St Werburgh's Roman Catholic Parish, Chester

Parish Newsletter

 

SUNDAY 29th MAY: SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER (YEAR C)

Liturgical

Acts 7, 55-60; Psalm 96; Apocalypse 22, 12-20; John 17, 20-26

Saturday 6.00 pm: St Werburgh’s: Cath Haslam

9.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Sheila Johnson

10.45 am: St Werburgh’s: Terry Collier (5th Anniversary)

6.00 pm: St Werburgh’s: Mick Fields (8th Anniversary)

 

Monday 30th May: Ferial: Acts 19, 1-8; Psalm 67; John 16, 29-33

7.30 am: St Werburgh’s: Huw Williams (L.D.)

12.00 noon: Sacred Heart, Ainsdale: Graveside Service for Huw Williams, late of Oakfield Dr

 

Tuesday 31st May: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Zephaniah 3, 14-18; Psalm Isaiah 12; Luke 1, 39-56

10.00 am: Blacon: Funeral Service for Beryl Parkinson, late of Manor Close, Great Barrow

12.15 pm: St Werburgh’s: Jerry Shannon (L.D., Ireland)

 

Wednesday 1st June: St Justin Martyr: Acts 20, 28-38; Psalm 67; John 17, 11-19

10.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Requiem Mass for Simon Crowther, late of Plas Newton Lane

 

Thursday 2nd June: Ferial: Acts 22,30 – 23,11; Psalm 15; John 17, 20-26

10.30 am: Tattenhall House Mass (Please contact FP for venue) – Intentions of Dennis

12.15 pm: St Werburgh’s: Ashley Rogers (L.D.)

 

Friday 3rd June: St Charles Lwanga & Companions: Acts 25, 13-21; Psalm 102; John 21, 15-19

12.15 pm: St Werburgh’s: Lucy and Jack Engagement Thanksgiving

 

Saturday 4th June: Ferial: Acts 28, 16-31; Psalm 10; John 21, 20-25

10.30 am – 12.00 noon: St Werburgh’s: Confessions

12.00 noon: St Werburgh’s: Baptism of Jacob James Fraser Southern

2.45 pm: St Werburgh’s: Blessing of Beth and James Mathias’ Wedding and Baptism of Max Mathias

6.00 pm: St Werburgh’s: Bessie Robinson

 

SUNDAY 5th JUNE: PENTECOST SUNDAY (YEAR C)

Acts 2, 1-11; Psalm 103; Romans 8, 8-17; John 14, 15-26

Saturday 6.00 pm: St Werburgh’s: Bessie Robinson

9.00 am: St Werburgh’s: Alex Barnes

10.45 am: St Werburgh’s: Francesco Vitelli (Birthday Remembrance)

5.00 pm: The Cross, Chester (outside St Peter’s Church): Ecumenical Pentecost Service

6.00 pm: St Werburgh’s: Austin Tighe (2nd Anniversary)

 

Prayer Intentions

Your prayers are asked for the following who are sick: Brian Boardman Jnr, James Convey, Bill Hackett, Laura Chadwick, Stuart Clark, Keith Hayes, Ruth O’Kane, Garth Stocking and Kevin Maguire and for all the sick of the Parish; and for those who have died recently, especially Celia Hickey, Beryl Parkinson and Simon Crowther; and for those whose anniversaries occur about this time: Teresa Holt, Paddy White, Daisy Chesworth, Rodney Carrigan, Christopher Rose, Martha Pattison, Elsie Wilson, Dianne Roberts, Samuel Wingrove, John Carter, Charles Donachie, Carmela Calouri, Mick Fields, Jean Asher and Vicky Boultbee.

May They All Rest in Peace.

Parish events

 

Financial Statement: Last Year’s Gift Aid

An amazing total of £66,000 was given to the Parish last year, through your Gift Aided Weekly Offertories and other charitable donations. So, that will be roughly the size of our GA claim, qualifying for a 25% rebate coming back to the Parish. There’ll be a few deductions for Diocesan Admin, but we can expect approximately £16,000 to come to St Werburgh’s from the Government – and all for just a signature, if you are a taxpayer! Where does that money go to? Straight into our Central Fund (Deposit Account) with the Diocese which helps pay for capital projects, like the Church Emergency Lighting. A huge thanks to everyone, and especially to Denise Jones, our amazing GA organiser.  

 

Huw Williams’ Funeral on Monday

Deacon Lawrence and I will be conducting a Graveside Funeral Service for Huw at Sacred Heart, Ainsdale on Monday. This is a very private service for immediate family only: but do please keep Mary and Steve, Sarah, Ewan and Eva in your prayers at this sad time.

May Huw rest in peace. Amen.

 

Chester Heritage Festival in June

After a 3-year Covid break the above festival will be up and running 17th–27th June 2022 (google “Chester Heritage Festival 2022”). We have been asked to participate, by resurrecting our plans for a walk and talk about “A Tale of Two Architects”, John Douglas and Edmund Kirby, two good friends. Edmund Kirby designed St Werburgh’s Church and John Douglas designed most of the rest of Victorian Chester. These two events will take place on Sunday 19th June. The walk will start at 2.15 pm at Dee House and will pass Douglas and Kirby buildings, reaching St. Werburgh’s around 2.50 pm. The talk, at St Werburgh’s, will start at 3.00 pm and last about one hour. The whole process will be “choreographed” by Gerry Tighe and Ann Marie Curtis and will include some fairly newly discovered information. It would be great if as many as possible could attend one or both events and give support during this post-Covid period.

 

Diocesan IT In-House Support

The Diocese is seeking to employ a full time IT In-House Support member at the Curial Office in Birkenhead. For more information, please see our website http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies Completed CV’s to be sent to Pauline  recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org 

Closing date Friday 17th June 2022.

 

Platinum Jubilee Floral Celebration

Holy Ascension Church, Upton: Thursday 2nd–Saturday 4th June, 10.00–4.00 pm. Sunday 5th June, 2.00-4.00 pm. Come and enjoy the flowers and refreshments, in aid of the church and the Hospice.

 

Experience of Scaffolding Towers?

The saga of the safe way to access the Organ Loft rumbles on. If we hired a Scaffolding Tower, does anyone have experience of assembling one?

 

On the Free Table today: A3 sheets of Paper

Newsletter blanks from the lockdown period – printed on one side but blank on the other. Anyone want?

 

Tattenhall House Masses Starting This Week!

They will be on the FIRST THURSDAY of each month, at 10.30 am, For venue, please contact FP.

 

Preparing for Pentecost

A small group of parishioners would like to invite you all to join them on Tuesday 31st May for two hours of prayer and reflection in our Day Chapel as a preparation for the great Feast of Pentecost. Meeting at 9.45 for a 10.00 start and finishing with Mass at 12.15 pm. Refreshments provided. Fifteen places available: please sign up asap.

 

SVP Theatre Night Wed 8th June: The Vicar of Dibley

All our allocated tickets now sold! Well done, everyone! But you can still turn up, if you would like to do so, and buy a ticket at the Box Office on the night.  

 

Ffestiniog Welsh Highland Railway: Only 5 Places left!

Monday 19th September

An amazing bargain basement price for this day out of £65, including all transport and lunch. The commercial price is nearer £90. 45 places gone: just 5 left!!

 

Message from Bishop Mark

“The Relics of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes will be with us at the Cathedral from 1.00 pm on Tuesday 13th September until 9.00 am on Wednesday 14th September, when the Relic will travel to Saint Werburgh’s, Chester until 4.00 pm that same afternoon. A Diocesan programme is being drawn up and the complete schedule for the visit will be available soon. The visit is already awakening much public interest and I hope this pilgrimage will be an especially blessed moment of prayer and new evangelisation.”

 

Official Prayer for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

“Almighty God, we pray, that your servant Elizabeth, our Queen, who, by your providence has received the governance of this realm, may continue to grow in every virtue, that, imbued with your heavenly grace, she may be preserved from all that is harmful and evil and, being blessed with your favour may, with the royal family, come at last into your presence, through Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life and who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen”

 

“Chester and the Crown” Exhibition at the Cathedral

Wednesday 1st–Thursday 30th June: 10.00 am-6.00 pm

https://chestercathedral.com/event/chester-and-the-crown/Join Chester Cathedral throughout June in celebrating HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with our exciting upcoming exhibition, “Chester and the Crown”. Chester and the Crown is a vibrant journey through our city’s relationship with the monarchy. Learn new things, see never-before-seen objects, and join in with the Jubilee celebrations! Entry by donation.

 

Next Year’s First Sacraments Programme

The programme runs from September to June each year. So, if you have a child in Year 3 or above who does not attend our Catholic Primary School, please contact Fr Paul, preferably by email. The classes begin in October, with First Forgiveness in January and First Holy Communions in May. The closing date for enrolment is Sunday 4th September 2022.

 

Photo of the Week: St Mary’s Melmount, Strabane

An amazing church, in Co Tyrone, seating 1,200 people, with spacious aisles radiating from the altar to join a wide processional area at the back. Thanks, Michigan Monsters, for a super photo! And an even better one is on its way from the MM’s, one of them back home in the Great Lake State, visiting Steve Snr…