The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Masses and devotions

Thursday 20 August: no Mass at St Brendan’s. The Requiem Mass at Our Lady of Walsingham is at 10.00am.

Date	Church	Time	Intention or devotion
Saturday 15 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	5.00pm	Anne Marie Mellon Frances Fitzpatrick intention
Saturday 15 August	St Brendan’s	6.00pm	Eric Usher RIP; Kathleen McGaghey RIP VIRGIN MARY
Sunday 16 August	St Brendan’s	8.45am	Denise Sharman Int
Sunday 16 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	10.00am	Sr. Veronica Norton RIP; Kathleen Considine RIP
Sunday 16 August	St Brendan’s	11.30am	People of the Parish
Monday 17 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	9.30am	Mary McEleney RIP; confessions follow
Monday 17 August	St Brendan’s	1.00pm	Funeral service – Elsie Davis RIP
Monday 17 August	St Brendan’s	6.00pm	Holy Hour and confessions
Monday 17 August	St Brendan’s	7.00pm	David Kearns RIP; Tommy Lyons RIP; Michael and Muriel Crealey RIP
Tuesday 18 August	St Brendan’s	9.30am	Rena Brennan RIP; Doherty and Lynch intention
Tuesday 18 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	5.30pm	Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Wednesday 19 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	9.30am	Sr. Veronica Norton RIP
Wednesday 19 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	10.00am	Holy Rosary
Thursday 20 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	10.00am	Requiem Mass – Bridie Keenaghan RIP
Saturday 22 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	9.30am	Margaret Moone RIP
Saturday 22 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	5.00pm	Michael Donagher RIP; Helen Marie McNulty RIP; For the deceased members of the Garvey family RIP
Saturday 22 August	St Brendan’s	6.00pm	Luigi Restaino RIP; Bridget Fox RIP;
Sunday 23 August	St Brendan’s	8.45am	People of the Parish; Kathleen Greene RIP; Jamie O’Driscoll intention
Sunday 23 August	Our Lady of Walsingham	10.00am	Desmond O’Neill RIP
Sunday 23 August	St Brendan’s	11.30am	Margaret Owens RIP; Ella Rogers RIP; Peter Young RIP

The original Monday timetable has misaligned descriptions. The funeral notice confirms Elsie Davis’s service at St Brendan’s on Monday 17 August at 1.00pm. The evening Holy Hour and Mass are listed at 6.00pm and 7.00pm. The church is omitted for the 10.00am Mass on Sunday 23 August; the 23 August edition identifies it as Our Lady of Walsingham.

This week’s liturgy

• Monday 17 August: Feria
• Tuesday 18 August: Feria
• Wednesday 19 August: Feria
• Thursday 20 August: St Bernard, Abbot, Doctor
• Saturday 22 August: Our Lady, Mother and Queen

The Sunday psalm response is “On your right stands the Queen in gold of Ophir.” Catholic Truth Society Missal page 1170; Parish Mass Book page 178.

August prayer intention

For evangelisation in the city: Let us pray that in large cities often marked by anonymity and loneliness we find new ways to proclaim the Gospel, discovering creative paths to build community. The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

Parish news

First Holy Communion and Confirmation preparation

Children in Catholic and state schools prepare for First Holy Communion and Confirmation together within the parish, following the diocesan approach. Parish catechists and clergy support the programme, with lessons on Saturday mornings. It helps children from across Corby get to know one another and grow in faith.

Parents’ meetings:

• First Holy Communion (Year 3): Thursday 10 September, 7.00pm, at St Brendan’s Church.
• Confirmation (Year 6): Wednesday 16 September, 7.00pm, at Our Lady of Walsingham.

Please attend the relevant meeting, where the programme and expectations will be explained.

Readers and Eucharistic ministers

A meeting for readers and Eucharistic ministers from both churches will be held at Our Lady of Walsingham on Tuesday 22 September, 7.00pm.

Anyone interested in becoming a reader should let the parish know. Fr Mark and Fr Chris will also invite parishioners to become Eucharistic ministers.

SVP summer raffle

Tickets are on sale at the back of the church. The National Summer Raffle costs £1 per ticket or £5 per book, with a £5,000 first prize.

SVP food bank

The SVP supports people in need through the Catholic schools and parishes in Corby. Leave donations with a steward at the back of the church.

Gift Prayer Group

The Gift Prayer Group, which meets on Tuesdays, will resume on 1 September after the school holidays.

Blessing of the graves

The blessing of the graves will take place on Saturday 26 September at 11.00am. Co-op Darley Dale will provide refreshments.

Young Adults Group

The next meeting is Friday 21 August, 7.00pm, in St Brendan’s Parish Room, followed by refreshments. All young adults aged 18–35 are welcome. Please bring a friend and speak to Fr Chris for more information.

Diocesan news

Vocations discernment update

Eighteen men from across the Diocese (including four from Corby) gathered at St Augustine’s, Milton Keynes, for a Vocations Discernment Day organised by Diocesan Vocations Director, Fr Pius Amoako. The day offered an opportunity to pray, reflect and explore where God may be calling them, alongside five priests, two seminarians and a deacon who shared their experience and encouragement. “It was a really wonderful day,” said Fr Pius.

“Discernment is about being open to God, taking time to pray, ask questions and listen. For some, this may lead to priesthood; for others, God may be calling them to something else. What matters is giving ourselves the opportunity to listen to the Lord and take that next step.”

Palliative care and the End of Life Bill

Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool and Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has welcomed the Prime Minister’s call for greater investment in palliative and social care ahead of Parliament’s consideration of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted suicide, is due to return to the House of Commons for its Second Reading on Friday 11 September.

Speaking ahead of the debate, the Prime Minister said that palliative care and social care funding need to be “fixed” so that vulnerable people can have “peace of mind” about the care they receive towards the end of their lives. Responding to these comments, Archbishop Sherrington said it was “highly significant” that the need for properly funded palliative and social care had been recognised before Parliament debates what he described as the “fundamentally flawed” Bill.

He said: “People who are dying are vulnerable and need compassionate care and spiritual accompaniment until their last breath.

“We have consistently called for meaningful investment in palliative and end of life care as an appropriate focus to uphold the dignity of all at the end of life and opposed a bill seeking to legalise assisted suicide.” The Archbishop warned that while many Catholic hospices and care homes already provide exceptional end-of-life care, the sector remains significantly underfunded.

He also expressed concern that legalising assisted suicide could threaten the future of hospices and other providers whose mission is rooted in compassionate care. The Catholic Church believes that every human life is a gift from God and possesses an inherent dignity that must be protected from conception until natural death.

Rather than changing the law to permit assisted suicide, the Church continues to advocate for high-quality palliative care, effective pain relief, emotional support, and spiritual accompaniment for those approaching the end of life.

Archbishop Sherrington has urged parliamentarians to reject the legislation when it returns to the House of Commons on 11 September, saying: “I once more urge parliamentarians to vote against this dangerous legislation on 11 September and to work together to ensure that our palliative and social care services can be held up as examples of truly dignified care at the end of life for all.

Contact your MP Ahead of the debate on 11 September, Catholics and all people of goodwill are encouraged to contact their Member of Parliament and respectfully ask them to vote against the Bill. Both the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and Right To Life UK provide simple online tools to help you write to your MP.

Please continue to pray for those who are seriously ill, for their families and carers, for healthcare professionals, and for all who have responsibility for shaping laws that uphold the dignity of every human life.

Prayer and remembrance

Seven-day candles

• Our Lady of Walsingham: Wander intention.
• Our Lady of Grace: Jimmy Carr RIP
• St Martin: Mary Kitson intention.
• St Joseph: Julie McAuley intention.
• Sacred Heart (statue): Eamonn McAuley and Family intention.

Please contact the office if you would like to sponsor a seven-day candle for a loved one or a special intention.

May they rest in peace

• Elsie Davis RIP: Funeral service at St Brendan’s on Monday 17th of August at 1pm
• Bridie Keenaghan RIP: Requiem Mass at Our Lady’s on Thursday 20th August at 10.00am

Please pray for their families at this sad time.

Parish directory

Contact details below are those printed in this edition.

• Parish priest: Fr Mark Floody
• Assistant priest: Fr Chris Colaço
• Parish office: 01536 203121
• Our Lady of Walsingham: Occupation Road, Corby, NN17 1EE
• St Brendan’s: Beanfield Avenue, Corby, NN18 0AZ
• Our Lady of Walsingham office: Monday and Friday, 10.00am–4.00pm; Tuesday and Thursday, 1.15pm–4.00pm
• St Brendan’s office: Tuesday and Thursday, 10.00am–1.00pm
• Our Lady of Walsingham website: https://ourladyofwalsinghamcorby.org
• Our Lady of Walsingham email: mailto:parish.ourladyofwalsingham@northamptondiocese.org
• St Brendan’s website: https://stbrendanscorby.org.uk
• St Brendan’s email: mailto:parish.stbrendan@northamptondiocese.org

Safeguarding contacts

• Diocesan safeguarding: Danielle Dixon, 07833 050628
• Our Lady of Walsingham: 07947 485935
• St Brendan’s: Catherine MacLellan

Parish Catholic schools

• St Brendan’s Primary School: Beanfield Avenue, NN18 0AZ; 01536 202491; mailto:office@sb.cor.olicatschools.org
• St Patrick’s Primary School: Patrick Road, NN18 9NT; 01536 744447; https://www.stpatricksprimaryschool.com
• Our Lady of Walsingham Primary School: Occupation Road, Corby, NN17 1EE; 01536 203805; mailto:office@olw.cor.olicatschools.org