St Joseph's Catholic Church, Handsworth, St Joseph's Road, Sheffield (2026)

08/09/2026

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary because our Lady’s birth portends the birth of the Saviour. Mary, graced by a singular honour and vocation, was preserved from the slightest taint of original sin from the first moment of her conception. In celebrating her birthday, we celebrate the beginning of a life of total and yet ever-deepening union with God—a union that allowed Mary to become God’s own Mother. Thus we “see with what sentiments of tender devotion the Lord would have us honour Mary, in whom he has placed the plenitude of all good” (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux).

When the most holy Virgin was born, the whole world was made radiant; blessed is the branch and blessed the stem which bore such holy fruit. (Liturgy of the Hours)

In Mary, daughter of the House of David, the tree of Jesse brings forth new fruit. The budding of salvation, which brings us everlasting life in Christ the Lord, stems from her life.

From the flesh of a lowly, unnoticed daughter of Israel, a people small and unimportant in the vast stretches of the Roman Empire, was born the One who would deliver the entire world from the bo***ge of sin and reign for ever as King of kings and Lord of lords.

With thanks and praise, let us pray to Christ through the intercession of his Mother: Jesus, Son of Mary, hear our prayer!

Sun of Justice, the Virgin was born before you as dawn comes before day:
– make us walk in your light. Jesus, Son of Mary, hear our prayer!

Vine of life, the Virgin is the root from which you sprang:– bless the people of the Sinai covenant that they may recognise you, Son of God and Son of Mary. Jesus, Son of Mary, hear our prayer!

Living bread, the Virgin gave you the flesh of our human race:– nourish in us the fullness of life through her prayer and example. Jesus, Son of Mary, hear our prayer!

O God, you gave life to the world through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of the Blessed Virgin for whose birth we give thanks this day. Grant us, we beseech you, the grace to honour with our lives the Saviour whom she bore, Christ our Lord. Amen.
Magnificat 2026

07/09/2026

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Meditation on Luke 6:6-11: What is God's intention for the commandment, keep holy the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12)?
The scribes and Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus in the act of breaking the Sabbath ritual so they might accuse him of breaking God's law. In a few penetrating words Luke records that Jesus knew their thoughts. They were filled with fury and contempt for Jesus because they had put their own thoughts of right and wrong above God. They were ensnared in their own legalism because they did not understand or see the purpose of God. Jesus shows them their fallacy by pointing to God's intention for the Sabbath: to do good and to save life rather than to do evil or to destroy life.

Receive God's gift of sabbath rest and restoration.
Why do Christians celebrate Sunday as the Lord's Day? Most importantly we celebrate it to commemorate God's work of redemption in Jesus Christ and the new work of creation accomplished through Christ's death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17). God's action is a model for us. If God "rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, we, too, ought to "rest" and let others, especially the poor, "be refreshed" as well (see Exodus 31:17; 23:12). Taking "our sabbath rest" is a way of expressing honour to God for all that he has done for us. Such "rest" however does not exempt us from our love for our neighbour. If we truly love the Lord above all else, then the love of God will overflow to love of neighbour as well. Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) said: "The charity of truth seeks holy leisure; the necessity of charity accepts just work."

How can we make Sunday a day holy to the Lord? First, by refraining from unnecessary work and from activities that hinder the worship we owe to God. We can also perform works of mercy, such as humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the neglected. And we ought to seek appropriate relaxation of mind and body as well. The joy of the Lord's Day is a great gift to refresh and strengthen us in our love of God and of neighbour (Nehemiah 8:10). Do you know the joy of the Lord and do you find rest and refreshment in celebrating the Lord's Day?

"Lord Jesus, in your victory over sin and death on the cross and in your resurrection you give us the assurance of sharing in the eternal rest of heaven. Transform my heart with your love that I may freely serve my neighbour for his good and find joy and refreshment in the celebration of Sunday as the Lord's Day."

This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2026. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

06/09/2026

Absolutely wonderful to see Josh from our parish marching with thousands of activists and 15 Catholic bishops at March For Life in London yesterday.

Josh is one of the young people received into our church community at Easter. What an encouragement to us all that our young parishioners are bearing witness to the sanctity of life.

06/09/2026

Dear Parishioners of St Joseph’s & St Charles,

Please find attached this week’s edition of the newsletter and intercessions.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us
St Joseph, pray for us
St Charles Borromeo, pray for us

With my prayers,

Mgr. Mark McManus
Parish Priest

http://www.stjosephshandsworth.org.uk/documents/bulletins/2026/september/6.pdf

http://www.stjosephshandsworth.org.uk/documents/intentions/2026/twenty_third_sunday_ot.pdf

06/09/2026

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20: What's the best way to repair a damaged relationship?
Jesus offers his disciples spiritual freedom and power for restoring broken or injured relationships.

Don't brood over an offence - speak directly and privately.
What can we learn from Jesus' instructions about how to mend a damaged relationship (Matthew 18:15-20)? If you feel you have been wronged by someone, Jesus says the first step is to speak directly but privately to the individual who has done the harm. One of the worst things we can do is brood over our grievance. This can poison our mind and heart and make it more difficult to go directly to the person who caused the damage.

Seek the help of wise Christians.
If we truly want to settle a difference with someone, we need to do it face to face. If this fails in its purpose, then the second step is to bring another person or persons, someone who is wise and gracious rather than someone who is hot-tempered or judgmental. The goal is not so much to put the offender on trial, but to persuade the offender to see the wrong and to be reconciled. And if this fails, then we must still not give up, but seek the help of the Christian community. Note the emphasis here is on restoring a broken relationship by seeking the help of other Christians who hopefully will pray and seek a solution for reconciliation based on Christian love and wisdom, rather than relying on coercive force or threat of legal action, such as a lawsuit.

Pray for the offender - for healing and reconciliation.
Lastly, if even the Christian community fails to bring about reconciliation, what must we do? Jesus seems to say that we have the right to abandon stubborn and obdurate offenders and treat them like social outcasts. The tax-collectors and Gentiles were regarded as "unclean" by the religious-minded Jews and they resorted to shunning them. However we know from the Gospel accounts that Jesus often had fellowship with tax-collectors (as well as other public sinners), ate with them, and even praised them at times! Jesus refuses no one who is open to receive pardon, healing, and restoration.

Set no obstacle in seeking to heal your brother's wound.
When you are offended, are you willing to put aside your own grievance and injury in order to help your brother's wound? The Lord Jesus wants to set us free from resentment, ill-will, and an unwillingness to forgive. The love of Christ both purifies and sets us free to do good to all - even those who cause us grief. The call to accountability for what we have done and have failed to do is inevitable and we can't escape it, both in this life and at the day of judgment when the Lord Jesus will return. But while we have the opportunity today, we must not give up on praying for those who cause us offence. With God's help we must seek to make every effort to win them with the grace and power of God's healing love and wisdom. Do you tolerate broken relationships or do you seek to repair them as God gives you the opportunity to mend and restore what is broken?

"Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of your healing love and peace. Give me wisdom and courage to bring your healing love and saving truth to those in need of healing and restoration."

This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2026. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

05/09/2026

Today we resume our First Saturday Holy hour at 09.30.

St Teresa of Calcutta whose feast day is today viewed Eucharistic adoration as the essential foundation of her mission, famously stating that time spent with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the “best time you will spend on earth”. She asserted that to heal and save the world, every parish needs to come before Jesus in Holy Hours of prayer.

This is our hour!

Magnificat Meditation of the day, from Saint Teresa of Calcutta - Fed by the Lord of the Sabbath

“Where will you get the joy of loving?—in the Eucharist, Holy Communion. Jesus has made himself the bread of life to give us life. Night and day, he is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that adoration….
Look at the tabernacle…. Is my heart so clean that I can see Jesus there? To make it easy for you and for me to see Jesus, he made himself the bread of life, so that we can receive life, so that we may have a life of peace, a life of joy. Find Jesus, and you will find peace.
Every moment of prayer, especially before our Lord in the tabernacle, is a sure positive gain. The time we spend in having our daily audience with God is the most precious part of the whole day.”
Magnificat 2026

05/09/2026

Saturday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time - Saint Teresa of Calcutta

In 1946, Teresa, then a Sister of Loreto, received an “order” from Christ to undertake a new sort of radical life in service of “the poorest of the poor”. Two years later, she was granted leave to go to Calcutta’s slums. She tended the dying and took in orphans. In 1950, the Missionaries of Charity were granted status as a Congregation. Teresa’s extraordinarily fruitful vocation has remained manifest, since her death in 1997, in the work of her order, carried on by priests, brothers, lay volunteers, and over 4,500 sisters in 133 countries.

Entrance Antiphon:
Come, you blessed of my Father, says the Lord: I was sick, and you visited me. Amen I say to you: Whatever you did for one of the least of my brethren you did it for me.

Collect
O God, who have taught your Church
to keep all the heavenly commandments by love of you as God and love of neighbour; grant that, practising the works of charity after the example of blessed Teresa of Calcutta, we may be worthy to be numbered among the blessed in your Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
Magnificat 2026

04/09/2026

As the new term begins we invite all mothers to join us for a cuppa and see what the Union of Catholic Mothers is about.

Our primary purpose is to unite Catholic women in prayer, love, and active witness to support marriage, family life, and Christian values.

We do this by
- assisting mothers in raising their children as practicing Catholics and responsible citizens.
- Defending Christian Values: upholding family life and advocate for Catholic education.
- Providing Support: offering practical help, sympathy, and love to families experiencing difficulties.
- Fostering Vocations: praying for and encourage vocations to Christian marriage, the priesthood, and religious life.
- Promoting Marriage: To help women value the sacramental nature, responsibilities, and permanence of Christian marriage

Meeting this morning after 10am Mass in the undercroft.

The Union of Catholic Mothers states that it is “not just for married mothers but for those with a maternal heart; whether single, married without children, divorced but in full communion with the Catholic Church, or whose husband is a Catholic.”

04/09/2026

The First Fridays devotion is a practice of honouring the Sacred Heart of Jesus by attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month. It’s part of a broader devotion to the Sacred Heart, which has been a significant part of Catholic spirituality for centuries.

While the Mass itself is the most important part, spending additional time in prayer, especially before the Blessed Sacrament, is highly encouraged. Offer your prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and ask for His mercy and help in your spiritual journey.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 08.50, followed by Benediction and Mass at 10am.

Read more about this devotion here.

https://www.ctsbooks.org/the-first-fridays-devotion-what-it-is-and-how-to-take-part/?

04/09/2026

Friday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

Meditation on Luke 5:33-39: Which comes first, fasting or feasting? The disciples of John the Baptist were upset with Jesus' disciples because they did not fast. Fasting was one of the three most important religious duties, along with prayer and almsgiving. Jesus gave a simple explanation. There's a time for fasting and a time for feasting (or celebrating).

A time to weep and fast - a time to rejoice and celebrate.
To walk as a disciple with Jesus is to experience a whole new joy of relationship akin to the joy of the wedding party in celebrating with the groom and bride their wedding bliss. But there also comes a time when the Lord's disciples must bear the cross of affliction and purification. For the disciple there is both a time for rejoicing in the Lord's presence and celebrating his goodness and a time for seeking the Lord with humility and fasting and for mourning over sin. Do you take joy in the Lord's presence with you and do you express sorrow and contrition for your sins?

A mind closed to God's wisdom.
Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about the problem of the "closed mind" that refuses to learn new things. Jesus used an image familiar to his audience - new and old wine skins. In Jesus' times, wine was stored in wine skins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they became hard as they aged. What did Jesus mean by this comparison?

The Old Testament points to the New - the New Testament fulfills the Old
Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52).

A very common expression, dating back to the early beginnings of the Christian church, states that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New - the two shed light on each other. The New Testament does not replace the Old - rather it unveils and brings into full light the hidden meaning and signs which foreshadow and point to God's plan of redemption which he would accomplish through his Son, Jesus Christ. How impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament, rather than both.

New "wine" of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus gives us wisdom so we can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn't want us to hold rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new action of his Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like the new wine skins - open and ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Are you eager to grow in the knowledge and understanding of God's word and plan for your life?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Help me to seek you earnestly in prayer and fasting that I may turn away from sin and wilfulness and conform my life more fully to your will. May I always find joy in knowing, loving, and serving you."

This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2026. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

St Joseph's Catholic Church, Handsworth

08/09/2026

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06/09/2026

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