READINGS FOR 4 OCTOBER
1^st Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7, The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.
Psalm 80: The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
2^nd Reading: Philippians 4:6-9, Practise these things and the God of peace will be with you.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21: 33-43, He will let out the vineyard to other tenants.

POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER
For mental health ministry
We pray that the mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the discrimination of those with mental illnesses.

SAINTS / FEAST DAYS THIS WEEK
5 October – St Faustina Kowalski
6 October – St Bruno
7 October – Our Lady of the Rosary
9 October – St John Henry Newman
10 October – St Paulinus of York

ST THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS (Feast day: 1 October)
Thérèse saw herself as a child of God. She liked to keep things simple and focused, as a child does. Trust, especially trust in God, is a childlike virtue, hence her ‘little way’ – a direct line to God’s love. She teaches us that life presents plenty of challenges and therefore, opportunities, for grace. She reminds us that God is everywhere – in every situation and person – and in the ordinary, simple details of life.
Dear St Thérèse, instill in us your ‘little way’ of doing ordinary things, with extraordinary love.

CAFOD FAMILY FAST DAY – COLLECTION AFTER SUNDAY MASS
Envelopes are available for collection on 4 October.  Please gift aid your donation, if you can.  It will make a huge difference!
Tayla is 12 years old. She loves studying maths at school. But some days, she arrived exhausted after walking to collect water. With little food to eat either, she couldn’t focus in class and sometimes she didn’t make it to school at all. Tayla wants to help people in the future, just as her parents have taught her to help others in her community. “I like to study and when I grow up, I want to be a doctor.” Tayla says.
But when children don’t have enough to eat or drink, they don’t just feel hungry and thirsty – they stop learning and the dreams they once had slip away.
Your donation can give children like Tayla the chance to learn and pursue their dreams. It starts with something simple: helping one child have enough to eat and safe water to drink at school.  Thank you.

ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL COUNTING AT MASS
We are required to keep a tally of Mass numbers each Sunday for the next four weeks: 20 and 27 September, 4 and 11 October – and submit them to the Archdiocese.  A good turnout each week would look most impressive!
20 September: 67; 27 September: 63

FAMILY OF PARISHES – SCENARIOS & OPEN MEETINGS UPDATE
Meetings have been on-going within our Family of Parishes since our ‘open meeting’ in church last March, regarding the various future scenarios.  Our parish reps, John O’Hare and Diane Mackley, will be providing an update on 4 October (in line with our other FoP communities), ready for our next phase of consultations with all parishioners.  These consultations will be on Wednesday 14 October at St Mary’s High School, Leyland (7pm to 9pm) and Saturday 17 October at All Hallows school (10am to 12 noon).  Parishioners are warmly invited to attend just one of these open meetings.  Your views are important – no decisions can be made without this consultation – so please make every effort to attend one of these meetings, if you can.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING: Wednesday 7 October at 7.15pm

COFFEE MORNING AFTER SUNDAY MASS
Everyone is welcome to come across to the hall after Mass next Sunday, for some freshly-baked seasonal treats, tea and coffee – and a chance to have a good catch-up with fellow-parishioners.  Do come if you can.

CURRY EVENING – SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER
Tickets, £10 available from any member of the Social Committee.  Please see Vivienne if you have any dietary requirements / queries.

REGISTRATION TO RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION, 2027
Registration forms are available for parents / carers of children in Yr 8, in the porch.  Please complete and return to the Parish Office.

BLISTER PACKS: PILLS & TABLETS RECYCLED
Please use the labelled box in the porch  for your pill / tablet blisters packs, so that we can collect and recycle properly.  Currently, they cannot be recycled in our blue council bins.  Thank you to those who are already donating!

HYMN BOOK AMNESTY
It’s so easy to walk out of church and find you’re still clutching a hymn book!  Please can you have a look at home / in the car and check for any ‘strays’.  No one will be looking when you bring them back to church.  Many thanks!

WELCOMERS NEEDED 
We would love to expand our rota of welcomers, so please don’t be shy!  Have a chat with Father or Diane after Mass, if you’d like to find out a bit more, and see if it’s something that might interest you.

MASS INTENTIONS
Mass intentions are welcome, not just for our dear departed, but for any other occasion eg in thanksgiving, A successful outcome (exams / operation), wedding / anniversary blessings. Please write your name and intention, with the preferred date – if applicable – on a piece of paper and place in an envelope, along with your offering, either in the weekly offertory basket or through the presbytery door.  Every effort will be made to find a date as close as possible.

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES / GIFT AID / STANDING ORDERS!
If you are a taxpayer then you can easily help the parish to claim 25% extra on top of every donation you make – and it won’t cost you a penny!  Eg: a donation of £10 per week would result in £12.50 going to the church. If you are able to use gift aid, please collect a form from the porch on your way out today, and return it to the Parish Office asap. 
If you are a taxpayer who makes regular cash donations, please consider using an offertory envelope instead of just placing your ‘loose’ donations in the basket. This is really important: it can bring in more than £1000 to the church every year, as we’ll be able to claim gift aid directly on every donation you make.  It won’t cost you anything at all, but it will make a huge difference to our finances.
Please contact the Parish Office if you’d like to use envelopes – they are free! 
Even better – you can donate ‘painlessly’ each month by setting up a standing order with your bank.  Forms are available in the porch.

PRAYERFUL REFLECTION BEFORE MASS
Some of our parishioners who like to pray and have a few moments of quiet reflection before the start of Mass.  And of course, we have every opportunity to have a chat and catch-up after Mass. 
Our monthly coffee mornings provide an ideal occasion for this! 

VOTIVE CANDLES
People have been asking how much they should donate for a votive candle.  Fr John is happy to leave it to your discretion, as all donations will be gratefully received – whenever they are made.

GLUTEN FREE SACRAMENT AVAILABLE
Please indicate to Fr John if you need to receive a gf host when you come to receive communion.

ST IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA: The Loving Generosity of Christ
He is generous to exhaustion and what is most wonderful is that he gives himself thus entirely, not once only but every
day, if we wish it.  Every fresh Communion is a new gift, which Jesus Christ makes of himself.