Holy Rood - Barnsley at George Street, Barnsley, EN S70 1AX GB - Home
Welcome to the Church of the Holy Rood
This is the website of the Catholic Parish of The Holy Rood (which means "Holy Cross",) in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. You will find here lots of pictures of parish events, an occasional item by the Parish Priest, Fr Terry Boyle, articles about church matters from the Vatican Information Service and Catholic World News as well as homilies on the Sunday readings and general information about the Parish. Enjoy your visit.
Parish Newsletters Now Available Online
For those of you who regularly visit our website, you will have noticed that the parish newsletters are now available online. They are in PDF format, which means you will need the Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to open them. If you do't have it, it is a free download from Adobe.com
To read the latest newsletter, just select the date of your choice in the column on the left.
Easter Sunday 2012
The 9.30 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday morning was a joyful celebration of the faithful as they gathered together to worship and give praise to the Risen Lord. Many thanks to Michael Galvin for taking such beautiful pictures through Lent and over Easter so the Parish and beyond can enjoy them. To see the pictures just click on the smaller image with this article...
Easter Flowers 2012
One of the reasons why Holy Rood Parish is so vibrant and successful is because of the incredible goodwill of countless people who give so much of their time and talents in different ways. One of these groups are our very own flower people who make the church look so beautiful especially for the big feats of the liturgical year such as Easter. A big thank you to all of them and to see pictures of the floral masterpieces just click on the smaller image accompanying this article!
Easter Vigil 2012
On Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead to show that he had power even over death. The word that describes this greatest miracle of all time is called the Resurrection. At the Easter Vigil Mass the Easter fire is kindled and used to light the Easter Candle. The light spreads from one candle to another just as our Faith is passed from one person to another. Congratulations to two new parishioners who came into the church during the Vigil. To see the pictures from this first Mass of Easter just click on the smaller image with this article...
Good Friday 2012
Good Friday when the faithful gather together to devoutly recall the death of Our Lord on the Cross. The day is called 'Good' because Jesus died to take away all our sins. He died so that we might have life and have it to the full. To see the pictures from the beautiful Good Friday Service which began at 3 o'clock just click on the smaller image with this article...
Washing Feet 2012
To see the pictures of parishioners having their feet washed on Maundy Thursday just click on the smaller image...
Holy Thursday 2012
Holy Thursday when Jesus shared a last supper with his disciples and left us the wonderful gift of the Eucharist ~ 'Do this in Memory of Me' . Jesus also left with with the great example of washing the feet of the disciples. This was a job of a servant but he did so to leave us with a perfect example that if we are Christians then we must serve others. After the meal psalms were sung and they went to a quiet place to pray ~ the garden of Gethsemane. But is was there that Jesus was betrayed by a kiss, arrested and taken to the High Priest and then to Pilate...click on teh smaller image to see the pictures.
Palm Sunday 2012
Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week and Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem was recalled by a procession from the hall into the church. To see the pictures from the 9.30 Mass just click on the smaller image...
Lent 2012 ~ Part Two
To see the pictures from the second, third, fourth and fifth Sundays in Lent just click on the smaller image!
Lent 2012
On the first Sunday of Lent we were delighted to welcome Bishop John to Holy Rood to concelebrate Holy Mass and to speak at both morning Masses. Children from Holy Rood School were involved at the start of Mass and explained symbols that were placed on our Lenten Cross. To see the pictures from the 9.30 Mass just click on the smaller image or link below...
Enrolment for First Holy Communion 2012
Sunday 15th January 2012 saw the enrolment of children from Holy Rood School begin their preparation for their first Holy Communion later in June this year. The children received their red sashes and were given a special prayer book to remember the occasion by. Please keep these children and their families in your prayers on this time of grace and journey of faith. To see a larger picture just click on the smaller image...
Christmas Flowers 2011
The church looked particularly beautiful for Christmas and this is thanks to the talent, hard work and dedication of our wonderful team of flower arrangers. Many thanks to all of them and to see the pictures just click on the smaller image or link below!
Thermometer reaches £50,000!
Two years ago the parish began the daunting task of trying to raise £50,000 to pay for the much needed restoration work on the altar and lady chapel. This was a huge amount of money at any time but in such difficult economic times filled with doom and gloom it was an even bigger ask still. However the people of Holy Rood are among the finest to be found and thanks to a huge effort by so many people this target has now been reached in just under two years ~ what an incredible achievement this is and really well done to everyone who has made this possible.
Numerous events have been arranged that had the added bonus of bringing people together socially as well as raising funds. Things like the Race Night, Valerienco concert and an evening with Gervase Phinn will live long in the memory. Monthly collections and very generous anonymous donations have helped us reach this seemingly impossible goal ~ it works out an around £500 a week coming in every week for 2 years. Thank you so much to everyone for their kindness, generosity, dedication and hard work.
Click on the smaller image to see some test cleaning for the next area of the church that urgently needs attention ~ but details of that will follow in 2012!
Carol Concert December 2011
The joint school and parish carol concert was a wonderful occasion. Very well done to the children for reading and singing so well and to everyone who supported the occasion and were richly rewarded by the beauty of the event. To see the excellent pictures taken by Michael Galvin just click on the smaller image or link below...
Advent 2011
Some pictures from Christ the King through to the season of Advent at Holy Rood Church. To see the images just click on the small teaser picture with this article and enjoy!
Christmas Fayre 2011
Many thanks to everyone who helped make our Christmas Fayre such a wonderful occasion that was enjoyed by young and not quite so young alike! Over £1,700 was raised for the church which is a wonderful amount in such challenging economic times. To see the pictures just click on the smaller teaser image and enjoy them!
An Evening with Gervase Phinn
The evening with Gervase Phinn at the church hall was simply unforgettable for those lucky enough to be there. Over 190 tickets had been sold and Gervase entertained us all brilliantly with a succession of stories, anecdotes and quips about his life and times as a school inspector. Lots of money raised for the Restoration Fund and and another wonderful social evening for the parish. well done to everybody who organised and supported the event.
Enrolment Sundays Autumn 2011
Congratulations to all the children were were recently enrolled for the sacraments of first confession and confirmation. They will now begin their preparation at home, school and in the parish through the children's liturgy. Enrolment for first holy communion will take place in January 2012. Please remember all these children and their families during this special time.
Confirmation 2011
The Sacrament of Confirmation was a moment of great blessing and joy for everyone at Holy Rood Church on 23rd June 2011 and a grace-filled experience in the lives of 25 young people that hopefully they will always remember. I am sure you will want to join in with Bishop John’s prayer that they will always be ‘Spirit-filled people’ and this will be evidenced in the way they live out their daily lives, allowing God’s Spirit to guide and mould them into truly ‘good’ people. Thanks to the many, many people at school, home and in the parish who helped in countless ways with the children’s preparation and on the night itself. To see the wonderful pictures from the night just click on the smaller image above!
First Holy Communion 2011
First Holy Communion Day 2011 was absolutely superb and such a special and memorable day in the lives of the children and their families. It was wonderful to see how well the children conducted themselves and how well they had been prepared to receive Our Blessed Lord for the very first time with such respect and reverence. Thank you to the magnificent staff at school who helped the children in their preparation, all of you at home and to those who made the church look so wonderful for this great celebration and to the choir for the music. It was a very moving occasion and God's blessings on the children and their families. To see the pictures taken by Michael Galvin just click on the smaller image...
After the Celebration ~ Now the Party!
After the celebration of the Jubilee Mass came the opportunity for everyone to get together in the church hall. A wonderful buffet had been laid out and the hall was beautifully decorated for the special occasion. Thanks to so many people who made a huge effort both before and also on the night itself. Can there be a better parish than Holy Rood where people give of their time and talents so freely ~ well done to everyone. Just click on the small picture to see Michael Galvin's great collection of photos!
Golden Jubilee Mass
"I was overwhelmed by the Golden Jubilee celebration. The church looked magnificent, the music was great and it was wonderful to see such a gathering of friends, old and new. Holy Rood is a parish with a big heart. Many thanks for all this and for the very, very generous gifts." Father Boyle on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee celebrating a legacy of 50 golden years in God's service. To see the pictures from the Jubilee Mass on May 27th just click on the smaller image...
May Procession 2011
The Parish was blessed with fine weather for our May Procession 2011 and many thanks to everyone for the great turnout with nearly 70 children taking part! Children preparing for their first Holy Communion were given special lillies to present to Our Lady during the Offertory of the Mass. It was a truly joyful ocasion for everyone there. Click on the smaller image to see the beautiful photographs...
New Plaque and Window 2011
Click on the smaller image to see pictures of the new window in the Lady Chapel in memory of Pope John Paul II and the new plaque in church to commemorate the visit of Pope Benedict to the United Kingdom in 2010.
PARISH BOUNDARIES
Priests brought to their knees.
MASS TIMES
Father Flood Cartoon for the Feast of the Ascension (B)
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Recycling
Recycling is good for the enviroment. It helps plants and animals.You can recycle lots of things from glass bottles to banana skins.
Prayer in the Letters of St. Paul
After having examined prayer in the Acts of the Apostles, Benedict XVI announced that he will dedicate his next series of catechesis to prayer in the Letters of St. Paul, which always begin and end with an expression of prayer and which have given us a rich range of forms of ...
Pope To Visit Milan For World Meeting Of Families
The Holy Father will visit the archdiocese of Milan on the occasion of the 7th World Meeting of Families to take place in that Italian city.
Pope In Arezzo: Foment A Culture Of Solidarity
Benedict XVI yesterday made a pastoral visit to Arezzo in the Italian region of Tuscany, where he was greeted on arrival by Mario Monti, prime minister of Italy, and by the local religious and civil authorities. The Holy Father then went on to celebrate Mass at the "Il Prato" park ...