The month of December is dedicated to The Immaculate Conception
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
21 December 2025
| Sat 20 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Frank Lally & Ruth O’Donnell | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | Bob Breen RIP | |
| Sun 21 Dec | Fourth Sunday of Advent. Day of Special Prayer for Expectant Mothers |
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| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Parishioners’ Intentions | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Eddie Elwell | |
| 2.00pm | Kerala Catholic Community Mass in Syro-Malabar Rite | ||
| Mon 22 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Constance & Joseph Rowlands | ||
| St. Columba’s | 10.30am | Parishioners’ Intentions | |
| Tue 23 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Henry Lloyd RIP | ||
| St. Columba’s | Parishioners’ Intentions | ||
| Wed 24 Dec | CHRISTMAS EVE | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 4.30pm | Carols | |
| 5.00pm | Vigil Mass John Lloyd RIP |
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| St. Columba’s | 4.30pm | Children’s Nativity Mass | |
| 7.00pm | Vigil Mass Kevin, Francis & Martin Connolly |
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| Thu 25 Dec | THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Christmas Day Mass Parishioners’ Intentions |
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| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Christmas Day Mass Parishioners’ Intentions |
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| Fri 26 Dec | St Stephen, M. Feast | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 10.00am | Paul Murphy RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | The Parish | ||
| Sat 27 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | John James Tobin RIP 1st Anniversary | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | Lorraine Probert RIP | |
| Sun 28 Dec | The Holy Family. Feast | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Michael Dunne RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Parishioners’ Intentions | |
| 2.00pm | Kerala Catholic Community Mass in Syro-Malabar Rite |
LIVE STREAMING OF MASS – Mass will be streamed at St Columba’s on Sunday 21 December at 11.00am.
CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES – A leaflet containing all Mass times is available in the porches of each church. It is also on the website under Our Parish > Mass times.
CONFESSIONS – After each weekday Mass until 11.30am.
Saturdays:
St Columba’s 6.00 – 6.25pm
St Theresa’s 4.30 – 4.55pm
WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS & FUNERALS – Please contact one of the Parish Offices to make your arrangements.
POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS for December – for Christians in areas of conflict. Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope.
RECENTLY DECEASED – Please remember in your prayers, Michael Hayden & Roger John Warburton, who died recently, and also their families and friends.
ANNIVERSARIES – Margaret Rose Allmark, Ellie Marsden, Ruth O’Donnell, Francis Joseph Lally, Muriel Halligan & Michael Gerrard Dunne.
CHILDREN’S LITURGY – The Children’s Liturgy normally happens at the 11am service at St Columba’s on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. See the parish website under the Family tab.
PARISH OFFERTORY – Loose Plate: £438.22; Planned Giving: £256.50; Average weekly SO £718.15; Candles: £44.54.
CLERGY EDUCATION & TRAINING FUND – Many thanks for the amount of £190.39 which was collected recently for this.
CHRISTMAS OFFERINGS – The offertory collection at the Christmas Masses is for the parish. Anyone wishing to give to either Fr William or Fr Peter personally should put their offering in an envelope marked “personal” with their name on and put in the Offertory basket. Thank you.
PRAYERS– please pray for
- The residents of Woodlea Avenue, Cornwall Road, Aldford Road, Cleaveland Road, Stratford Road, Walton Place & Downham Place.
- For All Age Family Worship, Messy Church, Junior Church and Children’s Liturgy.
- For all children who attend our churches each Sunday and their leaders.
CHRISTMAS MEMORY TREE – A time to remember those who will not be with us this year. There will be a tree and cards on side Altar at St. Columba’s (near the back door) to write your memories and hang on the tree. The memory is the important thing, but if anyone wishes to make a donation, there will be a basket with donations going to the Parish Third World Group.
UPTON CHURCHES CRIB – The CTU Crib has been erected in the rear porch at St Columba’s together with, for the first time, its backdrop. The figures will follow in due course.
PRO-LIFE UPDATE – 2025 has been one of the most challenging and busiest years ever for the pro-life movement in the UK, with the biggest battles on abortion and assisted suicide in over 50 years. Thanks to the support of our parish, there has been a strong, coordinated response in Parliament, in the media and among the wider public. The 2025 Right To Life UK Year in Review sets out some of the key areas in which significant progress has been made this year. Please visit http://righttolife.org.uk/2025 to read the Year in Review to find out more about what we have achieved together for life this year.
FRIENDSHIP THURSDAY – We had a very enjoyable Christmas Afternoon, and thanks are owed to our helpers and to Upton Community Choir who sang to (and with) us. It was a shame that many of our usual attendees were unable to come and I hope that they have recovered from any illnesses and will be back on 8 January, 2026.
ST COLUMBA’S COFFEE ROTA – We would like to thank all who volunteered their time to help with tea and coffee after the 11:00am Mass.
21 Dec – Sue McCarthy, SVP
28 Dec – volunteers please
04 Jan – volunteers please
SENIOR PARISHIONERS & VOLUNTEERS CHRISTMAS PARTY – Thanks to those who went along to this – I’m sure you enjoyed it. A special thanks to those who organised the event and who helped in any way.
PARISH OFFICE CLOSURES
St Columba’s office will be closed from Tue 23 Dec to Thur 1 Jan and will re-open on Fri 2 Jan. Carol Galvin will be in the office for emergencies from 9am – 12noon during this time.
St Theresa’s office will be closed from Thur 24 Dec to Fri 2 Jan. The office answer machine is available for messages to be left.
FOOD BANK DONATIONS – Urgently Needed – The Food Bank is asking for tinned meat, fish, veg, fruit, tomatoes, spaghetti, puddings, curry sauce, Smash, pasta & sauce, UHT/powdered milk, long-life juice, custard, jams, spreads, and coffee. See westcheshirefoodbank.org.uk for up-to-date needs. Thank you for your support!
ALTAR SERVERS – we need you! An appeal for altar servers at both St Columba’s and St Theresa’s churches please. At the moment, we have no active altar servers at St Theresa’s. If you or your children are interested in altar serving at either church, please contact Richard Curtis (07787782255 / rich.curtis89@yahoo.co.uk). Training can be flexible around your availability, often focusing in 15-30 minutes sessions after Mass for convenience.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK– “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35)
SOUP WITH SOUL – continues at the Town House, Chester Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm until the 23 December. They have added to the menu for Christmas: soup, sausage roll, Christmas cracker & shortbread, house wine, beer, mince pies. Take your pick! Creating a positive future for those experiencing homelessness and hardship.
CHESTER CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS TREES – Enjoy over 80 trees decorated in the theme of Christmas Around the World. Booking required. However, no booking or entry fee on Sundays.
PARISH WEBSITE – Items for the website must be about parish-based events and should be sent to Lyn Coyle, who is the parish liaison with the website manager: marilyn.coyle44@gmail.com
STAY SAFE FROM SCAMS – Scammers may know your details, don’t assume they’re genuine. Always think twice. Never share your PIN or passwords. Ignore emails or calls about computer viruses. Delete suspicious emails and mark them as spam. Be safe. If unsure, contact companies using official numbers. Dial 159 to safely reach your bank. Report scams to Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040 or online. Free guide and tips: Age UK Scam Advice the Booklet is available at the back of both churches – please return after reading.
ST COLUMBA’S CHURCH & HALL BOOKINGS – To book the Church, Newman Room orIona Chapel, contact Magdalena Bukowska at the Church Office 01244 624019, email stcolumbaschurch2016@outlook.com. Office hours Mon-Fri 9a.m. to 2.00p.m.
To check Hall availability, visit the Church Hall calendar on the St Columba’s website, then contact Magdalena during office hours or email: columbashallbookings@gmail.com.
| NEWSLETTER Deadlines: Due to the printers’ holiday closures over Christmas and New Year the newsletters covering Sunday 21 Dec through to 4 January have now been printed. If you have an urgent item that needs announcing over Christmas or New Year, please ring St Theresa’s number with the details 01244 371660. Thank you. |