We have been experiencing problems with our internet provider, Vodafone, and there was no internet connection to the house all morning today. This mean that Mass could not be livestreamed at lunchtime. Many apologies for this. Hopefully, the disruption has finished and we will not have problems on Sunday,  Fr Mark 

Today we pray for Vocations to the Priesthood, Diaconate and the Consecrated life, that many will hear the call to follow Christ to chare the Good News! There will also be a special vocations webinar hosted by the Archdiocese on Tuesday evening at 8.00pm looking at models of holiness which will be all about our parish patron Blessed Carlo. If you would like to sign up for this webinar, go to - Quo Vadis? | Birmingham Vocations Then on Wednesday we will be having our monthly Blessed Carlo Mass, which this month will be at St Bernadette's, and we will also be praying for vocations at that Mass.

On behalf of Fr Mark, Fr Gary, Fr Sean, Sr Lydwin and Sr Rita, we wish you every blessing over the Easter holiday for you and your families!
The Bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page.

We now begin the most solemn week of the church’s year. 

ON TUESDAY the following churches will be open for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 6.30pm to 8.00pm and priests will be available for confession. You have the choice of going anywhere in the deanery: St. Anthony, Fordhouses; St. Chad and All Saints, Sedgley; St. Joseph, Wolverhampton; St. Mary and St. John, Wolverhampton; St. Michael, Penn; Our Lady and All Saints, Stourbridge; Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswinford; St Patrick, Wolverhampton; The Sacred Heart and Holy Souls, Tipton. This is the last chance to go to confession before Easter as the sacrament is not usually supposed to be celebrated between Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. 

ON SPY WEDNESDAY there is no Mass in the parish as all the priests concelebrate Mass with the Archbishop at 11.30 am in the Cathedral in Birmingham. At this Mass all the sacred oils are blessed for the sacraments in all the parishes for the next year. If you want to watch this, go to  https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-chads-cathedral-birmingham 
The Triduum
Really, the three great services of the Triduum should only be celebrated in one church, but so that all three communities within our parish have an opportunity for some of the services, we celebrate Maundy Thursday in St Bernadette & SS Peter & Paul and then on Good Friday in St Michael’s and SS Peter & Paul and then the Easter Vigil in St Michael’s. As we are one parish, please realise that all three churches belong to you.

ON MAUNDY THURSDAY we remember the last Supper that Jesus celebrated with his apostles. On this night he gave us the commandment to love one another, (Mandatum in Latin, which eventually in old English became Maundy) and the sacraments of the Holy Mass and the Holy Priesthood. At this Mass we recommission all the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion of the parish. (If you are not around this week, please let Fr Mark know so that you can be recommissioned at a later Sunday in Eastertide) At the end of this Mass the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the main tabernacle to a side chapel to commemorate Jesus’s agony in the garden of Gethsemene. It is a wonderful tradition to remain in silent prayer after this Mass or to return later for a period of time for the “watching of the Blessed Sacrament” watching and praying with Jesus in the garden.
At this Mass we have a collection for the poor. This year the proceeds will go to food vouchers to be given out in our local food banks. 

ON GOOD FRIDAY we remember the moment when Jesus offered his life for the salvation of the world on the cross on Calvary. The most important service is the Solemn liturgy at 3.00pm but as well as this, we traditionally mark this day with moments of prayer, such as at Matins, the stations of the Cross and Walks of Witness. This year the young people of the parish will lead us in a walk of witness in the city centre at 1.00pm.

ON HOLY SATURDAY we remember that Jesus truly died and laid in the tomb. It is a sombre day and the celebration of Matins is a moving liturgy commemorating the emptiness of this day. No sacraments are to be celebrated usually on this day (apart from in danger of death). For this reason, there are no confessions at St Michael’s on Saturday morning.

ON HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT after the sun has set, we gather at St Michael’s at 8.30pm to celebrate the Solemn Easter Vigil. At this service listen to how God prepared the people of Israel through the Old Testament for the coming of the Saviour. We then celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and we renew our baptismal promises. Those adults who have been preparing for baptism are then baptised and confirmed and receive the Eucharist for the first time. At the end of Mass, the Paschal Candles for each of our churches are lit and we process outside where there will be Fireworks to celebrate the Resurrection.

The full Bulletin with times of Masses and Services can be downloaded from the Home Page.

The ​University of Wolverhampton and City of Wolverhampton Council want to better understand how Covid-19 has impacted the lives of people living, working and studying in Wolverhampton and how this has affected the mental health and wellbeing of different communities within the City. This short survey will ask about, your wellbeing, how aspects of the pandemic have affected your wellbeing. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. We would like people aged 16+ who live, work and/or study in Wolverhampton to complete the survey. There is a prize draw for £150 first prize and two runner up prizes of £50 at the end that people can choose to opt into once they have completed the survey. More information is available when you click on the link to the survey. To access the survey click the hashtag: #WolvesWellbeingandMe. You can watch a video telling you more about this work here: Empowering Communities Project - #WolvesWellbeingandMe
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This week's bulletin is now ready to download off the Home Page.

This Friday is the Feast of the Annunciation and Pope Francis has asked us to set aside times of Adoration between Midday on Friday and Midday on Saturday as a global act of conversion to the Lord. He also will be consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart to Mary to claim all hearts there for peace. In our parish we are setting aside two 3 hour periods of Adoration: 3 hours at SS Peter & Paul on Friday afternoon and 3 hours at St Michael’s on Saturday Morning. (We are including the hour of Adoration on Thursday at St Bernadette’s in this intention.) There will be sign up sheets in St Michael’s and SS Peter & Paul this weekend so that there will be continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Please consider offering half an hour of prayer for peace during this extended vigil. 
For the rest of this week's news, please download the bulletin from the Home Page.

Fr Mark visited the Ukrainian Catholic Church last Sunday 6th March to express our solidarity and prayers for peace. For more information about fundraising activities in the parish, check out the latest edition of our bulletin which is ready to download from the home page. 

On Sunday 6th of March, St Michael's Church hosted the Rite of Election for those preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter. Catechumens from local parishes were able to meet Bishop Stephen Wright during the service. The contingent from Blessed Carlo Acutis can be seen above!

GREAT FIGURES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH Every Monday Lunchtime why not come and join us in an Ecumenical Lenten journey looking at significant followers of Christ through the centuries. We meet in St Peter’s Collegiate Church for Soup and rolls at 12.00 noon and then there is a short talk at 12.30pm followed by Q&A and its all finished by 1.00pm. It’s a chance to see the beauty of Wolverhampton’s oldest Church and meet with fellow Christians from across the city. Both Fr Mark and Fr Sean will be giving talks in the series. 

The Synodal Pathway Report that was fed back to the diocese is now available on our website.
Click here to read the full report : Synod 2021-23

The bulletin is now ready to download from the home page.

The bishops of England and Wales have issued a new set of guidelines for Lent and Easter. The good news is that things are more or less back to normal, with certain simple measures still in place. It does mean we are able to return to a full celebration of the Easter Triduum.  Click here to download the full statement.

You may not be aware, but we have a Ukrainian Catholic Church here in Wolverhampton where there is Mass once a fortnight. Opposite the church is the Ukrainian Centre at 35 Merridale Street West. They are collecting Medical Equipment (but no medicines) and clothing to support those who are suffering. If you are able to help out with any medical equipment or clothing, please ring Andrew Duda on 07801 950588 and he will be able to arrange to meet you at the centre. 

Following President Putin’s decision to recognise the independence of the self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, Russian troops launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Church leaders and organisations have issued various statements in response to the crisis throughout the week. A compilation of these, alongside a selection of relevant news articles, can be found here.

 For those who wish to make a financial contribution to help the people of Ukraine, please consider giving to the Caritas or Aid to the Church in Need appeals.

This week's bulletin is now available to download from the Home Page.

The image used in this article was uploaded to Wikipedia by Arikkel under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 Licence.

Sadly someone is sending out email pretending to be Monsignor Mark Crisp. The email even has his photo attached. 
If you receive an email from onlinechristparish@gmail.com please do not reply to it and report it immediately.
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Remember, only deal with an Email coming from the parish if it finishes with rcaob.org.uk

Please be aware the 01902 341343 is out of action at the moment. Please ring 01902 423005 instead. Many thanks.

The First of our Blessed Carlo Intercession Masses will take place at St Michael’s on February 28th, the second will be at SS Peter & Paul’s on April 1st and the third will be at St Bernadette’s on May 11th. ​There will soon be a collection box in each church next to his image, ​so that you can leave your prayer intentions.
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These boxes will be emptied each month and the intentions from all three churches will be placed on the altar at this special Mass with the relic of Blessed Carlo.
​The bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page.

For those who are still cautious about meeting in person, there is an extra Synodal Path Meeting this Friday 4th February by Zoom. 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81262378366?pwd=eFByVlBCOHUrK3hEYU0yeHl3M3BoZz09
Meeting ID: 812 6237 8366
Passcode: 191832

The codes were omitted on the paper copy of the bulletin. So please notify your friends that the codes are now here on the website and indeed on the updated online bulletin.

​The Bishops’ Conference has released new COVID guidance for churches in England and Wales. Noting that the main form of virus transmission is “via personal oral or nasal aerosol”, the guidance recognises that people may choose to continue wearing a face covering. However, there will be no requirement for formal social distancing in church buildings. Holy water stoups may also be refilled. To see all the changes, click here. 

Specific guidance for each church in our parish can be found here:
St Bernadette, St Michael, SS Peter & Paul.
The Bulletin is now ready to download from the home page.

The first of our meetings take place today (Saturday) at 3.00pm in each of our three churches. The second set of meetings will be on Saturday 5th February.  Please note that the third meeting has been moved forward to February 19th so that we can collate our comments and feedback to the diocese by the end of February.

The bulletin is now ready to download from the home page. If you are unable to attend any of the meetings, we may be having a zoom meeting in February. You can also give feedback on our new page by clicking on the SYNOD 2021-23 page.

If you are coming to SS Peter & Paul for Mass at the moment, you will discover even more road works and extra traffic lights. So please leave more time than usual in order to get there.
​Also ignore the sign that says "Road Closed" because it isn't!!

The bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page.

As we continue to celebrate the Most Holy Season of Christmas, we now begin the new year of 2022. We are still surrounded by much uncertainty, but the truth we celebrate at Christmas assures us to always look forward to the future with faith, hope and charity. The first reading from the Mass for New Year's Day, the Solemnity of the Mother of God gives us the wonderful ancient blessing of Moses:

May the Lord bless you and keep you. 
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. 
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

The bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page. Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a very happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas! Fortunately, because there have been no more new restrictions, our Masses for Christmas will be going ahead as normal. The bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page. Please do be careful and remember to always sanitize your hands and wear a face mask in church and if you have not received your booster jab yet, book it now. May the simple joy of Blessed Carlo be with you in your homes and families so that whatever difficulties you are facing, you may be able to celebrate the wonder of this extraordinary feast of the Incarnation: The Word of God is made flesh in the child of Bethlehem. Emmanuel! God is with us! 

In the gospel today we see Elizabeth and Mary sharing their joy at the coming birth of their sons. Once again this year, we face a great deal of uncertainty about our Christmas celebrations next weekend. Elizabeth and Mary had no less uncertainty in their lives but they kept focused on God's promises and they were filled with joy! Let us ask of their prayers that we too might keep our focus on the heart of the celebration ahead: Emmanuel, God is with us!

The bulletin is now ready to download, but please check this page everyday in case there needs to be any change in our Christmas plans. God Bless and Stay Safe! Fr Mark

An odd mixture of Latin and Italian for today's title. This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday because Gaudete is the first word of the entrance antiphon in Latin, meaning Rejoice! We rejoice this Sunday because we are half way through Advent and Christmas is getting very near. Bambinelli is the Italian word for figures of the infant Jesus in the crib. This weekend don't forget to bring your Bambinello from your crib to church to be blessed at the end of Mass. Also if you children have made one at school or at home, invite them to bring it to church to be blessed. In this way we ask the Holy Spirit to come into our homes to prepare us to celebrate this Christmas with real joy. Gaudete!

The bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page.

The Cathsoc and Young Adults Group met in Giffard House last night to celebrate the Advent Feast. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate again one of the key moments in the Cathsoc calendar! Remember the Advent Feast is really easy to do at home and is available to download from the Online Mass & Activities page of the website.