Welcome to our parish website. All newsletters and other updates are posted on the home page. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @stwilfholycross. We are beginning the amalgamation process with Holy Cross, Whitwick so you can find information on new Mass times here.

28 March 2015

Newsletter for Holy Week (B)

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Choco-Proseco Feast after our Easter Vigil

After our 8.30pm Easter Vigil Mass, on Saturday 4th April, we will be having a shared table of chocolate related food and a glass of sparkly so if you’d like to bring a plate of something, it would be most welcome. We’d especially welcome international dishes e.g. from the Philippines, India, Poland, Nigeria & your country. See Sue if you’d like to volunteer.

If you're stuck for an idea as to what chocolate creation to bring, click on the image below to download some suggestions from our 'Christ & The Chocolaterie' Lent Course book...


Have a Blessed Holy Week & Happy Easter to those who Study, Teach & Work in our Schools

St Clare's concluded their term with a fantastic cake competition. One winner was Stelios in Year 6 with this fabulous entry...


Flash Mob Raises £400 for Comic Relief


As part of the Rock Choir flash mob at Fosse Park, if you look carefully in the clip below you should spot Mary and Kate in the ground floor shots on the left of the screen. Francis, Pansy and Alan are on the balcony watching. The two flash mobs raised £400 in a bucket collection for Comic Relief... well done folks! 


21 March 2015

Earth Hour

Earth Hour takes place on the 28th March 2015 from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. Click on the image below to find out more...


Neighbourhood Prayer Network

Rebekah Brettle, National Director of the Neighbourhood Prayer Network, will be visiting Markfield.  She will be coming to speak at a meeting at the Methodist Church on Saturday 2nd May at 2pm.  She will be sharing about NPN, which is a nationwide initiative to get Christians praying for their streets. Quite a number of folk from the various Markfield churches are already signed up. In case you haven’t yet visited the website, the NPN website is: http://www.neighbourhoodprayer.net/

Newsletter 5th Sunday of Lent (B)

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Prayer for a Bishop


The General Election 2015 - Bishops Letter

Click on the image below to download the Bishops Letter...


Our parish has two sitting Conservative MP's - Andrew Bridgen MP for North West Leicestershire & David Tedinnick MP for Bosworth. Click on the image below to find the contact details of your local MP...

You can then do similar searches to find out who your other candidates will be by searching for example; 'Labour Candidates' or 'Liberal Democrat Candidates' etc. in a Google search engine and then searching via your postcode. When you email, write or give them a call (and you're in the NW Leicestershire area) tell them that you're very much looking forward to seeing them at the Hustings at Christ Church in Coalville, led by Coalville Churches Together, in April - a little encouragement to attend won't do them any harm. 


Healing Service at Greenhill Community Church


Celebrating St Teresa of Avila


Quiet Gardens in Leicestershire




Divine Mercy Sunday


Medjugorje Pilgrimage


Via Lucis - Event for Young People


13 March 2015

Newsletter - Laetare Sunday (Lent Week 4 Year B)

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Hannah's Skydive Jump for Breakthrough Breast Cancer

My name is Hannah Walsh, I usually sit at the back of Church every Saturday evening. I am going to be carrying out a skydive in May to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer and this is why....

...because in October 2013 my mum found a lump!

In 3 months our world was completely flipped upside down, lots of doctors visits, hundreds of words, a million prayers and one very big operation. In January 2014 a few days before her birthday, my mum had a double mastectomy.

My mum is the strongest person I have ever met in my whole life and seeing her in those first few months post surgery were so difficult for me, my dad, my sister and my brother, but without the work that Breakthrough Breast Cancer carries out, my mum would not be here today.

So, to say thank you to them, I am jumping out of a plane. Please donate as much or as little as you can so that we can help bring an end to this hideous disease that effects so many women and men.

You can donate through visiting my JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/hanna-walsh/ OR by texting HSKY70 £5 to 70070.



Student Cross - Holy Week Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham


A Holy Week Retreat On Feet! Student Cross – The Walking Retreat to Walsingham from Friday 27th March to Easter Sunday 5th April 2015. If you’d like to know more check out www.studentcross.org.uk or speak to Fr David who did this for eight years and had an absolutely BRILLIANT experience.

Rosmini Centre Lenten Retreat




Saturday 21st March 10.30/11.00 - 4.00pm Guide - Fr. Pierluigi Giroli a Rosminian priest, who was born in Milan. He has a doctorate in theology. For several years he was the Rector and Parish Priest of the Basilica of San Giovanni at Porta Latin, Rome. Currently he is the Rector of Sacro Monte Calvario, Domodosola, the Mother House of the Rosminians. He has published books and articles on Rosminian Spirituality. Lunch and coffee/tea provided. Suggested donation £15. Please phone 01509 813078, or email rosminicentreinfo@gmail.com.

Good News for Poor People and Rich People: Gloomy Outlook for Pharisees

You Pharisees are in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your gardens, such as mint and rue. But you cheat people, and you don’t love God. You should be fair and kind to others and still give a tenth to God. Luke 11:42

What are Credit Unions?
· Mutual membership organisations, members linked by something in common- usually a place of work or where they live and work (paid and unpaid).

What do they do?
· Offer savings facilities for their members
· Work for the benefit of members, not shareholders
· Offer mainly small and affordable loans to members
· They may offer members a dividend (interest) on savings
Are they secure?
· They are regulated as any other financial organisation

So what has that got to do with being fair and kind? Credit Unions are mutual local organisations. The partnership working across Derbyshire to tackle Financial Exclusion identified Credit Unions as being part of the solution. People who can’t access affordable credit or basic banking services can be excluded in many different ways Christians have a duty to resist joining in blaming them as individuals but to struggle with them towards a mutual solution. For most Christian people hearing a story changes our attitudes.

‘Poverty is depression, hopelessness…shame, humiliation…[it] erodes the human spirit. ..

This sense of shame is mirrored by an attitude that blames individuals most likely to be in poverty for causing poverty.’[i]

Many people are finding saving money difficult (26% adults run out of money before the end of the month[ii]). Unexpected financial difficulty can arise from high interest or illegal loans but also events such as bereavement, divorce or redundancy. Credit Unions can help people when they are in need. Individuals and organisations who become members and save money allow Credit Unions to make loans to members. Through making loans Credit Unions generate income (capped at 3% a month). 

Maybe you feel some sense of injustice over recent history of investment banking or the practices of banks who are free to customers but charge the poorest who get overdrawn or miss a repayment deadline. Credit Unions offer an alternative with upfront membership cost. Recognising this, St Peters Church, Belper has joined one of the local credit unions depositing money[iii]. A parishioner in South Derbyshire has supported practically by offering relevant skills on the Management Group[iv]

If the argument for social justice hasn’t satisfied you, what about what is in it for you? Joining a Credit Union is a simple way to give and therefore improve your wellbeing, ([v]). Research tells us that almost all social problems which impact everybody in a negative way have a relationship with inequality: by decreasing inequality, they decline.

‘The steeper the social gradient a problem has within a society, the more strongly it will be related to inequality’. [vi]

As we engage in our communities we can blame or we can be practical. I suggest supporting the local Credit Union is one practical way in which we can all become richer and fairer.

‘We must help credit unions to become bigger, better known and easier to access if we want them to compete with high interest lenders.’ 

Archbishop Justin

Stella Collishaw, Community Action Officer

For more information please see http://www.derby.anglican.org/en/
our-mission.html
and click on the tab ‘Credit Unions’ or go to the home page and type ‘credit union’ into the search facility. 

This article is published by Faith In Action, Derby Diocesan Mission and Ministry Team. If you would like to receive this publication by email please contact us at faithinaction@derby.anglican.org or 01332 388684.




[i] What citizens say about poverty in Greater Manchester- an update Nov 2014.
[ii] http://www.toyourcredit.org.uk/why-the-church
[vi] The Spirit Level. Why equality is better for everyone. Wilson,R and Pickett,K 2010