The Parish of St Joseph and
The Parish of St Charles Borromeo
Sheffield
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Letter from Fr Mark McManus 6th June
 
 
Dear Parishioners of St Joseph's & St Charles,
 
We have two events before our weekend Masses that you may wish to support:

St Joseph's School Marian Procession, today, Friday, 6 June, at 1:30pm.
This is a special tradition in our school's calendar where we come together as a school and parish family to honour Our Lady.
The procession will begin in the school grounds and will include prayers, hymns, and the crowning of Mary.
Following the procession, cream teas will be available for purchase in the school hall. We warmly invite you to stay and enjoy our beautiful grounds and some refreshments with us, following the procession. All proceeds will go towards supporting school activities and resources.

This Saturday, 11.30am to 2.00pm, 7 June, a 'Nearly new tabletop sale'
Two of our young parishioners, Ivane and Lenny, are travelling to Rome with the diocese for the Jubilee of Youth & World Youth Day. They and our UCM will host this event on the lawn and churchyard. There are drop-off times for donations on Friday, 6 June, after the 10am Mass and at 2.30-3.30, plus mid-morning on the Saturday.

Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales
Statement on the upcoming Third Reading of
the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted suicide, is fast approaching its decisive vote in the House of Commons which will likely take place on either the 13th or 20th of June. The Catholic bishops of England and Wales oppose this flawed bill both in principle and in practice. Among the many concerns, we are particularly alarmed by the following:
  • This legislation would require many hospices and care homes to facilitate assisted suicide. This will put in jeopardy their ability to provide care. Parliament has rejected an amendment that would have allowed institutions to opt out of participating in the provision of assisted suicide.
  • The provisions for conscientious objection for health and social care workers are both unclear and inadequate. This problem will not be addressed by proposed amendments.
  • Safeguards against coercion for the most vulnerable are wholly inadequate, particularly in cases involving coercive control or social pressure. During Committee Stage, the bill’s main proponent was unable to confirm whether individuals seeking assisted suicide due to financial concerns or feelings of being a burden would be prevented from accessing it.
Since then, no progress has been made, and many MPs consider the existing safeguards insufficient, with the potential to result in a “terrible tragedy.” We note the opposition for the bill from key professional bodies including the Royal College of Psychiatrists whose members will be expected to be involved in the process of assessing those who elect for assisted suicide. We have already seen the bill weakened during Committee Stage. In addition, MPs are expected to debate nearly 60 pages of amendments in under 15 hours. The whole process by which this bill has been brought forward and debated is insufficient for such a radical change. We urge Catholics, and all people of goodwill, to contact their MP and ask them to vote against this bill. We also ask you to pray that our representatives choose to protect the most vulnerable citizens of this country when they vote later this month.

Archbishop John Sherrington
Lead Bishop for Life Issues and Archbishop of Liverpool

Here is this week's newsletter, and intercessions.

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

With my prayers,
Rev. Mark McManus
Parish Priest
 
Letter Links

Parish Newsletter
Pentecost Sunday (C)
8th June 2025

General Intercessions
Pentecost Sunday (C)