Parish General Info

OUR LADY OF LOURDES & SWITHUN’S LAUNCH OUR NEW WEBSITE FACEBOOK & TWITTER PRESENCE

WELCOME TO THE DIGITAL AGE !

WWW.STSWITHUNS.ORG.UK

With a huge joy – during this weekend of Parish Retreat, of St Swithun’s Day and our Spiritual Renewal – I would like to announce, that we have a fantastic, very special PARISH WEBSITE – We are all very welcome to visit: www.stswithuns.org.uk It is the effect of a hard work, dedication and generosity of the people, whose name I would like to introduce to You in the next Newsletter.

HELP US SHARE THE GOOD NEWS – LIKE and SHARE OUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGE –www.facebook.com/stswithuns.org.uk/

HELP US SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS – SIGN UP AND FOLLOW FATHER MARCIN ON TWITTER @FRMARCIND

Our Parish Locations

Come and join our friendly congregation who come together in our two Parish churches, Our Lady of Lourdes and St Swithun’s, to worship God and listen to God’s word.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church


Telephone: 023 9282 8305	Bransbury Rd, Portsmouth, Hampshire. PO4 9JY

Daily Services Calendar >

St Swithun’s Church


Telephone: 023 9282 8305	Waverley Road, Southsea, Hampshire. PO5 2PL

Daily Services Calendar >

You can contact us or send us a message

Address: 105 Waverley Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire. PO5 2PL
Telephone: 023 9282 8305

A warm welcome to our Parish

Welcome to Our Lady of Lourdes & St Swithun Parish.

We are a vibrant community and come together to worship our Lord Jesus Christ in our two churches of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Swithun’s here in Southsea.

We are part of the Diocese of Portsmouth with our Bishop Philip Egan. We are a very friendly group of people who come together in our two Parish churches to worship God and listen to God’s word. We are an active community that is served by Father Marcin Drabik and a great parish council and many other people in our Parish.

We are linked with our Roman Catholic Primary School, St Swithun’s and have a number of Religious communities affiliated to us too.

You will find a large, mixed and varied congregation who participate in all sorts of parish activities and functions. We have many different groups and we even run a Parish Film club.

We invite you to come and share in our beautiful worship of God through our various services and ministries. We ask that you have a look at our website, where hopefully you will find something of interest that sparks your thoughts further about our Lord.

If you have a special intention or want a prayer sent then please feel free to ask us. You can do this by adding your request in the form below.

With Best wishes and God’s Blessing Fr Marcin

Beacon

Request a prayer…

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in our Parish

Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament:

We welcome you to our Parish. Here is a list of our general list of Benediction and Adoration Services for the Parish. However use our Daily Services Calendar to get an actual view of the Services for that day.

View our Daily Services calendar for upcoming dates >

Please try and take the opportunity this week to spend some time quietly in the company of the Real presence of Our Lord.

Normal Times during the week that we have Mass at St Swithuns (Check calendar for actual dates)

Mondays at 9:30am
Tuesdays at 9:30am
Wednesdays at 9:30am
Thursdays at 9:30am
Fridays at 9:30am
Saturdays at 9:30am

Beacon

Request a prayer…

Confession and Reconciliation in our Parish

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

We welcome you to our Parish. If you would like to go to Confession then you can find the general times below in our Parish churches. However use our Daily Services Calendar to get an actual view of the Services for that day.

Confession is heard at the front of the Church in the sacristy either privately or face to face.
Confession is also available on request if at all possible.
If you want to find out more about the Sacrament of Reconciliation then please feel free to visit out webpage on Reconciliation

View our Daily Services calendar for upcoming dates >

Confession at St Swithuns

(Check calendar for actual dates)
Mondays at 9.30am to 9.55am
Tuesdays at 9.30am to 9.55am and 6:30pm to 6:55pm
Wednesdays at 9.30am to 9.55am
Thursdays at 9.30am to 9.55am
Fridays at 9.30am to 9.55am and 6:30pm to 6:55pm
Saturdays at 9.30am to 9.55am
Sundays at 8.00am to 8.25am and 5:30pm to 5:55pm

Confession at Our Lady of Lourdes

(Check calendar for actual dates)
Saturdays at 5:30pm to 5:55pm

Beacon

Request a prayer…

DAILY MEDITATION:A Life of Service 26 April 2018Thursday of the Fourth Week of EasterJohn 13:16-20When Jesus had washed the disciples' feet, he said to them: "Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the scripture might be fulfilled, The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are God. I believe that you became man, suffered, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. I believe that you sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us along our earthly journey towards your heavenly Kingdom. Thank you for your infinite, unconditional love. Thank you for showing me the way. I place all my trust in you and yearn to love you more each day.Petition: Lord Jesus, make me prefer to serve rather than be served.1. The Teacher: The disciples called Jesus “Master” during his lifetime. Many others did too –– and rightfully so –– because Jesus is the Master. The third time St. Peter saw the Lord after the Resurrection, he confessed: “Lord, you know everything” (John 21:17). And even if it meant accepting difficult growth lessons in life, St. Peter was able to accept humbly that Christ truly was Master, that he does know all. In contemplating Christ, we must try to remember who it is who is speaking, acting, working miracles, suffering, working and instructing. It is God, the Master of all: a man like us, yes, but also God, holding the keys to all things.2. The Disciple: The master became a slave. God served men. We can only bow in humble adoration knowing that our all-powerful God came to earth to serve us. Time and time again Christ gives his disciples an example of their mission: to serve others. Love God by serving others; live like Jesus by humbly submitting to God’s will. This is the essence of Christianity: to live a life of humble service with all people, especially with those we find it most difficult to serve. One word captures it: charity.3. The Blessing: Christ invites us to serve. Being a servant to others is not easy, because it means we have to be humble. It was not easy for Christ either, but he had a motivation: to love and save us. Serving is a blessing –– even in those situations when our passions flare up, and we would like to justify ourselves –– because we can love. Love transforms our world; it transforms hearts and allows the grace of God to touch the depths of the soul. If we have the love for souls as our motivation to serve, every opportunity we have to live as servants becomes a blessing, a blessing to live like the Master who came to serve and not be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me this day to imitate you as a humble servant of all. Inflame my heart with a great zeal for souls so that in every moment I may desire to bring your love to others.Resolution: I will do a concrete act of charity today for someone in need.#dailymeditations www.stswithuns.org.uk/event/dr-26042018 ... See MoreSee Less

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His Holiness Pope Francis endorses Rosary on the Coast of the British Isles | rosaryonthecoast

rosaryonthecoast.co.uk

23 hours ago

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Papal Blessing: His Holiness Pope Francis presents His greetings to all those persons participating in the Rosary on the Coast for Faith, Life and Peace in Scotland, England and Wales, due to take place on Sunday 29th April 2018, assuring them of His spiritual closeness to them in their prayers. Pope Francis, recalling the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, reminds us that the liberating message of the Gospel of Life has been placed in our hands. Invoking the intercession of the Blessed Mother, the Holy Father prays that those who believe in her Son may feel the urgency of making that Gospel known to our world by their words and by their lives. His Holiness imparts to all those who participate in the Rosary on the Coast his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of abundant graces from heaven while placing them under the protection of Our Blessed Lady, Mary, Mother of the Church.Rosary on the Coast of the British IslesFor Life, Faith and Peace Sunday 29 April 2018Programme:2.00-2.30pm Gather at Rosary on the Coast location - Before the entrance of SOUTHSEA CASTLE (nearby the fountain) 2.45pm Invocation of the Holy Spirit Prayers of Protection 2.50pm Act of Contrition Scripture Readings 3.00pm Glorious Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary 3.30pm Litany of Our Lady 3.40pm Prayer invoking St. Joseph 3.50pm Litany invoking Saints of the British Isles ... See MoreSee Less

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DAILY MEDITATION:Wednesday of the 5th Week of EasterFeast of St. Mark, EvangelistApril 25, 2018Today's Saint Quote: Saint Pedro BetancourtAt a sick man's side, you can pray as much as you want, and God will hear you as well as in Church.Today’s Prayer:Beloved Jesus: I want to be the disciple who believes in You, does good works thanks to You and bears fruit that testifies of Your glorious presence among us. Amen.Today's Readings:1 Peter 5:5b-14Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17Mark 16:15-20Going into the whole world with the Good NewsMark 16:15-20 contains the reason for the name "Good News Ministries." Jesus said: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News." In 1995, when my husband Ralph and I were commissioned to start this Catholic evangelization ministry in our local diocese, we had no idea we would be reaching out to "the whole world".The Feast of St. Mark is a good opportunity to share some of our experiences in ministry with you, to inspire you in whatever the Holy Spirit is calling you to do for spreading the Gospel of salvation.Over the years, beginning early on, there have been temptations and attacks to stall or stop the ministries. The first reading shows why I have always felt an urgency to keep this ministry and these daily reflections going despite every hardship. Everywhere, people are suffering and struggling in daily battles against Satan and trials and other sufferings. I want to be God's proclaimer of the Good News about victory over evil, healing from our wounds, encouragement in holiness, and restoration from weariness.By turning to the Holy Spirit for help, we've grown stronger in faith and persistence.In every trial, God has restored us, confirmed us, and used the hardships to make us more compassionate, more humble, and more able to do his work well. When one ministry door gets slammed shut in our faces, God opens a new door and blesses us as we walk into unexpected opportunities. This is how our Internet ministry has grown so huge. We've been sharing the Good News in many ways that we had not foreseen or imagined.Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, trying to interfere, especially when God is about to do something important and life-changing. Christians in ministry are tempted most when the devil wants us to stop what we're doing. If you're being harassed by unusual problems that keep popping up, praise the Lord! God is about to take you to the next level of service and growth.If you're suffering and are willing to turn it into a ministry for others who are likewise suffering, praise God like in Psalm 89! You are already victorious; you will be a powerful and effective instrument for God's kingdom.#dailymeditations www.stswithuns.org.uk/event/dr-25042018 ... See MoreSee Less

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DAILY MEDITATION:Tuesday of the 4th Week of EasterApril 24, 2018Today's Saint Quote: Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier:If you always love one another, if you always uphold one another, you will be capable of...Today’s Prayer:Lord, may I always recognize You and discover You in every sign You give me all the days of my life. Thank You for opening my spiritual ears to Your voice. Amen.Today's Readings:Acts 11:19-26Ps 87:1b-7 (with Ps 117:1a)John 10:22-30The sound of the Shepherd's voiceIn today's Gospel reading, there's a distinct difference between those who are the sheep of Christ and those who are not. By nature, we all want to follow the Good Shepherd. We were created in the image of God, and we instinctively want to be with the one whom we're most like. More than that, everyone wants a savior who will love them no matter what and who will rescue them from evil when no one else can. But many don't recognize his voice."If you are the Christ, tell us plainly," these people say.Jesus answers, "I told you and you do not believe."Why don't they believe? Well, why don't we always believe? Our sins are evidence that sometimes we don't really believe that we should follow Jesus. If we always recognized his voice -- and the love behind everything he says, teaches, and commands -- we'd always follow him and never stray into sin. But when we don't understand what Jesus tells us, we doubt it's really him. When we don't like a moral teaching of the Church, we doubt it's really Jesus speaking through the Church Magisterium. And then we listen to false shepherds who give us the words we want to hear, and we follow them.However, we are the sheep of God's flock. We do know how to recognize the voice of Jesus. We know he is the Good Shepherd and we do want to follow him.The problem is: We all have imperfect voice-recognition programs running in our ears. Unconsciously, we've been affected by the way humans have modeled (or rather, failed to model) Christ among us. No human person is perfect except Jesus; therefore, every person we've known has imperfectly loved us, imperfectly forgiven us, imperfectly shepherded us -- and we project onto God what we've experienced from others.The Jesus we think we know is very limited. Has a friend ever let you down? The result is that you probably see (unconsciously) Jesus as a shepherd who can mislead you. Did you grow up in a home where a parent was abusive or short-tempered or too quick to punish? Were you ever treated unfairly by a teacher or priest or policeman or other authority figure? To the extent that these representatives of God failed to convey to you what God is really like, that's the extent to which you believe in a god who is not God.To discern the difference between false shepherds and the true Shepherd, we need to spend time consciously separating the imperfect image from the Divine Image.#dailymeditations www.stswithuns.org.uk/event/dr-24042018 ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

WELCOME TO THE DIGITAL AGE !

WWW.STSWITHUNS.ORG.UK

HELP US SHARE THE GOOD NEWS – LIKE and SHARE OUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGE –www.facebook.com/stswithuns.org.uk/

HELP US SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS – SIGN UP AND FOLLOW FATHER MARCIN ON TWITTER @FRMARCIND

Our Lady of Lourdes Church

St Swithun’s Church

Daily Services Calendar >

You can contact us or send us a message

Welcome to Our Lady of Lourdes & St Swithun Parish.

Confession at St Swithuns

Confession at Our Lady of Lourdes

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