Newsletter 26th October 2025
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Sunday: Cycle C • Weekday: Year 1 • Psalter 2
Parishes of St Michael and Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury
CLIFTON DIOCESE (a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales under number 10462076. A registered charity number 1170168. Registered Office: St Ambrose North Road Leigh Woods Bristol BS8 3PW)
The Shrine of Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury
St Mary’s Presbytery, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, BA6 9EJ
Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury website
Catholic Church of St Michael,
6 Park Road, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BP
Email Parish Office: Telephone: 01458 835931
Parish Priest: Fr Mark Moran
NEW PARISH OFFICE HOURS [THIS WEEK]: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between 9.00am and 1.00pm
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Monday to Saturday from 7am until 9am [OLG]
Confessions/Sacrament of Reconciliation: 45 minutes before the scheduled mass on Monday to Saturday [last admissions 15 minutes before the scheduled mass time]
SAFEGUARDING: Our parish operates in accordance with Statutory Safeguarding Guidance, and both National and Diocesan policies & procedures at all times. SAFEGUARDING WEBPAGE: Name of P.S.R.: Email for St. Michael’s or Email for Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury
EMERGENCY EXITS: Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the nearest exit. In case of an emergency please leave all belongings and move immediately to the fire points. THANK YOU
DIOCESAN PRAYER LINK
This week we pray for the priest and people of the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, Lawrence Weston, St Bernard, Shirehampton
Act of Hope: My God, I hope in you, for grace and for glory, because of your promises, your mercy, and your power.
Monday 27th to Friday 31st October No weekday Mass.
LITURGY OF THE WORD: Parish Mass Books used at [SM] Page 155 for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Entrance Antiphon: Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Responsorial Psalm: The lowly one called; the Lord heard him.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Alleluia.
Communion Antiphon: We will ring out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God.
RESOURCES FOR YOUR CHILDREN: ‘The Kids’ Bulletin’
COLLECTION AT MASS
OLG: Offertory: £318.19, Second Collection — Missio: £220.70
SM: Offertory: £305.80, Second Collection — £183.32
Palo's Requiem: Funeral costs are as follows £3,650.00 = £2,000.00 for the under takers and £1,650.00 Council & burial. Thank you to all those who have donated towards the costs. The amount received to date £2,209.21.
Please remember you can donate by clicking on the Donate with DONA button below. Any monies donated for St Michael’s Offertory will be transferred to this parish. Thank you.
DONA MACHINE UPDATE
(OLG) We’ve upgraded our DONA machine to reduce transaction charges, making giving more cost-effective. As payments are now processed by a new provider, anyone who has previously registered for Gift Aid will need to re-enter their details the first time they use the updated machine. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
(SM) St Michael’s DONA machine will soon be up and running.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMME
If your child is a Baptised Catholic and aged 8 or above on 31st August 2025 and you would like them to join the programme, please collect an enrolment form by emailing the parish office, or download from here.
Forms should be returned to Fr Mark or the parish office, no later than the initial meeting.
The initial meeting with parents and children will take place on Saturday 8th November 2025 at 11.15am in the Upper Hall at Our Lady of Glastonbury. The first session after Mass, in the Upper Hall, on Sunday 15th November.
Please note: the course is not open to late admissions.
CONFIRMATION COURSE
Confirmation lessons will be commencing again on Wednesday 19th November, in St Mary's Lower Hall. Lessons will run every Wednesday evening in term-time, at 7pm until 8:30pm. Contact at stmarysglastonburyconfirmation@gmail.com, or Anthony Morris to sign up or for further details.
Next Week we welcome Fr. Alan Finely who will be covering Fr. Mark’s weekend Masses whilst Fr. Mark takes a belated and well-earned break. We wish Fr. Mark a restful and enjoyable break. If you require the services of a priest urgently while Fr. Mark is away, please call Fr. Tony at Wells on 01749 673183, or telephone the presbytery as usual on 01458 835931. Someone should be there to help you.
Fr Mark’s Induction
Fr Mark’s induction as Rector and Parish Priest will take place on Tuesday 25th November at 7pm at the Shrine of Our Lady of Glastonbury, with Mgr. Liam Slattery. Followed by refreshments in the hall. All are welcome to attend.
WELCOME TO OUR PARISH We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our parishioners and visitors attending Mass. Whether you are just passing through or looking for a spiritual home, we pray you find our church inviting and spiritually uplifting. If you are attending Mass on a regular basis, we encourage you to register with the parish. Please call our parish office and start the conversation! Both our church is always open to you, your family, and friends.
Pax et Bonum [Peace and All Good]
(SM) This Sunday the 100 Club Draw for October will take place in the parish room after Sunday mass.
(SM) Teas & coffees after Mass on Sunday, in the Parish room.
(OLG) Teas & coffees after Mass on Sunday, in the Lower hall.
ELEVATE - Tesco blue token voting. We are delighted to announce that from October to January 2026 the lift fundraising project will be part of the blue token voting in TESCO in Glastonbury. Please pop in and add your blue tokens to our box - we could win between £500 and £1500 which would complete the fundraising for the lift. Ask Rachael for any clarification. Thank you.
CATECHISM: A journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Every Wednesday at 7pm in the Upper Hall, reading through the Catechism from the beginning with space for reflection and enquiry as we go along, for anyone from new candidates to lifelong Catholics or even non Catholics with an interest in discovering more about our faith. All are warmly welcome. For more details, please speak with Phil Stretch or email flipstretch@hotmail.com.
PRAYERS PLEASE:
For all who are ill at home or in hospital, and for the repose of the soul of those whose anniversary occurs at this time.
Michael Vezey [SM] who died last week.
Scott Lovell aged 50, a parishioner from St Michael's, who died last Sunday after a long illness.
Palo’s Requiem Mass will take place on Monday 3rd November at 2pm, followed by a burial at Glastonbury cemetery.
May they rest in peace.
DONATIONS IN MEMORY Arrangements are being made for the parish and community to celebrate Paulo life with a Requiem Mass – if you would like to contribute, please use the Dona machine, via the fund – Requiem, Paulo Cluseau RIP. Thank you for your generosity.
BLYTHSWOOD SHOEBOXES (SM) Please consider packing a shoebox full of simple gifts for a needy person this Christmas. Leaflets with full details and some spare shoe boxes are available in the porch. Boxes will be collected from St Michael’s on 13th November.
Prolife Rosary Group (SM) The Prolife group will be taking a break for half term, so there will be no 7.30pm Rosary on Tuesday 28th October.
UPDATE ON THE LIFT INSTALLATION [OLG]: Remedial work for the new hall lift has now begun. Every effort will be made to avoid disruption during bookings. Please note: the ground floor storeroom and the upper kitchen are strictly out of bounds until the lift installation is completed in October. “DANGER – NO ENTRY” signs will be displayed. Any breach of this rule will result in the hall being closed for the remainder of the works.
Hall Lift Preparation Work – Photos (OLG) : Take a look at our parish website to see the latest photos of the hall lift preparation work carried out so far. It is great to see the progress being made!
Good Counsel Network: There have now been over ten and a half million abortions in Great Britain since the Abortion Act was passed 58 years ago, on 27th October 1967. On this terrible anniversary, please pray and fast for the end of abortion in this country. On Monday 27th October, please go to Mass, say an extra Rosary and give up some food for the day. Share this with your friends on Facebook.
CLEANERS (OLG) We’re looking for a few more volunteers to join our friendly team of cleaners who help keep our church looking its best. A big thank you to those who have already come forward! If you’re able to lend a hand, please contact Clare in the parish office.
Men’s Group (OLG) It will be in the upper hall this Sunday 26th October at 5pm. All men are welcome over 16 years for discussion, sharing experiences and food. For further details please contact Wayne Abbiss at wabbiss@yahoo.co.uk
World Youth Sunday 2025 – Celebrating the Jubilee Year Schools and parishes across England and Wales are invited to take part in World Youth Sunday 2025, a special three-day event from 21st- 23rd November, marking the Jubilee Year. This year’s programme includes a World Youth Sunday Livestream for schools (formerly World Youth Funday), Social Saturday, and celebrations in parishes for World Youth Sunday and the Feast of Christ the King. Designed to support youth ministry and Catholic formation, the event offers a meaningful way to highlight the role of young people in the Church. Developed in partnership with the Jubilee for Schools project, CAFOD, CSAN, and CES and aligned with the Catholic Schools Inspection (CSI) Framework, it’s a valuable opportunity to strengthen links between schools, parishes, and the wider Church. For more information and registration click here.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER AND LECTIO DIVINA (OLG) Both groups meet on Thursdays at 2.30pm in the United Reformed Church, High Street, Glastonbury (main front door).
Lectio Divina: Practises slow Scripture reading, reflection, discussion, and stillness. Next meeting: 6th November, then every two weeks.
Contemplative Prayer: Brief introduction, 30 minutes of silence, and optional sharing. Meets next on 30th October, then every fortnight.
All are welcome. For more information, contact Helen or Graham, or visit the Prayer Groups page on the Shrine’s website.
Chaplaincy and Youth Ministry Member: The Little Way Catholic Educational Trust are very excited to recruit Chaplaincy and Youth Ministry team members to support the primary schools within our Trust with chaplaincy and youth ministry. We are at the start of our journey into developing a team of youth ministers to work within our Trust schools. These roles will be to work across six primary schools in the first instance and so a willingness to travel between those schools (across Gloucestershire) either by own transport or using public transport or lift shares is necessary.
Salary - £17,306.00 Annually (FTE) - National Living Minimum Wage, Closing Date - 11:59pm, 7th Nov 2025,
Start Date - 5th January 2026, Positions Available – 2, Interview Date - Friday 14th November 2025.
For further information please use the link below VACANCIES | Clifton Diocese Schools and Colleges
Further Details - Charlotte Blanch, CEO of the Little Way Catholic Educational Trust. Telephone or Email.
Clifton Diocese in partnership with ‘Light of Truth’ are offering Essential Training for Catechists. Parishioners can join us on Saturdays, 6th, 13th & 20th December, online, from 9am to 12 noon for a short course of 3 sessions, to discover the essential nature and principles of catechesis, the sources of catechesis, and the best ways to prepare and deliver our catechesis. This course is open to everyone involved or interested in any kind of catechesis for adults, young people or children. Anyone interested can sign up for the series by clicking on the Zoom link here. More information on other courses & sessions run by the Sisters can be found on the following link: https://www.lightoftruth.uk/join I would be very grateful if you could start promote this short series in your parish.
Celebrating Marriage and Family Life: Bishop Bosco is to celebrating Mass in the Cathedral on Saturday 14 February (12 noon) and is inviting all families to join him to acknowledge the joys & challenges of family life. In addition, we will celebrate those couples with significant anniversaries in 2026. If you are, or know of a couple, celebrating a special anniversary during 2026 please do let us know. You just need to email names with an address so that a personal invitation can be sent out from the bishop. Please include the number of years celebrating. It is always a wonderful Mass at the Cathedral, we look forward to seeing you there.
STARTING SCHOOL? If you have a child born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, then now is the time to apply for a place at a primary school for admission from September 2026 onwards. You must complete an application form that is available from the school admissions team of Somerset Council. If your child has been baptised and you are applying for a Catholic school, you must also provide a copy of the baptism certificate to the school. Please ensure you apply by the closing date of 15 January 2026.
God, Almighty Father, we are your pilgrim Church journeying towards the Kingdom of heaven. We live in our homeland, but as if we were foreigners. Every foreign place is our home, yet every native land is foreign to us. Though we live on earth, our true citizenship is in heaven. Do not let us become possessive of the portion of the world you have given us as a temporary home. Help us to keep walking, together with our migrant brothers and sisters, toward the eternal dwelling you have prepared for us. Open our eyes and our hearts so that every encounter with those in need becomes an encounter with Jesus, your Son and our Lord. Amen.
