Parish Newsletter

Our Response to the War in Ukraine

Prayer and Support for Refugees are our two main focal points, that combination of “faith and works” which is the heart of the Christian Response to the Gospel. As well as our individual prayers, always so powerful, please join us if you can for a Parish Prayer Vigil on the evening of Good Friday, 7.00-9.00 pm. This will be a combination of silent prayer, readings, music from Ukraine, the Rosary, and meditation on War and Peace. Timetable for the two hours will be out next week: can you all join us for at least ten minutes on that evening? In term of support for the Refugee Crisis – latest estimates suggest 5 million people have been displaced by this evil war – please, in addition to your individual responses, remember the work of CAFOD and Caritas in this area. Google “CAFOD Ukraine” or “Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury” for further information.

 

Holy Week and Easter Wolunteer Rota: Gaps!!

Palm Sunday

• Saturday 6.00 pm: 2 Readers
• Sunday 9.00 am: 2 Stewards/Welcomers
• Sunday 10.45 am: 3 Readers; 1 Steward/Collector
• Sunday 6.00 pm: 1 Reader

Maundy Thursday

• 1 Parent, 1 Medic for Oils Procession
• 10 Foot Washers

Good Friday

• Every Slot Filled – Well done!!

Holy Saturday Evening Vigil

• 1 Steward, 3 Collectors

Easter Sunday

• 9.00 am: 3 Stewards
• 10.45 am: 1 Reader
• 6.00 pm: 1 Reader

Holy Week Readers Meeting: Wed 6^th, 7.00 pm

 

Deo Gratias Passiontide Concert Saturday 9^th April

7.30 pm. All Saints Church, Hoole. £9 full price, £7 Concession: office@all saints church (01244) 322056.

 

Diocesan Chrism Mass: Wednesday of Holy Week

13^th April at St Michael and All Angels, Birkenhead. We’ve organised a minibus to go from here, leaving outside Church at 6.00 pm, and returning at 9.30 pm. Eight places, Please sign up at back of church.

 

CAFOD Lenten Fast Day Envelopes on Table Today

Please return on the Collection Plate. Thank you.

 

Ellesmere Port Music Society Spring Concert

Saturday 23^rd April, 7.30 pm at St Thomas’s Church Ellesmere Port. Vivaldi Gloria and ‘We Celebrate the Light’, a piece commissioned by EPMS during lockdown. Full details on flyers at the back of church and poster in the porch. We’d love to see you there!

If you want to ask anything further about the concert, several members of the choir are Werbies!

 

Parish Renewal – Autumn 2022

Coming out of Covid and on the back of our excellent Synod Consultation, what do we all want the “Werbies New Normal” to look like?

 

Repository:  Lots of lovely Easter goods now in.

 

CAFOD Ukraine Appeal: news@email.cafod.org.uk

Please use the website address above if you’d like to help the humanitarian relief effort.

 

Christian Aid Lenten Lunches: 12 noon - 1.30 pm

Wednesday 6^th April: St Mary’s Church Handbridge

 

The Synod: Where are we up to?

All Parish Responses are now with our own Bishop Mark, and he will be issuing his “Reaction Document” very shortly. Then all the Bishops of England and Wales gather together to co-ordinate our national response, which is sent up to the Synod Committee in Rome. That Committee is overseen by the Maltese Cardinal, Mario Grech. He gave an excellent interview in last week’s “Tablet” (still available online). “There are problems, issues, within the Church about which we choose to remain silent rather than speaking,” he said. “The clearest example which comes to everyone’s mind is the sexual abuse crisis that the Church went through and is still going through. Unfortunately, this is not the only instance of a problem in the Church about which we choose to remain silent. What about the general silence concerning the deep divisions within the Catholic Church? … This Synod is not a process of revolution. The Pope does not want to change the Church into something that it is not. This is not a wiping out of tradition. This is not a process of democratisation. Rather, the Synodal Process is a time for speech. A time to let the voice of the Church speak and bring forward the issues, the problems that inhabit our Church.”

 

Holy Week and Easter Service Times Leaflets

Out this week: please distribute far and wide.

 

Learning about the Passover

Rabbi Warren Elf will give a talk about the Jewish Passover in the Cathedral Refectory on Tuesday 5^th April at 7.00 pm. Tickets are £5 and include light refreshments, from Cathedral Website:

https://chestercathedral.ticket olve.com/shows/1173621282

 

Holy Week Confessions

• Saturday 9^th April: 10.30-12.00 noon
• Tuesday 12^th April: 7.00 pm – 10.00 pm
• Wednesday 13^th April: 10.00 am – 12.00 noon

 

Retreat House, Chester: Thursday 31^st March

Many thanks to Clare and Retreat House Chester for organising and leading this Lenten Retreat Day on Thursday. Great to be able to use our Day Chapel once again as the main area, and then to spread out over the whole Church and House for individual quiet times. Judging by what you left, a jolly good Shared Table Lunch as well! A very successful venture, fully booked: so, let’s do it again soon. Anyone else want to lead and organise, individual or organisations?

 

Zoom Stations of the Cross: Friday Evenings in Lent

A very successful series once again: one more week to go, so not too late to email FP for the link. Everybody welcome. Next year back in Church?

 

Photo of the Week: St Francis Church, Dubai

Snapped by Pat Quinn on a recent gad and gallivant to the Gulf (great alliteration!). Thanks, Pat! Have a look at their website. They have Masses in the following languages: English, Malayalam, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Sinhalese, Malankara, Tamil, Tagalog and Konkani. Mirabile dictu! (As they say in German). I love their top Newsletter Item: “Parking and Traffic Flow for Holy Week”. Werbies, Dubai, problems the world over!