Parish Newsletter

Liturgical

II Samuel 7, 1-16; Psalm 88; Romans 16, 25-27; Luke 1, 26-38

9.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Molly Massey (11th Anniversary)
10.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Eileen O’Connor (L.D.)
11.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Sally Coates (L.D.)
12.00 noon: St Werburgh’s: Finn Abberton (3rd Anniversary)

Monday 21st December: Ferial: Song of Songs 2, 8-14; Psalm 32; Luke 1, 39-45
Fr Paul’s Private Mass Intention today: Greta Morgan (Anniversary)

Tuesday 22nd December: Ferial: I Samuel 1, 24-28; Psalm 1 Samuel 2; Luke 1, 46-56
Fr Paul’s Private Mass Intention today: Hilda Jones and Pat Maguire (Birthday Remembrances)

Wednesday 23rd December: Ferial: Malachi 3, 1-24; Psalm 24; Luke 1, 57-66
Fr Paul’s Private Mass Intention today: Joseph Carey (Anniversary)

Thursday 24th December: Ferial: II Samuel 7, 1-16; Psalm 88; Luke 1, 67-79
Fr Paul’s Private Mass Intention today, Day Mass of Christmas Eve: Intentions of Graham

Saturday 26th December: Saint Stephen: Acts 6, 8-10; Psalm 30; Matthew 10, 17-22
Fr Paul’s Private Mass Intention today: The Intentions of all our Altar Servers

SUNDAY 27th DECEMBER: THE HOLY FAMILY (YEAR B)
Genesis 15, 1-6; Psalm 104; Hebrews 11, 8-19; Luke 2, 22-40
9.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Donal and Mary O’Shea (Anniversaries)
10.00 am: St Werburgh’s: John Flack (L.D.)
11.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Peter Nugent (L.D., Ireland)
12.00 noon: St Werburgh’s: June Lea (L.D.)

Prayer intentions

Your prayers are asked for the following who are sick: Jennifer Murphy, John McMahon, Pauline Hackett, Laura Chadwick, Elisabeth, Stuart Clark, Keith Hayes, Sheila Winder, Joe and Ruth O’Kane, Garth Stocking and Kevin Maguire; and for all the sick of the Parish; and for those who have died recently, especially Mike Griffiths, Sheila Fields, Edward Clarkson and Jean Lynch; and for those whose anniversaries occur about this time: Johnnie Jones, Edward Davies, Patricia Smith, Joan Barlow, Krystyna Pepper, Patricia Wood, Charlie Esser, Pat Crayton, Doris Vickers, Tony Shepherd, Terry Pealing, Luzia McDonough, Lexy Wilkinson, Winifred Challinor, Mary Hoban, Rita Duckers, John Haresnape. Joseph Doran, John O’Leary, Winifred Shaw, Arthur Biscaine, Brian Clegg, Barbara McKeown, Sheelagh Potter, John Oliphant, Charles Green, James McCleary, Pat Walsh, Vera Howard, Michael Davies and Bridget Jennings. May They All Rest in Peace.

Parish events

SVP Christmas Appeal: Last Chance!

They do a superb job supporting families and housebound every Christmas, and this year it’s more necessary than ever. The two lockdowns and those who’ve lost their jobs means this could be a bleak Christmas for many. If you want to support this Appeal, please send me your contributions via post, letterbox or Sunday Basket. Many thanks for all those envelopes that have come in so far! Closing date for contributions - Christmas Day!

November/December Holy Souls Mass Intentions

• Mon 28th Dec: Jan Howatt’s Family
• Wed 30th Dec: Wendy O’Brien’s Family
• Thurs 31st Dec: Celia Murphy’s Family
• Tues 5th Jan: Les and Eileen Owens’ Family

Photo of the Week Last Week

That extraordinary archive photo of the Papal Legate en route to the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, June 1932. The whole party is snapped on Chester Station! Our excellent friend John Wilbraham has found the telegram of thanks sent afterwards, and you can see it on the Blog for last Thursday.

Seminarians Training Fund Second Collection

This annual Collection is for the training and formation of Priests. If you wish to Gift Aid your donation, please make your donation Online. www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/clergy-education-and-training-fund

This Week’s Photo of the Week: FHC 1954

Another treasure from the archives, the school First Holy Communion Class from 1954. Come on, Sage of Ingham! Put that bottle of Single Malt down (we all saw you on the Zoom Chat last night, don’t think we didn’t!) and get spotting. If any of you recognise any of the faces, do please let us know.

Mass Intentions

With Lockdown Two, going from four Masses on a Sunday back to one, the timetable for Mass Intentions was disrupted, as it was by the decision to have individual Holy Souls Mass Intentions rather than our usual Book. Now that we’re back to Public Masses and the Holy Souls lists have been worked through, we are gradually getting back to normal. If your intention has not appeared yet (and you didn’t ask for a specific date), don’t worry: it will surface very soon now. And if you have not yet let me have your 2021 Lists, get them in asap, as the 2021 Mass Diary is already filling up quickly.

Christmas Mass Bookings

If you have booked successfully, you will have received both an acknowledgement and a subsequent notification of where you are sitting. If you think you’ve booked and received neither, then the chances are you haven’t! Please phone us Monday-Wednesday, 10.00-11.00, to check. Olive from Orford will be standing ready to take your call... (Actually, she sits. She says it’s easier to balance phone, pen and whisky glass that way. Bless.)

Masses After Christmas

Sadly, no Boxing Day Altar Servers Mass, as we just couldn’t do it as we normally do with the needs of social distancing and Covid-19 restrictions. Normal Masses on Sunday 27th December - 9.00, 10.00, 11.00 and 12.00 noon. Then a New Year’s Day Mass on Friday 1st January at 10.00 am, and an Epiphany Mass on Wednesday 6th January, also at 10.00 am. Like Sunday Masses, please queue safely apart, and be ready to give us your Track and Trace details. Just to repeat: Mass Obligation has been suspended during this pandemic, for Christmas, Epiphany, Sundays, the lot. So, no-one need feel that you have to come to Mass. But, if you would like to join us, we would love to see you! Simples! Totes amazeballs!