St Stephen's Parish
Serving the Catholics of Skipton, Craven and the Dales
Please text CHURCH SKIPTON to 70500 to contribute £5 to the Offertory of our Parish
Message from Fr Andrew
Following the Prime Minister's broadcast on Monday 23 March 2020, Bishop Marcus has written revoking the permission and encouragement the Bishops gave to keep Churches open. He is clear that we must do all we can to support the intention that we must, for however long it takes, do our best not to be in each others company, and so help save life.
So the Churches in the Parish will no longer be opened.
Please use opportunities to pray for each other and for those who have very difficult decisions to make and now even more challenging and perhaps even dangerous jobs to do.
When I have anymore information I will let you know and would ask you to support each other as best you can and to keep in touch with those who do not have email or ready access to the internet.
Let us pray with and for each other.
5th Sunday in Lent 29 March 2020
Fr Andrew will stream Mass live from St Stephen's every day at 10:00am starting
Sunday 29 March 2020
Fr Andrew's Thought for the Day - Saturday 28 March 2020
News from St Margaret's and Upper Wharfedale
Reflection - Andy Peace for Saturday 28 March 2020
Live Streaming of Daily Mass and Devotions from Leeds Cathedral
From 25 March 2020, Holy Mass will be live-streamed EACH WEEKDAY at 10.30 am and on SUNDAYS at 11.00am
There will also be a live-stream of the Angelus at 12.00 Noon each weekday, followed by praying the Rosary. Details of other devotions are available via the Leeds Cathedral website and Cathedral Bulletin.
To participate online, please access the Leeds Cathedral Live YouTube channel, where the words of Prayers, Devotions and Orders of Service may be viewed, or downloaded from the Diocesan and Cathedral websites:
Prayer and Liturgy Resources
Supporting the Faithful and each other in Prayer
Communications from the Bishops
A beautiful message from Pope Francis, providing words of comfort and hope in this difficult time:
Tonight before falling asleep
think about when we will return to the street.
When we hug again,
when all the shopping together will seem like a party.
Let’s think about when the coffees will return to the bar,
the small talk, the photos close to each other.
We think about when it will be all a memory
but normalcy will seem an unexpected and beautiful gift.
We will love everything that has so far seemed futile to us.
Every second will be precious.
Swims at the sea, the sun until late,
sunsets, toasts, laughter.
We will go back to laughing together.
Strength and courage.
See you soon!
Altar Servers
Congratulations to Florence, who has now served 12 months as an altar server and has been awarded her St Stephen's Guild medal.
Monsignor Anthony Boylan
It is with great sadness that the Diocese of Leeds announces the death of Mgr Anthony Boylan who died peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Wednesday 20 November 2019.
Mgr Boylan was a great friend of St Stephen's and served our parish faithfully as a supply priest during his retirement.
May he rest in peace
Fr Tony Burke
Fr Tony Burke has died at the age of eighty-seven. He was ordained here in his home parish of Stephen's in July 1958.
Walter Anthony Burke was born on 21 February 1933. He studied for the priesthood at Ushaw College in County Durham. After ordination he was a curate in two parishes in this diocese – SS Peter & Paul, Yeadon (1958-62) and St Wiiliam’s, Bradford (1962-69). After a year of study in London he moved to St Peter’s, Doncaster in 1970. Subsequently he was Parish Priest of parishes in Rotherham, Sheffield, Chesterfield and Hathersage in the Diocese of Hallam.
Fr Burke retired to the Craven District and became a familiar face here once again. It was here that he celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of his priesthood in July 2018. He was a great friend of St Stephen's and served the parish faithfully during his retirement. More recently he resided at a care home in Thornton-in-Craven. He died on Monday, 9 March 2020.
May he rest in peace
Fr Tony Burke concelebrating Mass at St Stephen's with Fr Andrew
Palm Sunday April 2012
Afternoon Tea
9 January 2020
This was the last afternoon tea in the Easter Room before the building work.
Everyone enjoyed a showing of the film 'Me and My Gal', starring Judy Garland.
Canon Edward McSweeney
Parish Priest of St Stephen's 1988-2001
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Canon McSweeney on 10 April 2019 at the age of 92.
May he rest in peace