For Mass times, download the bulletin from the Mass times and Bulletin page.

Booking places for Sunday Masses:  
FOR ST MICHAEL, please email or ring Sr Lydwin on 01902 341343 on Thursday and Friday. 
FOR SS PETER & PAUL, please ring or text Val on 07934905283 . 
FOR ST BERNADETTE, please ring Judith on 01902 620 764 between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays or email [email protected]   

Prayer and Parish Activities
 
LENT Walk with me Booklets and Calendars are available in the porch of each church. 

Stations of the Cross There will be four ways you can participate in Stations of the Cross during lent. 
1. There will Stations of the Cross by zoom every Wednesday at 6.30 pm To access this, go to the parish diary on our website and click directly on the calendar entry or click here.
2. Stations of the Cross will be at St Michael’s Church every week at 6.30pm starting this Friday 19th February.
3. Stations of the Cross will be at St Bernadette’s every week at 10.00am
4. There are also pre-recorded Stations of the Cross from SS Peter & Paul Church. You can pray these any time of the week by clicking here.

Confessions will be available both at St Michael’s and SS Peter and Paul next Saturday at 11.00am. 

Please Note There is NO Mass at St Bernadette’s this Wednesday

Lent Ecumenical Talks Our clergy from the Anglican, Methodist and Catholic churches from the City Centre and Penn are providing an Ecumenical opportunity during lent. 
Each Monday there is a short Talk at 9.00am (this can be watched at any time during the day) To watch the talk please click here.
Then at 4.00pm there will be a half hour zoom meeting for a discussion on the talk. For the zoom link click here.  
This week’s speaker is Fr Mark 

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER on Friday 5th March at 7pm. All welcome to join us via Zoom for this amazing annual ecumenical worldwide event. CODES: Meeting ID 88956857208 Passcode 462584. Contact Sarah to RSVP and for order of service/more information 07948963325 [email protected]
World Day of Prayer Resources:  For a Children's puzzle page about the Pacific island country of Vanuatu, click here.
There are also videos to enjoy before or after Friday 's 7 pm service such as a service for all prepared by the women of Vanuatu. click here.

Blessed Carlo Acutis Prayer Cards The parish has bought 500 prayer cards to help us all unite in prayer to our new parish patron. They will be available in the porches of each church. Many are not able to attend Church at the moment, so please do take a prayer card to distribute to your fellow parishioners. If you are doing this, please ensure that you sanitise your hands before pass the prayer cards on. We will order more prayer cards as the lockdown begins to relax. 

Making Connections in LENT: During lent, if your phone number is on the parish database, a registered parish volunteer will ring you to check if your details are correct and if you would like to have someone ring you occasionally to see that you are ok. The plan is to build up a parish network of occasional phone calls, so that no one is missed out in our parish community. All the volunteers who will be doing the ringing have completed the Safeguarding Parish Volunteer Registration Form.

Online Holy Hours:
Monica’s Prayer - Prayer for the conversion of family members and loved ones. 
Blessed Carlo Acutis – Contemporary Holy Hour in honour of our patron, Blessed Carlo, ending with night prayer. 
St Joseph – Devotions to St Joseph for the Year of St Joseph, followed by a short period of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. This Week’s theme: St Joseph, Patron of Fathers. Prayer for Fathers.  
Divine Mercy - Divine Mercy devotions at the Hour of Great Mercy, 3pm on Friday. 

Children’s Liturgy Online   Join the Colour and Shape community! It is free to join, and you can sign up here: www.colourandshapeonline.com  Please spread the word! Connect Sunday - the weekly video based around the Sunday Gospel can be found on the Colour and Shape YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/c/ColourandShape You can follow Colour and Shape on Facebook and Instagram: @colourandshapeonline 

Would you like to experience praying the psalms in community online? It might be something to explore in lent. The Lay Community of St Benedict is praying on Zoom at 6.45, 9.00, 18.00 and 21.30 Monday’s to Fridays. 9.00 and 18.00 is Lauds and Vespers based on Universalis. 21.30 is the Anglican order of compline. 6.45 in the morning is a short 15 minute time of prayer led each day by a different person which is a short reflection and a time for intercessions. If you are interested, please contact Alain on [email protected]   

ROSARY on Feast of the Annunciation Thursday 25th March at 7pm for all followed by Catholic Women's League meeting at 7.30pm(all ladies welcome). ZOOM codes: Meeting ID 82683313632 Passcode 886384 Contact Sarah to RSVP and further info 07948963325 [email protected] 

QUIZ NIGHT on St Patrick's Day & for St Joseph's Feast Day Your hosts, the Catholic Women's League, hope to see you for an hour or two of fun and brain teasing! Several categories to enjoy. Why not wear green and have a drink at the ready? ZOOM codes: Meeting ID 84970753602 Passcode 021025 Contact Sarah to RSVP and more details 07948963325 [email protected]

Little Fishes Online A parents, baby and toddler group now to meet online via Zoom Tuesday mornings fortnightly from 10.30am to 11.30am
Chat      A chance to chat and share a virtual coffee with other parents 
Create   Small group creative activities will be offered within the meeting for those interested.
Share    Finishing with a story time for all!
If you are interested in joining Little Fishes online, please contact Judith at [email protected] 

Carlos’ Coffee Club A new opportunity for anyone over 60 to be part of an online group. 
When       Tuesday mornings fortnightly.
Where      online via Zoom
Time         from 10.30am to 11.30am 
Each fortnight along with the chance to catch up with others whilst sharing a coffee, there will be a guest speaker. If you would like to join, but are uncertain of the technicalities of using Zoom, practical help is available to guide you through the process. All you need is either a mobile phone, tablet, computer or laptop and we can help sort the rest. 
Interested?  Email Judith at [email protected] for more details on how to participate.
 
Carmelite Easter Cards will be on sale at weekend Masses throughout Lent: at St Michael's (in the hall BEFORE Mass); at St Bernadette's (in the porch AFTER Mass) and at SS Peter &Paul (outside church AFTER Mass). Large cards will be priced at £1 and a pack of 5 small cards of the SAME design at £2.50. Please have the correct money with you! Thank you for supporting the work of our Carmelite community.

Plant Acorn Trees for Lent If you would like some acorns to plant new oak trees please contact: George Reiss [email protected]  O7734 3O8 579 
For more information see https://treegrowing.tcv.org.uk/grow/tree-recipes/pedunculateoak 


Learning More about our Faith

Fr Guy Nicholls' talk: St John Henry Newman Saturday 13th March 10.30 for 10.45 start. Catholic Women's League extend the warmest welcome to all. ZOOM codes: Meeting ID 83129553328 Passcode 105303. Contact Sarah to RSVP and further information 07948963325 [email protected]

Ask a theologian anything you like! Sunday February 28th 1.45pm. Prof. Tom O'Loughlin, Dr Jordan Pullicino, David McLoughlin. Email [email protected] 

A New Imagination of the Possible: An Update on the Covid 19 Commission from Fr Augusto Zampini-Davies, Adjunct Secretary to the Commission. Wednesday 3rd March 2021 - 19.00. Register via the national ACTA website, https://www.acalltoaction.org.uk 

Exploring the Directory for Catechesis Conference 2021
Maryvale Institute, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, is delighted to announce a free, virtual conference that will focus on the new Directory for Catechesis. To register: https://bit.ly/2Z2KqIX  For more info please visit: https://www.maryvale.ac.uk/conference-2021.html 
• Session 1, Friday 12th March, 2.00-4.00pm:'Dynamic Continuity': The Purpose and Distinctive Emphases of the New Directory. Speakers confirmed so far: Archbishop Rino Fisichella (Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation), Archbishop Bernard Longley 
• Session 2, Friday 16th April, 2.00-4.00pm: Key Emphases/Foci of the New Directory: a Closer Look. Speakers confirmed so far: Fr Jan Nowotnik (Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and Archdiocese of Birmingham), Katherine Coolidge (Catherine of Siena Institute), Dr Tamra Fromm (Catholic Biblical School of Michigan and Maryvale Institute), Sr Hyacinthe Defos du Rau OP (Dominican Srs of St Joseph and Maryvale Institute)
• Session 3, Friday 14th May, 2.00-4.00pm: Growing in Faith: A Lifelong Journey of Catechesis. Speakers confirmed so far: Angela Wood MA (Maryvale Institute), Sr Carino Hodder OP (Dominican Srs of St Joseph), Lianne Pap (Archdiocese of Birmingham and Maryvale Institute), Paul Northam (Archdiocese of Birmingham, Beccy Roseman (Kenelm Youth Trust, Archdiocese of Birmingham)


Mission and Outreach

The Food Collection:  Thank you! We shall be collecting at our usual times of Tuesday 1-2, Thursday and Saturday 10-11, after weekend Masses at St Michael's AND at the 10.15 Mass at SS Peter and Paul. This week's donations have been delivered to local families in Pendeford. In addition to tins of meat/fish/vegetables/fruit/rice pudding/custard, cereal, UHT milk and fresh fruit any donations of EASTER EGGS would be extremely popular! Thank you for your continued support.
CAFOD Lent Appeal: Family Fast Day was last Friday 26th February. The Theme this year is Fresh Water: 
Abdella lives in an extremely remote and mountainous part of Ethiopia. It takes him ten hours a day to collect water. He says his life is being wasted as he has no time for anything else. Give today to reach vulnerable communities around the world with water and to provide other vital support. Donate online at www.cafod.org.uk/lent  or use one of the CAFOD envelopes that you can pick up in Church this weekend and bring back the following week. MANY THANKS.

Petula's CAFOD 'Walk for Water' challenge: I've now signed up to Walk for Water for CAFOD.  I'm walking 10,000 steps a day, for 40 days to raise money to help end water poverty. I hope to raise £400. Thank you for whatever you can donate to this cause. Please see notice below: (please circulate if you can).My JustGiving PAGE URL is:  
https://walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/cafods-walk-for-water-challenge 

St Michael's Catholic Primary Academy & Nursery are raising money for Mary's Meals during Lent by throwing / catching a ball 64,000,000 times (to match the number of children suffering from food poverty around the world).  The children would love your help please! You can donate catches that you have done (with a ball, a ball of wool,a pair of socks?!) - just call us to let us know how many catches you've managed (01902 556368).  If you are able to sponsor the children, please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stmichaelscatchformeals   It only costs £15.90 to feed a child every day FOR A WHOLE YEAR! Just think how many children we could feed if we all donated a little!  Many thanks in advance for your catches, your donations and especially your prayers during Lent.

Life Charity Shop and Life Outreach for Needy Mums and babies: A big 'thank you' to those who are kindly storing their donations of clothes, books and bric-a-brac for the Life Charity Shop. We'll be glad to accept them when the lock-down is over and the shop is able to open again. Life continues to support local families and at present there is a high need for cots and cot bedding, as well as Moses baskets, pushchairs, baby clothes and other items for young babies. If you can help, please ring Rosalie on 01902 330553 /email [email protected].  If you know of any family needing this kind of support, please suggest they use this email, or ring the free Life National Helpline 0808 802 5433. As well as giving us messages from those in our locality who need practical support, this Helpline offers a confidential listening ear to anyone who is troubled by a pregnancy related matter.

ADDRESSING LOCAL NEED: Much-welcomed supplies can be dropped off at any time for the Good Shepherd Ministry via 2, Richmond Rd WV3 9HY Thank you for your kindness. 

Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February to 7 March 2021) The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us more than ever how interconnected we are globally. This interconnection is at the very heart of the Fairtrade movement, and we all have the power to drive long-term change by our shopping choices as well as by spreading the message. So, when you have the opportunity, CHOOSE FAIRTRADE.

Many women in the Uyghur Muslim community in Xinjiang, China are being subjected to forced abortions. Lord Alton is currently championing a new amendment to the Trade Bill, which enables a Committee of the House to make a referral to five judicial peers in the House of Lords for a proper legal analysis of any assessment of genocide. The amendment passed in the Lords on Tuesday afternoon by 367 votes to 214, and is likely to be voted on in the Commons shortly. In response to this, he is asking members of the public to again contact their MPs, asking them to    vote for the amendment. https://genocideresponse.org 

Let us pray:

FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK: Pritpal Dhanjal,  Paul Green, R. J., Keith Tomlins, David Souberry, Ben Sherry, Holly Burke, Mason Kavanagh, Peter Holmes, Alice Stevens, George Brown, Chris Starkey,  M  Mary, Thomas Mackin, Stephen Briggs, Hilary Elsden, Katherine Poole, Teresa Mitchell, Ann Bayley,  Peggy McHale, Patrick Quinn, Celia Norton, Jean Hollingshead, Margaret Stokes, Leah Nixon, Pat Pool, John Dolan, Liam Dolan, Marie Looker, Lorna Ciraulo, Pat Eades, Helen Porter, Mary Kirby, Sheila O’Toole, Tony McGinn, Brendan Bleakley.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED RECENTLY: Dan O’Hara, Cath Chamberlain, Jim Deacey, Paula Box, John Owen, Dr Biswanath Dey, Patricia Bamford, Marion Driver (Bunty), Rose Catch, Patricia Byrne, Rose Tully, Anne Middleton.  May they rest in peace.

Finances
Many thanks to all who have started using Standing Orders for their offerings to the parish. The total of Standing orders for January 2021 was St Michael’s £1684.75, St Bernadette’s £795.18, SS Peter & Paul £266.00
There is a Second Collection this weekend for CAFOD (Lent Family Fast Day)

In year B each Sunday in lent we hear about the covenants that God has made with his people. We begin with Noah this week. The waters of the flood prefigure the waters of Baptism washing away sin and bringing us new life in the resurrection of Christ.
The Bulletin is now ready to download by clicking here. Please note that the address of our website has changed.

It is now carloacutis.co.uk

The old rcwlwest.com address will work for a while but if you have any automatic links to our website saved on your computer or ipad, you need to update them to the new address as soon as possible.

Further to the resources mentioned in the bulletin last Sunday, here are more resources for your Lenten journey 202.

I encourage you to buy this great new booklet on the life and mission of Blessed Carlo Acutis. It will greatly help us in our parish to foster devotion to our new patron and begin to learn his path to holiness. It is available from the Catholic Truth Society. Click the button below access to their website. Fr Mark

Lent begins this Wednesday. There will be a Mass in each of our churches but you will need to book as numbers are still limited while the virus infection rate is still fairly high in the Wolverhampton area. Please note that Ashes will not be distributed in the usual manner this year. They will be distributed in the Roman manner, that is, ashes will be sprinkled on your head. For all the details about our services and events this week, please download our bulletin from the Mass Times and Bulletin page.

The bulletin is now ready to download on our Mass Times and Bulletin page. The Gospel on Sunday each week this year is taken from St Mark and here is a great 10 minute video giving an excellent overview of his gospel: