Parish Newsletter

Coming out of Lockdown: Stage 4: 19th July

The National Task Force for Places of Worship met on Thursday. The full Catholic Bishops’ Statement is on the website, but here is Bishop Mark’s very helpful summary of their decisions:
(1) From 19th July, continue to provide sanitiser at entrances and exits, ventilate our churches well and expect that masks should be worn. Good general cleanliness should be maintained.
(2) Public confidence in coming to church must be maintained, and social distancing respected.
(3) Stewarding no longer mandatory but individual churches may want to continue some sort of helpful assistance to regulars and visitors.
(4) Congregational singing permitted once again, but phase it in slowly, and continue with masks.
(5) Keep on with Track and Trace as long as it is required nationally.
(6) Don’t reintroduce Holy Water stoops just yet.
(7) Servers, Readers and Eucharistic Ministers can gradually be reintroduced.
(8) Offertory Collections can be taken in the normal way.
(9) Sign of Peace remains suspended.
(10) Holy Communion remains via the Host only and may be administered on the tongue if people prefer. No need to maintain a one-way system.
(11) No restrictions on numbers for Baptisms but avoid Multiple Baptisms.
(12) No restriction on numbers for Marriages.
(13) No restriction on numbers for Funerals here in church, but this may not apply to Crematoria and Graveyards.
(14) Continue safeguards with Anointing of the Sick and Care Home visiting.
(15) For Parish Social Activities, it is strongly recommended a Risk Assessment should be undertaken first.
(16) For Catechesis (eg Sacramental Preparation), Risk Assess each activity in dividually.

Getting Back to Normal: What’s Changing First?

Next Sunday, 25th July, two big changes:
(1) You hand-sanitise yourselves on entrance, (and on exit if you wish).
(2) You choose where you sit. Please respect the "One Metre Rule", remembering it’s "in front and behind" as well as side-by side.
Each Sunday, we are going to introduce two changes on the Route Map back to normality, but conscious all the time that if the figures rocket up, we could all be back to square one. Remember: we are still "Tracking and Tracing".

Getting Back to Normal: Our Four Principles

(1) The emphasis now is as much on individuals deciding for themselves as on central diktat.
(2) As a result, different people will take different positions, and we need to be extra sensitive to those who take a different view from ourselves.
(3) The Government’s Task Force for Places of Worship will issue guidelines very shortly, which we will follow, as appropriate for St Werburgh’s.
(4) We will have a phased return to normality.

Consultation on Weekday Mass Times

75 replies so far! You can either fill out the paper Questionnaire or go online to our home page https://www.stwerburghchester.co.uk

Public Weekday Masses Re-Starting SOON!

Please watch this space everyone, as the Electrical Installation work has been put back a week.

Beginning of Emergency Lighting Installation

Creating the channels and laying the wiring began on Monday 12th July, hopefully for a fortnight - but it looks now as if it might be a few days longer. Grrrr! The workmen will be here Monday to Friday, and everything left neatly for the weekend, so we hope not too much disruption to our daily life.

Reintroduction of Confessions

Starting Saturday 3rd July, 9.00-10.00 am, on the Sanctuary, two chairs socially distanced. Please sit on the Red Plastic Chairs while you are waiting.

Summer Ordinations for our Diocese

Deacons Patrick Breeze, Humphrey O’Connor and Stephen Roberts will be ordained to the Priesthood at Saint Anthony’s, Wythenshawe on Friday 16th July 2021 at 7.00 pm. Sadly, the extension of public health restrictions means it will not now be possible to extend an open invitation to everyone. However, the Ordination Mass will be livestreamed from Saint Anthony’s for everyone who is not able to attend in person. On Saturday 24th July 2021 Dr John McKay and Professor Wilfred McSherry will be ordained to the Permanent Diaconate at Saint Michael & All Angels Church in Woodchurch at 12 noon. This Mass will also be livestreamed for anyone unable to attend in person.

St John Plessington Feast Day: Monday 19th July

The Catenians warmly invite their fellow parishioners and friends to a special Mass at St Werburgh’s at 7.30 pm, celebrated by Fr Neill Robb. The Mass will be preceded by a short memorial Service (led by Fr Neill) in the public garden by the obelisk memorial next to St Paul’s Church in Boughton. After Mass, you are invited to join the Catenians at the Parish Centre, Brook St.

Accommodation Sought

Both the Belgian and the Airbus students are hopefully now fixed up. Now we’re making a new appeal: "Two professional girls are looking for a property with two decent-sized double rooms, ideally with a third bedroom that could be used as an office. We would prefer a furnished property. We would also need two parking spaces. Anywhere within a five-mile radius of Chester, preferably not sharing with others. From start of September, ideally a few weeks before." Any offers to FP.

Photo of the Week: Dismantling the Altar Screen

A real bit of history, from 2012. In fact, it proved a remarkably easy job, and wood from the Screen has been used for the new Lectern and for a new partition for the War Memorial Chapel.

As we come out of lockdown and many of you enjoy summer holidays, do please send us in your photos for "Photo of the Week". During lockdown, we’ve drawn mostly on archive photos: now it would be good to receive any snaps from hols, not just churches you visit (though they are always popular) but any places of interest. How about shots of some old ruins? Or have you heard enough about the Choir recently... (Low blow!)