Parish Newsletters
6th Sunday of Easter Year (A)
10 May 2026
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
From the Society of St Gregory.
In the Gospel for this weekend Jesus speaks to his disciples, but he also speaks to us who celebrate the Eucharist. Therefore, addressing his entire Church, he announces in his farewell discourse that he will send us the Paraclete and that he himself will return at the end of time. This is the message the Church passes on to us today. It also prepares us for the Ascension and the culmination of Easter and Pentecost.
5th Sunday of Easter Year (A)
2 May 2026
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
Nicholas Hutchinson - Praying Each Day of the Year.
Jack Trainor from Liverpool was called up to be a soldier during the First World War. He was injured in the head by a piece of shrapnel which damaged part of his brain, causing him to start to have epileptic fits. He was posted to the battle area of Gallipoli in the Middle East where in May 1915 he was seriously wounded by three bullets from a Turkish machine gun. Because of his injuries he was given a full pension and was discharged from the army in 1917.
4th Sunday of Easter Year (A)
25 April 2026
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
From the Source Book for Sundays and Seasons
Commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday”, the Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season draws its Gospel from the Tenth Chapter of the Gospel of St John each year.
In that chapter Jesus develops the image of the shepherd. Today, naturally, is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
3rd Sunday of Easter Year (A)
18 April 2026
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
From the Source Book for Sundays and Seasons
Today’s Gospel, the story of the road to Emmaus, is a beloved account of the appearance of Jesus after the Resurrection. In fact, Luke says the experience took place on the evening of the Resurrection. That is why this Gospel may also be used at Mass in the evening of Easter Sunday.
The Parish of Haigh, Aspull & Blackrod
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was founded in the mid 1850's and is part of the R.C. Diocese of Salford. The Church was blessed and opened in 1858, the year of the apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes. The Church was re-ordered in the 1990's and several new stained-glass windows were installed, some made in Blackrod, and are an interesting feature of the Church.
Holy Family Parish, New Springs, was funded from Our Lady's in 1898 and in 2009 clebrated the Golden Jubilee of its Church. The community of Blackrod, Bolton, had a chapel-of-ease from 1960 to 2009 when St. Andrews Church Hall was closed.
All three areas - Haigh & Aspull, Blackrod and New Springs are now served from Our Lady's.
Rev Kevin Foulkes
48 Haigh Road
Aspull
Wigan WN2 1YA
TEL: 01942 516732
Mass Times
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
6.00pm
9.30am
11.15am
9.15am
9.15am
9.15am
9.15am
9.15am
11.00am
Haigh
Haigh
Holy Family
Haigh
Holy Family
Haigh
Holy Family
Haigh
Haigh
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday
11:30 - 12 noon
As announced
Haigh
Holy Family
A Parish History ~ 1858-2018
Mr Livesey & Mr West have worked with local parishioners to produce a book about the history of our parish and school, they have kindly allowed us to reproduce an electronic version of their book, available on the Parish Page, CLICK HERE to read it.
If you would like to purchase a hard copy of the book CLICK HERE
Forward...
It is a privilege and honour to write the forward to the Parish History of Our Lady’s Parish, on its 160th Anniversary.
It has also been a privilege and honour, and a pleasure, to serve as Our Lady’s Parish Priest since 1997 – following in the footsteps of my twenty-six predecessors.
Saint Peter writes ‘He is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house.’ (Peter 2:3-5)
We are the living stones of this Christian community – commissioned as ‘missionary disciples’ to be Christ’s ‘ambassadors’ (St. Paul Cor. 5:20) in loving witness, worship and service to our community.
There have been many changes over these 160 years – in the Church, Society, Education and the design of Our Lady’s Church. The priests and people of Our Lady’s Parish have experienced many joyful family and Parish celebrations but also wars, peace, poverty and economic depressions, through twelve Pontificates and six Reigns – and we too are facing a challenging time for the Catholic Church. Blessed John Henry, Cardinal Newman wrote that ‘To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often’.
And so, building on and celebrating our heritage – the stones of Our Lady’s Church, and the ‘living stones’ of our dedicated, faithful and often courageous priests, parishioners and teachers in our Parish School we can face the future with confidence. We do so knowing that Jesus, Our Risen Lord, has promised to be with his Church forever. (Matthew 28:20)
I commend this publication to be read and enjoyed by everyone.
Many thanks to Phil Livesey and Neil West for their initiative to begin and to bring this book to completion and to all who have collaborated with them, with their own very interesting and often amusing memories! God bless you all.
Fr Kevin C. Foulkes