventh Sunday of Easter
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 24th May 2020.
22/05/2020
We are very pleased to publish some delightful prayers from our youngest-ever contributors, Imogen & Reuben (with mum Lisa's permission).
To view, click here. Enjoy!
21/05/2020
21/05/2020
The Ascension of the Lord,
Watch the recording of this morning's Mass
Point your mouse at 'View Mass' on the blue menu bar above
then select 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu
Also, here is
sheet for Ascension Day: click here.
20/05/2020
The next live Mass will be tomorrow morning's Mass
The Ascension of the Lord
live streamed from 9:30am on Thursday 21st May 2020.
If you can't join us to view the Mass live, here is
sheet for Ascension Day: click here.
20/05/2020
Good Samaritan CAFOD Coronavirus Appeal
Our local branch of CAFOD has set up a “Good Samaritan CAFOD Coronavirus Appeal” JustGiving page, allowing people to donate online direct to CAFOD as we’re unable to hold the usual after-Mass collections. Please click below to give:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/good-samaritan-burnley
(NB this is a different appeal from the 'Support Your Parish - Donate’ button - intended to help reduce the shortfall of Offertory collections while under lockdown - that you’ll see on the right-hand side of your screen)
Also, the current online CAFOD Coronavirus Campaign is asking us out of love for our sisters and brothers overseas to sign a petition asking the Prime Minister to ensure that the most vulnerable people are the priority in the UK’s international efforts as well as at home:
Thank you.
20/05/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful... 
Today it is Frank's welcome contribution.
My 5 reasons to be cheerful are:-
- So much unseasonal sunshine.
- People smiling because you are deliberately avoiding them.
- The fresh green of the springtime trees.
- Towneley Park.
- Unexpected meetings and chats.
Many thanks Frank for your contribution!
We love hearing your contributions so if you too would like to help cheer us up with your contribution, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.org
18/05/2020
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For the time being we can't physically place our offertory contributions in the collection basket but would you still like to make donations to support your parish? Now you can - online! Just click on the DONATE button to the right and take it from there (don't forget to Gift Aid your donation). |
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NB we realise that under the circumstances many folk are no longer in a postition to give as they used to - if this applies to you, please do NOT feel obliged to give until you are once more in a postion to do so. Thank you, God Bless and take care! |
18/05/2020
We are pleased to say that the recording of yesterday's Mass is now uploaded!
Go to 'View Mass' above then select 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu
We hope you enjoy and take great spiritual comfort from it.
17/05/2020
We regret that due to factors beyond our present control we have been unable so far to publish a recording of today's Mass as we would normally do. However, it is hoped we will be able to rectify the problem by tomorrow morning. We are extremely sorry to disappoint those of you who were unable to view the live Mass and who were hoping to catch up via the usual recording. We hope to have more positive news in the morning.
Update 18/4/20: now uploaded.
17/05/2020
17/05/2020
For today, Sunday 17th May 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 6th Sunday of Easter
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
16/05/2020
To catch up with any previous issue of please click here
16/05/2020
Web Site Story...
Since its beginnings a little over a year ago, our parish website has steadily grown and is updated regularly by a small team of dedicated volunteers, several from each of our 3 churches. During lockdown our remit has extended to cover live streaming of Sunday Mass, all the while increasing the number of items posted to the website on a daily basis.
For example, during these days of isolation we post Fr David's daily Thought For The Day and other regular items have included the Blessed Trinity College weekly readings video, as well as the Lord’s Day At Home Sunday prayer sheets, to name but a few. As ever, the weekly newsletter is a very popular feature, especially welcome as we cannot attend Mass right now.
As you might expect, during the crisis our ‘readership’ has also grown considerably, especially on a Sunday. Statistics are collected completely anonymously and interestingly last Sunday, May 10th we had 410 visitors who between them viewed a record 2,157 web pages. Most of our visitors came from Burnley of course but people from all parts of the country and abroad have visited the site, many on a regular basis, and many of them take the opportunity to view the Mass live.
It’s gratifying and encouraging for those of us who maintain the website week in, week out, to know that we are providing a vehicle for Fr David & others to continue to communicate to the parish and beyond during these troubled times. Finally, thank you to those who have sent messages expressing appreciation of the website and the live streaming of Masses – we are very grateful for your kind thoughts and take encouragement to continue.
15/05/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Morning Mass
Sixth Sunday of Easter
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 17th May 2020.
15/05/2020
THANK YOU TOM, CONGRATULATIONS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Parishioner and D-Day hero Tom Edmondson featured in a brilliant appearance on the BBC 1 VE Day celebration programme on Friday 8th May. He and Cecilia had a very warm congratulatory chat with David Dimbleby, when the full extent of Tom’s brave war service was outlined and emphasised with his great medal collection – topped off with the illustrious Legion D’Honneur, France’s very top military award. It was a lovely cameo about a very modest hero, an unsung hero until now, who recently celebrated his 100th Birthday! The feature finished with a personal rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You’ sung by Alfie Boe no less! And we're given to understand that the birthday cake was sent by the BBC - a nice touch! Well done Tom, thank you for your contribution to our freedom, and Happy Birthday. We’re all proud to know you!
Watch it on BBC iPlayer for the programme 'VE Day 75 - The People's Celebration'. Tom and Cecilia's chat with David Dimbleby starts 21 minutes and 43 seconds into the video. Go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000hyw2/ve-day-75-the-peoples-celebration (we think it's only available until about Sun 7th June 2020 - but do check)
Also, Tom & Cecilia's son John has sent in a few photos taken down the years in celebration of their long life together - to see them Click Here
15/05/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Today it is Frank's welcome contribution.
My 5 reasons to be cheerful are:-
- My wife of 50 years.
- The weekly Zoom hour with the whole "clan"!
- Our kids frequently phoning to make sure we are OK.
- Chats with our kids and grandchildren from the front door to the end of the drive.
- Our kids telling their kids "Keep away from Grandad".
Many thanks Frank for your contribution!
We love hearing your contributions so if you too would like to help cheer us up with your contribution, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.org
13/05/2020
Strung Sung, Live from Burnley
Ladies and Gentlemen, for your delight and delectation -
In Music and Song; Fr David (guitar) with seminarian Luke (keyboard)
12/05/2020
After quite a lengthy struggle, we eventually managed to repair the recording of last Sunday's Mass -
There is an unavoidable gap of a few seconds but otherwise you can now see the Mass in its entirety.
Hover your mouse pointer over 'View Mass' on the menu bar above then click 'Recorded' on the drop-down menu
11/05/2020
Update re Recorded Mass 10/5/20:
Now repaired & avaiable in its entirety!
10/05/2020
10/05/2020
Watch a recording of this morning's live Mass -
Hover your mouse poineter over the 'View Mass' item on the blue menu bar above,
then click 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu.
Also:
Today, Sunday 10th May 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 5th Sunday of Easter
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
10/05/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Today it is David Ross' welcome contribution.
My 5 reasons to be cheerful are:-
A friend made me a fasemask (though I look more fearful than cheerful wearing it!).
The beautiful weather on Saturday out on my bike.
Mary dressed very smartly on her 94th birthday and delivered wrapped slices of her cake around our neighbourhood.
From a distance, the delight of seeing one grandchild, and some friends' children. How they have grown in six weeks!
My hair is becoming curly again, like when I was little.
Many thanks David for your contribution!
If you too would like to help cheer us up with your contribution, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
09/05/2020
For tomorrow, Sunday 10th May 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 5th Sunday of Easter
(to catch up with any previous issue of please click here)
08/05/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Morning Mass,
Fifth Sunday of Easter
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 10th May 2020.
08/05/2020
The Lord’s Day At Home sheets, which we can use to unite with the Universal church and our own parish of the Good Samaritan each Sunday has proved to be very popular indeed. If you’ve missed one, or would simply like to re-visit a particular sheet, we have gathered the links together all in one place to save you searching. We hope you continue to enjoy and take comfort in this lovely series.
Click here to view all the Lord’s Day At Home sheets
08/05/2020
It’s Been a Strange Year So Far…
… and today Bank Holiday Monday falls on a Friday! But as the nation celebrates the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, maybe we can pause for a moment to give Him thanks for 75 years of peace in Western Europe, and to reflect on & remember the sacrifices that made that possible. Even amidst the pain & hardship we can have something to be glad for.
07/05/2020
Supporting Our Parish Financially
It’s fully recognised that some people will now be in a worse financial position and less able to give at the moment, though others less financially effected have asked how they might contribute to the weekly offertory collection now that churches are closed?
This is a diocese-wide problem as parishes have seen their income drastically reduced and so the diocese has set up a web page where you may donate to your local parish if you are in a position to do so.
It’s planned that some time next week you would be able to fill in a Standing Order to the parish. Although that option is not available yet (and we’ll let you know when it is) you can still make a single contribution by going to
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/supporting-your-parish-financially/
Click on the ‘Make a Donation’ button near the bottom of the page, towards the bottom of the next page enter "The Good Samaritan, Burnley" and follow the instructions from there (don't forget to Gift Aid It if you can). Note that for legal reasons the Cathedral Centre address is given but the diocese will transfer any money you donate to The Good Samaritan Parish, Burnley.
Thank you in advance if you are in a position to help.
07/05/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Today it is Margaret Orrell's welcome contribution.
My 5 reasons to be cheerful are:-
1. Being able to keep in touch with my family on the internet.
2. Appreciate my family and friends and what I have.
3. My faith.
4. Being able to watch the live streaming of Mass with Fr David each Sunday.
5. Appreciate my church friends.
Many thanks Margaret for your contribution. If you too would like to help cheer us up with your contribution, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
06/05/2020
During the present situation we've been putting on this page items about relevant information & announcements, help offered and donations requested. As more items are added daily, these important notices 'slip down' the page & are in danger of getting lost. You may find it helpful to know that we are now also placing these relevant COVID-ralated items & their links on the Links Page where you might find them again more easily - just click on the word 'Links' on the blue menu bar above.
06/05/2020
Here is a link to a letter from the Archbishops of England and Wales, in which they recognise the pain of Catholics who cannot pray in church or receive the sacraments but the archbishops add that they are in discussion with the Government about how they might re-open churches once the lockdown is eased. That is probably quite some way off yet but, to paraphrase something from our own Bishop John, it does give us hope for the future! Please click on the link below:
https://www.cbcew.org.uk/bishops-recognise-pain-of-catholics-who-cannot-pray-in-church-or-receive-the-sacraments/
05/05/2020
From Rebecca Wilkinson of Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, who produces the videos of the wonderful readings we publish here weekly:
We have been trying to decide for a while how best to support the local community during this crisis, given that many families (now more than ever) will be in desperate need of help. With this in mind, we have teamed up with Burnley Food Bank, who have seen quadruple the number of people (now stands at over 2000 per week!) coming to them for help and support.
As you know, these are tough times for us all, and for some, everyday life could be made near impossible if it wasn't for the amazing work of charities like this. So please, donate if you can, spread the word to those around you and support us in our efforts to help those most in need in our local community.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/blessedtrinitysupportingburnleytogether?fbclid=IwAR0ywZGm2N4Wn_MZaJE5el8RSxTLCbpg3ZEhIZa7IaEZ-AizvDvpGnvoJSk
Thank you,
Miss R Wilkinson
(Faith Life Coordinator, Blessed Trinity R.C College)
05/05/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Today it's David Ross' welcome contribution:
As requested, here's 5 that cheer me:
1. Childrens' rainbow pictures in house windows
2. The bluebells in Goit and Scroggs woods
3. All the hilarious, silly, and moving videos from friends and family on WhatsApp
4. Noticing that my brain is still working
5. Sainsbury's not running out of my vegan dark chocolate
P.S. 4 and 5 are inseparable
Many thanks David. If you too would like to help cheer us up with your contribution, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(please note the change of email address)
04/05/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Janet Beddows writes, my reasons to be cheerful are:
Family & grandchildren
Staying safe and healthy
My husband Kevin
Walking our dog
Having my faith
Many thanks Janet! To add your Reasons to be Cheerful please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Rosie Balwin writes: "I've just asked Connie and Gabriel this question. Here are their responses - "
Gabriel aged 7:
1. I'm alive
2. Mummy, Daddy, Fran and Connie
3. Playing in my den in the back garden
4. Jesus
5. NHS and my teacher Mrs Neill
Connie aged 12:
1. Family
2. Cooking
3. WhatsApping my friends
4. Sunshine
5. Netflix
Rosie Baldwin
03/05/2020
03/05/2020
Watch a recording of this morning's live Mass -
with the introduction of a never-before heard hymn composed by our very own organist, Dr Francis Ashworth
Hover your mouse poineter over the 'View Mass' item on the blue menu bar above,
then click 'Recorded' from the drop-down menu.
(Also see The Lord's Day at Home, 4th Sunday of Easter)
2/5/2020
The Lord's Day at Home for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
3rd May 2020
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church,
and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 4th Sunday of Easter
2/5/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
This has just been sent in by Sarah McLaughlin:
Seamus McLaughlin’s reasons to be cheerful:
1) Walking our dog Rosie
2) Daily mass at Knock Shrine
3) My wife, Maureen
4) Gardening
5) Irish music
6) Telling jokes
Many thanks Sarah & Seamus. Anyone else like to contribute?
02/05/2020
01/05/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Morning Mass,
The Fourth Sunday in Easter
("Good Shepherd" Sunday)
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 3rd May 2020.
29/04/2020
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Parishioner Tony Waters, who many of you may know from St Mary’s, has contacted us with a brilliant idea – in the current climate, why not have a series of items on reasons to be cheerful? … we reckon that anything that lightens up some of the doom & gloom has got to be good!
Tony starts the ball rolling with his top 5 suggestions (and asks other parishioners for theirs):
1. Our Lady
2. The NHS
3. Grandchildren
4. Ice Cream
5. Songs of Praise on the telly
What would YOUR top 5 Reasons to be Cheerful be?
Just email us with your suggestions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
28/04/2020
Last Sunday's newsletter dated 26/4/20 featured an item on a really interesting local project, Burnley Together. We've been asked to point out that in fact the service is open 7 days a week.
Well worth taking a look at the item, second page of the newsletter.
27/04/2020
Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service
Last year we featured an item seeking nominations for the Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service. It’s now time to invite nominations again this year. Parishioner Terry Hephrun, who many of you will know, writes,
“The support of a variety of organisations in Lancashire helped us to generate 29 nominations (including seven from Burnley) for the 2020 Awards by the closing date of 13 September 2019. This figure is a record for Lancashire and we have our fingers crossed for a number of successes when the Awards are announced in early June.
“In spite of the difficult circumstances in which we are currently finding ourselves, we are now looking ahead to the 2021 Awards. Nominations can now be made and the nominations "window" will again remain open until mid-September.
“We are seeing close at hand that thousands of volunteers across Lancashire serve unselfishly and have given hours of time and expertise to improve the lives of others, but we are anxious to see more Groups recognised for the work they do.”
Click here for more information
26/04/2020
26/04/2020
If you were able to join us for live streamed Mass this morning we hope you enjoyed it & took some comfort from your (virtual) paricipation and were able to join in with the responses.
Unlike Thursday morning's Mass, which suffered from problems beyond our control to do with internet connectivity, this morning's Mass went seamlessly and was a joy to watch. We are still learning & we have implemented measures that would greatly reduce the chances of us suffering from connectiveity problems in future. In addition, we are exploring possiblities of implementing a backup system, which may result in a temporary disconnection but would hopefully mean we don't lose the whole Mass. We'll let you know how our tests go.
Meanwhile, click here for a recording of today's Mass.
25/04/2020
Parishioner Matthew Morris, a former pupil of St Theodore's, is 3D printing PPE for NHS & Care Home staff. He's part of a national initiative and sends the completed visors off to a regional distribution centre in Liverpool. Even though he's not in work at present, he's been funding the materials etc out of his own pocket but could do with some assistance if he's to continue. His sister Catherine has started a crowdfunding page to help him. Pictured on the page is his beautiful son age 3 (who gets his good looks from his paternal grandfather :-) ) modelling one of the visors Matt has printed off. Please click on the link below & give if you can. Every little helps in this difficult time. Thank you.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/cat-morris-nhs-ppe?utm_id=106&utm_term=mkNg3AraM
25/04/2020
The next live Mass will be this coming Sunday Morning Mass,
The Third Sunday in Easter,
live streamed from 9:30am on Sunday 26th April 2020.
23/04/2020:
Sorry for the very poor quality live streaming of this morning's Mass. The upload speeds we were getting from the presbytery's Internet Service Provider were far short of what we needed to live stream sucessfully. We can only imagine that with so many people working from home, many were videoconferencing at the same time! We're looking into whether we can get round the difficulty but we reckon it shouldn't be a problem this coming Sunday morning.
19/4/20:
View recording of this morning's Mass from St Mary's Burnley,
2nd Sunday of Easter (Devine Mercy Sunday)
19/4/20:
Here's the next instalment in the series of readings from Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College filmed by Rebecca Wilkinson (with parental permission).
Our special thanks today goes to Rossi of Year 8 and of course to Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day'.
19/4/20:
We hope that those of you who were able to join us for this morning's live streamed Mass enjoyed it and took some comfort from participating, albeit virtually
The next live Mass will be this coming Thursday Morning Mass,
Celebrating the Feast Day of our English Patron Saint, St George,
live streamed from 9:30am on Thursday 23rd April 2020.
18/4/20:
The Lord's Day at Home for the Second Sunday of Easter
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church, and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, 2nd Sunday of Easter
13/4/20:
Fr David's Got Talent - From Sermons to Serenades!
At the end of Easter Sunday Mass, Fr David encouraged us to do something we particularly enjoy doing that day. Fr David himself enjoys singing and playing the guitar and so, leading by example, on Easter Sunday afternoon he recorded himself doing just that, playing & singing some of his favourite songs!
We hope you enjoy!
13/4/20:
The recording of Easter Sunday Mass is now uploaded
(contrary to earlier rumours :-) )
Click on "View Mass" on the blue menu bar above
13/4/20:
For those of you who have lost track of time since the lockdown began, today is the 97th of March :-)
Easter Sunday ~ Alleluia
We cannot have Easter Sunday and all its joys without first having Good Friday with all its drama, pain, horror, trauma and sorrow. When we are experiencing Good Friday moments, of suffering, feeling alone, lost and struggling we should remember Easter Sunday. Easter is massive for us. It is the most important aspect of our Catholic faith. It simply tells us that the Lord has once and for all conquered sin and death. We have had over six weeks of Lent to prepare for Easter and now we will spend a futher 7 weeks celebrating Easter. We also celebrate the Easter event every Sunday, which is the reason why it is our Sabbath Day and why we normally come to Mass.
On that first Easter Sunday, we hear in the Gospel that John and Peter go down to the empty tomb. They do this in order to see with their own eyes what they have told by the women who were the first witnesses to this momentous event. They see the clothes rolled up, where the Lord had been lain and the penny drops! Until that moment they had not really understood what Jesus meant when He said that he would suffer, die but rise again on the third day. Jesus had tried to tell them, but they had failed to fully understand until that day arrived. They would not look back from this moment on Easter Sunday.
This year, there is a danger that our Easter celebrations are overshadowed by our isolation because of the virus. Let us ensure that we do mark Easter and despite the restrictions still make it special in some way. Let us perhaps make more time today to just be with our family or those we live with and enjoy who they are. We thank God for this greatest feast that gives us hope
and joy, even in the midst of worry, fear and anxiety. He Is Risen. Alleluia.
Happy Easter.
Fr David
12/4/20:
We hope that those of you who were able to join us this morning for the live streaming of the Easter Sunday Mass enjoyed it!
The next live Mass will be next Sunday's Morning Mass,
live from 9:30am on 19th April.
12/4/20:
The Lord's Day at Home for Easter Sunday - Beautiful!
Please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church, and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
The Lord's Day at Home, Easter Sunday
12/4/20:
Easter Sunday in the series of daily readings for Holy Week from Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College.
Our special thanks today goes to our Head / Deputy Head Boys & Girls - Cara, Ashwin, Raffy and Jake for their readings, and last but not least Fr. David (our Parish Priest) for his 'Thought of the Day'.
12/4/20:
Holy Week and Easter Quiz from Fr David - see the questions & answers!
(for the answers, follow the link at the top of the questions page)
11/4/20:
We've sorted the audio looping problem that marred yesterday's Commemoration and so the live streaming of this evening's Easter Vigil Mass at 8:00pm will go ahead.
In these troubled times we hope you will enjoy and find comfort in participating in tonight's Mass.
Click on "View Mass" in the blue menu bar above.
11/4/20:
We reach the seventh day of the series of daily readings for Holy Week from Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College - Holy Saturday.
Today's special thanks to Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day'. Video filmed by Rebecca Wilkinson.
10/4/20:
Day 6 of the series of daily readings for Holy Week from Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College - Good Friday. Today's special thanks to Maisie (Year 9) for her reading and of course Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day'. Video filmed by Rebecca Wilkinson with parental permission.
Click here to view
10/4/20:
Don't forget!
Holy Week and Easter Quiz from Fr David - how many can you get right?
Answers will appear here on Easter Sunday, about an hour after Mass
10/4/20:
Apologies for the poor quality audio of today's live stream. Hopefully we will have fixed the problem in good time for the Easter Saturday Vigil Mass at 8pm 11/4/20.
10/4/20:
Live Streaming: still to come this Holy Week - Easter Vigil Mass at 8.00pm on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday Morning Mass at 9.30am
9/4/20:
We aim to stream this evening's Maundy Thursday Mass at 7:30pm live from St Mary's - click on "View Mass" on the blue menu bar above.
NB Further live Masses are scheduled to be streamed for Good Friday at 3:00pm & Easter Vigil 8:00pm on Saturday.
9/4/20:
Installment 5 of the series of daily readings for Holy Week from Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College. Our special thanks today goes to Sebastion (Year 8) for his beautiful reading, and once again Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day'. Video filmed by Rebecca Wilkinson with parental permission.
Click here to view today's reading
8/4/20:
The 4th in the series of daily readings for Holy Week from Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College. Our special thanks today goes to Jacob (Year 8) for his beautiful reading, and once again Fr. David for his 'Thought of the Day'. Video filmed by Rebecca Wilkinson with parental permission.
7/4/20:
The third of our daily readings for Holy Week, recorded by Miss R Wilkinson of Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, today featuring Mia of Year 8 (all children appearing during the course of the week do so with their parents' permission) and of course our very own Father David.
Yet again a really nice, well put-together video for you to enjoy.
6/4/20:
This is the second of our daily readings for Holy Week, recorded by Miss R Wilkinson of Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, this time featuring Lily-Mae of Year 7 (all children appearing during the course of the week do so with their parents' permission) and of course our very own Father David.
Again a really nice, well put-together video for you to enjoy.
6/4/20:
Thanks to Terry Hephrun for sending in the Holy Week Poster, which many of you will recognise.
If you have access to a printer, you can print it off and put it in your window, as in previous years.
Palm Sunday, 5/4/20:
Palm Sunday readings, recorded by Miss R Wilkinson of Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, featuring William Black of Year 7 (appearing with his parents' permission) and our very own Father David.
A really nice, well put-together video - do enjoy!
Palm Sunday, 5/4/20:
4/4/20:
In keeping with the 'Beautiful Idea for Palm Sunday' item below (see entry dated 1/4/20), this is how the front door at St Mary's prebytery is looking right now:
The St John's Flower Ladies had better look to their laurels (pun intended!)
PS after witing that, I've been severely admonished - it WAS the St John's Flower Ladies who did it, and donated it to St Mary's!! So that's me put in my place then :-)
4/4/20:
Here's a link to Holy Week at Home - adaptations of the Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday Rituals for Family and Household Prayer.
In the absence of public worship we hope you find it useful.
The Angelus
Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
R: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit
“Hail Mary…”
Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R: Be it done unto me according to thy Word.
“Hail Mary…”
Leader: And the Word was made Flesh.
R: And dwelt amongst us.
“Hail Mary…”
Leader: Pray for us, Most Holy Mother of God.
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader: Let us Pray.
Pour forth, we beseech you O Lord, Thy grace unto our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
R: Amen.
1/4/20:
As I post this it's only lunchtime and, no joke, it's been a busy day already! See below:
Holy Week and Easter Quiz from Fr David - how many can you get right?
Dominic Aunger sent this in for the website & newsletter via Fr David:
"We have been sharing jokes, prayers and ideas for coping in the “lockdown” situation. We saw this & wondered if we could share it with the rest of the parish through the newsletter or website. It regards attaching a green branch of any sort to one’s front door to visually celebrate Palm Sunday, see the link below."
https://thedeaconsbench.com/a-beautiful-idea-for-palm-sunday/
Dominic concludes by saying, "Please God we’ll all safely come through this pandemic stronger, kinder and more faithful to the Lord’s mission."
Just had this in too - click on the message:
Bishop John has recorded a message for all clergy,
religious and parish volunteers which you can find here.
31/3/20:
Many thanks to Mick Armfield for bringing this to our attention:
The Burnley Community Hub has been set up by Burnley Council and other partner organisations to help the most vulnerable in our community who may be facing difficulties as a result of Covid 19.
There may be some of our older/sick or single Parishioners who may be struggling for whatever reason who could benefit from the services they aim to provide.
For more information for you access to further information is available at www.burnleytogether.org.uk
On the other hand, if you want to volutneer they would be glad to hear from you...
31/3/20:
If you have any news or thoughts you'd like to share, or some words of hope and encouragement in these difficult times, please send them to us via
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thank you - we hope to hear from you soon.
29/3/20:
Lovely readings for Sunday 29th March; please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church, and our own Parish of the Good Samaritan. Click on the link below:
28/3/20:
A Cheerful, Hopeful Message -
sent by Barbara Grime
My cousin sent this to me. It is supposed to be from Pope Francis. Whether it is or not, I think it is worth sharing!
So beautiful. Tonight before falling asleep, think about when we will return to the street.
When we hug again, when all the shopping together will seem like a party.
Let's think about when the coffees will return to the bar, the small talk, the photos close to each other.
We think about when it will all be a memory, but normalcy will seem an unexpected and beautiful gift.
We will love everything that has so far seemed futile to us. Every second will be precious.
Swims at the sea, the sun until late, sunsets, toasts, laughter.
We will go back to laughing together.
Strength and courage. See you soon.
Papa Francesco
27/3/20:
In case you were unable to watch the Pope's live Urbi et Orbi broadcast, here's a link to the full text of his meditation:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-03/urbi-et-orbi-pope-coronavirus-prayer-blessing.html
26/3/20:
We received this splendid idea from Mick Armfield of Burnley Catenians:
Just an idea. The Government have rightly asked us to thoroughly wash our hands, on a regular basis, for a period of around 20 seconds. Rather than sing 'Happy Birthday to you' twice, as suggested, why not say the Lord's Prayer which also takes approximately 20 seconds to recite.
23/3/20:
Pope Francis has made a statement this morning (23/3/20) at Mass.....
Reconciliation for Easter
“I know that many of you go to confession before Easter … many will say to me: ‘But Father ….. I cannot leave the house and I want to make my peace with the Lord. I want Him to embrace me ….. How can I do that unless I find a priest?’ Do what the catechism says. It is very clear. If you don’t find a priest to go to confession, speak to God. He is your Father. Tell Him the truth: ‘Lord, I did this and this and this. Pardon me.’ Ask His forgiveness with all your heart with an act of contrition, and promise Him, ‘afterward I will go to confession.’ You will return to God’s grace immediately. You yourself can draw near, as the catechism teaches us, to God’s forgiveness, without having a priest at hand.”
21/3/20:
We aim to provide a video of each Sunday's Mass celebrated at St Mary's, Burnley, for the duration.
Click on "View Mass" on the menu bar above to watch this week-end's Mass, celebrated by Fr David.
19/3/20 (since updated):
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
News Updates, Further Information & Links
Latest update: 22/3/20
If you are housebound or self-isolating at this time, please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church, and your own Parish, this Sunday, either by yourself or with your family. Click on the link below to download a PDF file.
Link 20/3/20 - Further resources for you:
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/covid-19-online-resources/
Even more Parish News in our latest Newsletter, 22/3/20: Click here.
18/3/20:
Public Masses Closed
The following announcement has been made by the Catholic Archbishops of England and Wales:
Here are some links to relevant announcements on the Salford Diocesan website:
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/latest-updates-on-covid-19/
WELCOME!
Three Churches
Three Communities
Serving One Lord.
Welcome to the website for the brand-new Parish of The Good Samaritan, Burnley, incorporating the churches of Christ the King, St John the Baptist and St Mary of the Assumption. Each of the three churches has its own special character, comprised of, and helping meet the needs of, its own community. We are part of the Diocese of Salford. The parish covers a wide area, encompassing Central Burnley and the semi rural areas of Worsthorne and Cliviger. The oldest church is St Mary's, which has a long history dating back to the nineteenth century, the current church being opened in 1849. St John's church opened in 1881 and the youngster of the three, Christ the King, came into being in 1936. Together the three make a rich and vibrant community, working together to celebrate our Catholic faith and put our relationship with Jesus Christ into action by sharing together in many different ways.
I am delighted at our new three church, one parish website and I trust you will find it easy to move around the site and hopefully find it to be a big help to you. Like all new ventures, a lot of hard work has gone into this new project by a small but dedicated team, to whom I am very grateful. I am also grateful that they have pledged to ensure our web site is kept current and updated regularly, which of course is so imperative. I must also give thanks to the many parishioners who contributed articles large and small for the website – without their articles the website would have little to show our visitors so a big thank you to them!
As well as the team of those involved in running and contributing to the website, there is also a team of clergy who serve the three churches by also working together. In addition to myself, as the Parish Priest based at St Mary’s, there is also Fr Kevin Tierney who is the Assistant Priest, also resident at St Mary’s. The rest of the team comprises Fr Emmanuel Ugwuoke and Fr Benneth Okonkwo, who are Vincentian priests, resident at St John the Baptist presbytery. We meet regularly in order to ensure that things run smoothly.
Much work and thought had gone into the idea of bringing our three parishes together as one, as part of Bishop John’s plan for the reorganisation of all the parishes in the Diocese of Salford published in early 2017. When I arrived in Burnley in July 2018 to begin my role in bringing the three parishes together, I spoke in each of the three churches of the need to move forward at the right pace in order to ensure that everyone is on board with us. I used the phrase: “Festina Lente”, which means “make haste, slowly”. I genuinely feel with this website, our recently launched joint three church Newsletter, as well as many of the other ways that we are finding to collaborate and work together, are all signs that we are making progress, without rushing.
Despite all the responsibilities, I genuinely love being in Burnley; the people here are really appreciative of what we are trying to do and I speak for the clergy team in saying how supported we each feel by the people we serve. There are a lot of very good things going on in each of our three churches, and a good many new things that we are keen to establish as we go forward. Thank you for your interest in our parish communities and please enjoy your visit to this website.
Fr David
Quick Guide 
Mass Times: Christ the King | St Mary's | St John's | All Three Churches
Find Us: Christ the King | St Mary's | St John's
Contact Us: Contact Details
Also on This Page: Dates For Your Diary | Regular Events | Related External Events | New Parish Prayer and Church Prayer Cards
Other Pages in this Section:
Weekly Reflection | Parish Clergy | Sacraments | How do I...? | Further Announcement Details | Local Martyrs | Inspirational Quotes | Celebration Photos
Hope in the Future - Click here
Don't Miss Our New Prayer Cards! - click here to view
After several months of pretty intense behind-the-scenes activity, the St Mary's Parish War Dead section has been completely redeveloped, with a comprehensive list of St Mary's War Dead (which also covers men who lived in what was to become the Christ the King parish, by the way) and the cemeteries which became their final resting places.
Make our efforts worthwhile - take a look and browse at your leisure. If you're related to any of the parish war dead then we'd particularly like to hear from you if you have any corrections, additional info or photos you can share with us.
We hope you enjoy you visit to the new part of our parish website and that you find it interesting and informative!
The first Sing for Water North took place in Manchester in June 2011 and is one of a number of regional events in support of Sing for Water
Whether you are here as someone who would like to take part, or as a supporter, we hope that you will find something of interest. You can take a look at our Previous Events, Get Involved or Donate!
In 2020 Sing for Water North will, it is hoped, take place in Preston City Centre, on Saturday June 13th. The event will be hosted by Preston People’s Choir with their Musical Director Moira Hill and supported by colleagues from the Natural Voice Practitioners’ Network.
Contact Karen Smith 431723 if not internet active or just want to chat about it.
Dates for Your Diary
and Forthcoming Events
REGULAR EVENTS:
ALL THREE CHURCHES
Given the current state of uncertainty, notifications of regular events have been removed (hopefully temporarily!) for the time being.
Have an item or notice
for the website?
Our email addresses -
General: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For Christ the King - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For St Mary’s - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For St John’s - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For all sections - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
General Comments and Suggestions - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NB: these addresses are just for website matters -
if you have a church-related question or issue please see church addresses/phone numbers here
Other Events/Announcements of Interest
Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service
Last year we featured an item seeking nominations for the Queens Awards for Voluntary Service. It’s now time to invite nominations again this year. Parishioner Terry Hephrun, who many of you will know, writes,
“The support of a variety of organisations in Lancashire helped us to generate 29 nominations (including seven from Burnley) for the 2020 Awards by the closing date of 13 September 2019. This figure is a record for Lancashire and we have our fingers crossed for a number of successes when the Awards are announced in early June.
“In spite of the difficult circumstances in which we are currently finding ourselves, we are now looking ahead to the 2021 Awards. Nominations can now be made and the nominations "window" will again remain open until mid-September.
“We are seeing close at hand that thousands of volunteers across Lancashire serve unselfishly and have given hours of time and expertise to improve the lives of others, but we are anxious to see more Groups recognised for the work they do.”
Click here for more information
Help us Celebrate our Centenary!
Burnley Catenian Circle will be 100 in November 2020 and there will be some celebrations!
As part of the build up, we are seeking to gather a record of the Circle's history and are appealing for old photos, articles, memorabilia and memories of Circle events, members and families.
Can you help?
material can be sent to a special email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cyclone Idai Disaster
What CAFOD is doing about it:
Mission Possible, Nairobi:
read all about it - click here!
Volunteering Opportunities!
Here's your chance to volunteer for any voluntary posts which may appear from time to time in any or all of our three parishes.
Occasionally we may feature some opportunities for voluntary work with worthy causes in the wider community too!
Our first featured advertisement is for a good cause you may not have thought about...
To mark the very special occasion of our three churches coming together as one new parish, on Saturday 28th September we held a Celebration Mass at St Mary's followed by a Reception at Turf Moor, attended by 250 parishioners from all 3 churches.
To view some great photos taken of the occasion by Denise Foulds, click here
The Parish of the Good Samaritan logo design by Lucy in Year 8, BTCC
Other images, given freely & used with grateful thanks are by
OpenClipart-Vectors, Gerd Altman, Alexas_Fotos, Jo_Lanta, Herbanu, Tri Sasongko,
Kamil Szeląg, Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke. MatissDzelve. Annalise Batista,
Oberholster Venita, OpenIcons, everesd_design, Mohamed Hassan, Free-Photos, Michael Fuchs,
sebo106, Wolfgang Eckert, neo tam
