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.

Holy Communion under Both Kinds.  Before COVID, there was the custom here at Sacred Heart for people to have the opportunity at Mass to receive the Precious Blood from the Chalice as well as the Body of the Lord at Holy Communion.  Last week we reintroduced this as an experiment.  One person (the priest) gives out the Body of Christ at the front of the church in the centre, and two Eucharistic Ministers, one each side of the priest administer the Chalice.  If you wish to receive from the Chalice after you have received the Host, move to one of the Eucharistic Ministers.  He or she will offer the Chalice to you with the words, “The Blood of Christ”.  You reply, “Amen”, take the Chalice and carefully take a sip.  Then give the Chalice back to the Minister and return to your place in the church.

Sea Sunday.  Today is Sea Sunday, when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea.  There is a second collection at Mass for Stella Maris, the official maritime welfare agency of the Catholic Church in Great Britain. 

Sacred Heart Parish Day. A big THANK YOU to the many people, wonderfully directed by Jacqui, who gave their time and energy to our Parish Day yesterday.

Vocations to the Priesthood.  Each Deanery in the Archdiocese is given a month to pray especially intensely for Vocations to the Priesthood.  JULY IS OUR MONTH.  Please make it your special intention. 

Diocesan Prayer for Vocations. Heavenly Father, we ask you to send labourers into your harvest.  Inspire, in the hearts of your people, vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life.  Bless our families with a spirit of generosity, so that those whom you call have the courage to give themselves to your Church in faith.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Parish Forum Meeting.  This afternoon, Sunday, 12^th July, 4.30 pm, in the parish hall.  All invited and welcome.

A Message from the Bishops’ Conference. Act Now: Contact your MP. A Private Members’ Bill on assisted suicide – so-called assisted dying – has been reintroduced to the House of Commons. ….  Our clear principled objection to this Bill remains and we renew our call for Catholics and people of goodwill to unite in prayer and compassionate action. Archbishop Richard Moth, president of the Bishops’ Conference, explains our opposition to this legislation:

“The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which aims to legalise assisted suicide has returned to the House of Commons, and Members of Parliament will vote on its Second Reading on 11^th September. This bill is wrong in principle. It is also deeply flawed and, if passed, could lead to vulnerable people feeling pressured into ending their lives.  I urge you to write to your Members of Parliament to petition them to vote against the Bill at Second Reading.”

Our schools reach the end of the academic year this Friday. We keep all the staff and pupils in our prayers, and we thank them for all their hard work and dedication over the last year. We pray also for those pupils and staff who are starting new chapters of their lives in September.

Tailpiece: A priest told his congregation that the church needed money, and he asked them to be generous. As an incentive he said that whoever gave the most money would be able to choose three hymns. After the offertory plates were passed around, the priest glanced down and noticed that someone had put in a wad containing at least £1,000. He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with the congregation and said he’d like to thank the person personally who had donated such a large amount. A very quiet, elderly, saintly lady in the back of the church shyly raised her hand. The priest asked her to come to the front, so she slowly made her way towards him. The priest thanked her, and asked her to pick her three favourite hymns. Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation. She pointed to the three most handsome men in the church and said, “I’ll take him and him and him.”

May God bless you and all those whom you love.

Fr. Harry

For more details please see the Newsletter for the week.