Welcome to the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church Oxford

Sacred Heart Church in Blackbird Leys, Oxford is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. We hope that you will find our website useful and enjoy searching through the various aspects of life in the parish. Here you will be able to check our weekly newsletter, news and forthcoming parish events, read about how to go about with Sacramental preparation and find out Mass times and other services.

Whatever your reason for visiting us, we pray that God will bless your search and grant you many blessings

Parish Priest : Fr. Harry Curtis

(Also serving Our Lady of Christians, Cowley, 01865 770910)

E-mail : fr.harry.curtis@rcaob.org.uk

Parish Secretary : Reena Bartrip

10:00 am – 1:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Telephone : 01865 455182

E-mail : sacredheart.oxford@rcaob.org.uk

This Parish operates in accordance with Statutory Safeguarding Guidance and the National and Archdioceses policies & procedures at all times. At present, our Parish Safeguarding Representative is Onyi Anyanwu. She can be contacted at: sg.sacredheart.oxford@rcaob.org.uk or alternatively the Diocesan Safeguarding team can be contacted on 0121 230 6240/ safeguarding@rcaob.org.uk if you have any concern. For more details, visit the page Safeguarding.

Peace Sunday. Next Sunday is a day of prayer for peace on earth, remembering the announcement of the angels at the birth of Christ, “peace to all people of goodwill”.

World Leprosy Day.  Each day 475 people are diagnosed with leprosy, more than 25 of these are children.  But it is curable!  Lepra works to help.  For over 100 years Lepra’s research has led to new approaches to healthcare programmes. Lepra seeks to provide better detection, treatment and support mechanisms, to advocate for those without a voice, to challenge prejudice wherever it exists, to strengthen local health systems and to help provide healthcare in partnership with local communities for a future free from the impact of leprosy.  The second collection at Mass today will go to support their work.

The Christmas Crib Offerings.  Today is the last opportunity if you wish to make an offering at the Crib.  All crib offerings will go to Friends of the Holy Land, which supports Christians in the Holy Land in order to maintain a Christian presence there. 

The Great Awakening – A Catholic Healing and Evangelisation Service. Saturday, 24^th January, 9.00-4.30, at Bethel Convention Centre, West Bromwich (B70 7JW). Awakening is a Catholic Evangelisation and Healing Convention organised by Anointing Fire Catholic Ministries UK.  This event is to rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit and renew our commitment to the mission of the Church.  The day includes Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, powerful preaching, praise, worship, and healing service.  Speakers include Bishop Timothy Menezes, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham.  For more details, please see the leaflets in the porch.  A coach will be going from Oxford (leaving 7.30 am).  If you would like to go, let John Thomas know.

Eucharistic Ministers.  There has been a request for us at Sacred Heart to re-introduce Communion under Both Kinds (i.e. the Precious Blood as well as the Body of Christ) by Easter.  That would be good, but to do that we shall need several more Ministers of Holy Communion.  If you feel that God is calling you to serve in this way, please come and see me.  I shall arrange a training day when we have a few people to train.

First Holy Communion Lessons. Parents, if your children are aged 8 or over they can receive their First Holy Communion next June.  Please complete one of the registration forms that you can find in the porch and return it to me.  Lessons will start at the end of February. 

Enquiries about the Catholic Faith will start again this week on Friday, 16^th January at 4.30 pm at Our Lady’s, in the Don Bosco Centre.  The subject is “The Sacraments”.

A Pilgrimage with St. John Henry Newman!  This Pilgrim Way is almost 40 miles long and follows St. John Henry’s spiritual path, from Evangelicalism, through High Anglicanism and finally to Catholicism. The way starts at Deddington where Newman gave his first public address in 1825, via Over Worton, where he preached his first sermon as an Anglican priest, through Oxford, and ends at Littlemore where, in 1845, he became a Catholic.  For more information about the route go to Newman Pilgrimage Walk | Birmingham

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th – 25th January.  This year the chosen theme is: One Body, One Spirit.  Please make sure that this intention is included in your daily prayers.

Tailpiece: People give all sorts of reasons why they don’t come to church, and I wondered if their reasoning might extend to other areas of life. ….. So, here are TEN REASONS WHY I NEVER WASH:

1. I was forced to wash as a child.

2. People who wash are hypocrites – they think they are cleaner than everybody else.

3. There are so many kinds of soap; I can’t decide which is best.

4. I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped.

5. I wash on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.

6. None of my friends wash.

7. I’ll start washing when I get older and dirtier.

8. I can’t spare the time.

9. The bathroom is never warm enough in winter or cool enough in summer.

10. People who make soap are only after your money. They don’t seem very good reasons for being dirty and smelly, do they?

May God bless you and all those who are dear to you. 

Fr. Harry

For more details please see the Newsletter for the week.