Church Address:
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church
Rothamsted Avenue
Harpenden
AL5 2DB
Office Administrator: Mrs Melanie Armitage
Office hours: 9.30am - 12.30pm, Mon to Thu
Safeguarding Representative: Mrs Brigid Brennan
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Fairtrade Parish and a LiveSimply Parish.
The celebration of Mass is the main liturgical rite in the Catholic Church. We come together as a community to hear the Word of God and receive the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. Everyone is welcome to join us at Mass whether you are a parishioner, a visitor, lapsed or just curious.
“People come together as a Christian family at their local church. There is something very simple and natural about this. […] It connects us with the Last Supper. It unites us with Jesus Christ and with his eternal offering to the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. […] And at the end of Mass, we are sent out on a mission to serve others, and share the good news of salvation.”
Father Stephen Wang
The Church is open for private prayer Monday – Thursday 7am to 6pm
Saturday (Vigil): 6.00pm
Sunday: 8.30am, 9.45am (Family Mass) & 11.30am* (Sung Mass)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 9.15am
Thursday: 11am
Wednesday after 9.15am Mass: Parishioner-led Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour
* These Masses are live-streamed. Live-streaming will take place via Zoom and YouTube. You can find the zoom codes for the coming week in the latest newsletter.
Masks are optional in church, and hand gel is available on entering/leaving the church if you wish to use it.
If you suspect you may have Coronavirus Symptoms, have been in touch with anyone who has, or if you are feeling unwell, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO CHURCH.
There is no need to request a place in advance for any of the Masses.
Available on Saturdays: 10.30am – 11.00am & 7.00pm – 7.30pm
You will find the entrance to the Sacrament of Reconciliation room located on the right as you enter the church.
Other services take place throughout the year as part of, or in preparation for, special celebrations in the liturgical year. Details will be published in the newsletter, in the News section of the website and on social media. And at Christmas and Easter, cards will be available at the back of the church with full details of the Christmas and Holy Week schedule.
Music plays an important part in our celebrations of Mass and we are lucky to have three different groups that provide music to suit each service. The 6pm Vigil Mass on a Saturday features our band of wind and string players. On Sundays the 9.45am Family Mass music group made up of keyboard, instrumentalists and singers provide music suitable for children and families, and the 11.30am Sung Mass is led by our Choir and Choristers. If you would be interested in joining any of our music groups you can find more information on our Groups & Ministries page.
In addition to our music groups there are other ways to play an active part in the Mass – as part of our Welcoming Team, a reader, altar server, children’s liturgy helper or Minister of the Eucharist.
There many other important roles that help to maintain our church too – cleaners, flower arrangers, looking after the repository and general maintenance. Take a look at our Groups & Ministries page to see how you can get involved.