Message from Father Jim
2nd August 2026
The Prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading begins with an invitation:
“All you who are thirsty, come to the water.”
Isaiah’s invitation is timeless. It reminds us that God does not wait for us to become worthy before calling us. He simply says, “Come.” Whether our thirst is for hope, forgiveness, purpose, healing, or peace, God invites us to draw near to Him. The only person who cannot be filled is the one who refuses to acknowledge their thirst. Those who come to Him with open hearts discover that He alone can satisfy the deepest desires of the human soul.
I have been reflecting on these words this weekend, thinking of God’s abundant generosity but also reminded as he gives us water, there is also a responsibility to care for the earth He created with the water he gives us for life. We are stewards of the earth. Isaiah’s invitation is especially poignant as we witness the devastating wildfire raging across parts of Europe this week.
As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to use the earth’s resources wisely, to protect rivers, lakes, and forests, and to live in ways that respect the environment rather than exploit it.
Newsletter
This week’s newsletter can be viewed here
Bags at the back of Sacred Heart are once more out for the summer holidays to help many of our neighbours who are struggling even more at this time of year but please remember that you do not need to lug shopping home but can donate in most supermarkets or online. More details at https://blackburn.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/
Universal Credit should cover the cost of life’s essentials IT DOES NOT and the summer holidays tip even more families over the edge. You can read more about the campaign to embed an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ into Universal Credit by clicking the following link: https://www.trussell.org.uk/…/guarantee-our-essentials
Andy Burnham is reported to be set to host 2027 G20 summit in Manchester.
Just a reminder to PLEASE take a few moments to sign the 2026 summer petition urging the upcoming UK’s G20 presidency to bring governments together to fix the broken global debt system and guarantee fast, fair and effective debt relief for countries in crisis. The petition is at the back of Sacred Heart Church as well as in the Parish room – you can also sign online by clicking here
Vatican News
The Vatican news widget is now onsite so the latest news from the Vatican can be accessible from the right hand side of this page under the menu, or alternatively click here for a larger display
Contributions to Sacred Heart & St Anne
Donations can be made via the collection plate in Church or direct from your bank account, the details of which can be found here
If you pay tax please consider adding gift aid to your contribution which would enable the parish to claim an extra 25% courtesy of the taxman at no cost to yourself. If this is something you would like to consider please contact me here with your phone and email address and I will ask Margaret, our gift aid co-ordinater, to get in touch.
Current gift aid donors can ignore this paragraph as we will pick up the information from their names if they donate online.
Past Memories
Recent events and memories from much longer ago can always be found on our History & Archive pages
Parish Facebook
In order to be able to keep parishioners informed whenever Father Jim makes any communications or when the website is updated with newsletters etc we have created a Parish Facebook page.
If you have a facebook account please visit and like the page so that you will then be automatically notified whenever this website is updated otherwise please visit this page periodically to check for any updates
For those parishioners without a facebook account I have embedded a feed from it below so everyone will be able to access the latest 5 postings to the page
(Please note not all browsers will display the feed)
