SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
25th FEBRUARY 2024
| Sat 24 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | Peggy McHugh RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | Anne McCarthy | |
| Sun 25 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Parishioners’ Intentions | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Richard Murphy RIP | |
| Mon 26 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Priests’ Intentions | ||
| St. Columba’s | 10.00am | Stations of the Cross | |
| 10.30am | |||
| Tue 27 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Healing from Cancer | ||
| St. Columba’s | Diane Blago RIP | ||
| Wed 28 Feb` | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Private Intentions | ||
| St. Columba’s | 9.30am | Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament | |
| 10.15am | Novena Prayers | ||
| 10.30am | Priests’ Intentions | ||
| Thu 29 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Cath Carter RIP | ||
| St. Columba’s | Parishioners’ Intentions | ||
| Fri 1 Mar | St David – Patron of Wales | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Stations of the Cross | |
| 10.00am | May & George Littler RIP | ||
| St. Columba’s | Private Intentions | ||
| Sat 24 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | Kathleen Watts RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | Vera Hawkins | |
| Sun 25 Feb | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | David Kluth’s Intentions | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Willie Gordon RIP |
Please note if there is no time next to Mass it means there is no Mass for parishioners to attend that day but the Priests will say Mass privately.
Pope’s Prayer Intentions For February – for the terminally ill – Let us pray that the sick who are in the final stages of life, and their families, receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.
LIVE STREAMING OF MASS:
Mass will be streamed from St Theresa’s at 5pm. this Saturday 24th February 2024
www.facebook.com/thecatholicparishofstcolumbaandsttheresa
ANNIVERSARIES:
Leo Joseph Carroll, John Stead, Janet Irene McMahon, Pauline Ann Roberts, Florence Childs, Kathleen Watts.
WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS AND FUNERALS:
Please contact one of the Parish Offices to make your arrangements.
CONFESSIONS:
There will be Confessions after each weekday Mass until 11.30am.
St Columba’s: From 6pm before the 6.30pm Saturday evening Mass.
St Theresa’s: From 4.30pm before 5pm Saturday evening Mass.
OFFERTORY:
Loose plate £511.75; Planned giving £208.90; Average weekly SO £785.00; Candles £28.11
Priests’ Retirement Fund £176.87
THANK YOU for all your generous support.
ST COLUMBA’S COFFEE ROTA:
The coffee rota is on the noticeboard in St Columba’s Hall. Please enter your name and good cause against your preferred dates. You could make £30-£50 for your chosen cause.
25th Feb – Sue McCarthy for CAFOD
3rd Mar – volunteers please
10th Mar – volunteers please
FISH ‘N CHIP BABIES:
Many thanks to all of you who supported the Coffee Morning after Mass last Sunday in support of the above effort. A total of £74 was raised which will be used to defray the cost of shipping your knitwear to the UK shipping hub in Northamptonshire.
PIETY STALL:
There will be a Piety Stall in the Hall on Sunday 3rd March, selling Easter cards and religious items.
RED BOXES:
ST THERESA’S – Please leave your box in the sacristy to be counted.
ST COLUMBA’S- If you have a Red Mission box for collection, please leave it in the sacristy. When counted I can return your box to your home. Thank you, Margaret Curtis 01244 318424.
PRAYING TOGETHER
We pray for:
- the residents of Ellesmere Avenue, Pensby Avenue, Kendal Close, Donne Place, Kipling Road, Wordsworth Mews and Wordsworth Square.
- For Pax Christi, Saving to Share, Mission Groups, Christian Aid, CAFOD and Traidcraft.
- For our mission in the wider church.
LENT AND EASTER
STATIONS OF THE CROSS:
During Lent there will be Stations of the Cross every week. Monday at 10am at St Columba’s in the Iona Chapel and Friday at 9.30am at St Theresa’s.
Stations of the Cross in the COCH Spiritual Care Centre:
The stations of the cross will be prayed on Thursdays during Lent in the Hospital chapel at 12.15pm. All welcome.
SERVICE TIMES:
Leaflets are available with the service and Mass times for Lent and Easter. Please do take one with you.
CHRISTIAN AID LENT LUNCHES:
During Lent in St Mary’s, Handbridge, 12 noon – 1.30pm. See poster in church porches for further dates and venues.
CAFOD LENT FAST DAY:
This Lent, your donations to CAFOD’s Family Fast Day appeal will help hardworking people like James the fisherman in Liberia with resources, tools and training to feed their families for good. Give today using the envelope or online at cafod.org.uk and please join us in praying with James that our sisters and brothers around the world have what they need to feed their families. Use the envelope in the church porches or give online at cafod.org.uk.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER:
An Ecumenical service of prayer and praise will be held at St. Columba’s at 10.30am on Friday the 1st of March. The service will be approximately 40 minutes long and followed by refreshments in the Newman room. All are welcome.
PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL AGM:
This will take place on Monday 4th March in St Theresa’s Centre from 7 – 8.30 pm followed by refreshments. Please do your best to attend and find out about the work of the Council.
Referring to Pastoral Councils, St John Paul 11 says “Their activity within Church communities is so necessary that without it the apostolate of the Pastors is generally unable to achieve its full effectiveness” CHRISTIFIDELES LAICI – On The Vocation and the mission of the Lay faithful in the Church and in the World, no.28.
PASTORAL COUNCIL –
VOLUNTEERING IN THE LIFE OF YOUR PARISH:
Pope Francis’ Synodal Message:
“By growing together in Communion, the people of God deepen their Participation in the life of the Church and so become more effective Missionary disciples in the world”.
To carry out Pope Francis’ message, your Pastoral Council has been considering how the parish can be even more inclusive, engaging and outgoing. Last October we had the first round of volunteer recruitment which was centred round physical activities – we are very grateful for those who came forward to volunteer. The next phase focuses on the more spiritual aspects of church life such as volunteering for children’s liturgy, becoming an altar server or a reader at Mass.
This weekend co-chairs of the Pastoral Council, Pauline Rourke and Ann McCarthy, will be speaking at Masses with details of how you can get involved.
“DIOCESAN MARRIAGE MASS:
The Annual Diocesan Marriage Mass will take place here at St Columba’s Church on Saturday 8th June 2024. If you have a special anniversary this year, please get in touch with the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Curial Offices, 2 Park Road South, Prenton, CH43 4UX or telephone 0151-652-9855. Many thanks.”
PROPOSED WALSINGHAM PILGRIMAGE 8th -11th APRIL
Fr William has given his blessing to organising a pilgrimage to Our Lady’s National Shrine. The cost (assuming 30 on pilgrimage) would be approximately £400 per person including coach travel, accommodation in en-suite single or double/twin rooms, with breakfast and evening meal, in Elmham House, Walsingham. To register your interest in joining the pilgrimage, please add your name and contact details to one of the lists in the church porches, or contact one of our parish secretaries.
DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES:
Brochures and booking forms are now available on the pilgrimage website www.shrewsburypilgrimage.co.uk or by ringing 07773 324264, or if you are aged 16 – 22 please email youth@dioceseofshrewsbury.org for an application form to join the youth section of our pilgrimage. This year our pilgrimage dates are: by air Friday 26 July to Thursday 1 August, by coach Thursday 25 July to Friday 2 August and for our young people Wednesday 24 July to Friday 2 August.
LOURDES BY JUMBULANCE 2024:
Wirral and Chester Across Groups are taking sick and disabled pilgrims to Lourdes on Thursday 30th May – Saturday 9th June and Thursday 15th – 24th August. by Jumbulance.. For further information, contact Tony Murphy on 07881-656-974 or tonymurphy2002@yahoo.co.uk.
NEEDLES AND PINS:
This friendly and welcoming sewing group will meet in the Newman room in St Columba’s 2:00-4:00pm next Wed, 28th February.
RIGHT TO LIFE (UK)
Ask your MP to support the abortion time limit reduction amendment
Support an amendment to reduce our abortion time limit from 24 weeks to 22 weeks. Research indicates that a significant number of babies born at 22 or 23 weeks can now survive outside the womb, leaving a contradiction in our abortion law. Take action: Collect a postcard today from the back of the church and post it to your MP urgently in support of this amendment! – our MP is Samantha Dixon.
ZUMBATHON in aid of Ugandan Orphanages:
In St Columba’s Hall on Saturday 9th March 12 to 2pm, £10 adults £5 children over 6. To raise funds to send 60 children to school from the Home of Peace and Christ’s Heart orphanages in Uganda. All ages and abilities welcome.
REQUEST FOR UNWANTED KNITTING WOOL:
If anyone has wool they don’t need, please consider donating it to the makers of hats and jumpers for the Fish & Chip babies, please contact Margaret Curtis (318424) to arrange a handover.
SVP APPEAL – For Household Goods:
We are currently supporting a family that have moved to Chester and are in need of beds (double and single), a desk (ideally a computer desk), curtains and curtain poles. If you can help with any of these items please ring Sue McCarthy 07515491251 or speak to a member of the SVP. Thank you.
Thought for the week “It isn’t enough to talk about peace; one must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it; one must work at it” Eleanor Roosevelt.
We’re all in this together. So how have the prayer, fasting and almsgiving been going in Lent so far? These are seen as the three traditional pillars of Lent and how we prepare ourself, mind and body for Easter. Prayer can help us to become more responsive to those who suffer around us; fasting may help us recognise maybe bad habits and how to overcome them and almsgiving can show us how to be generous, not just financially but maybe with our time to help others, our community or our Parish. May your Lent allow you to see the future with positivity.
Resources Cheshire West Citizens Advice – Our Energy Saving Team offers free telephone or in person advice to anyone who wants to find out more about how to manage their energy usage. The team offers free energy appointments which can either be held via the telephone, at one of our offices or a home visit. https://energy-advice.paperform.co/
CANTORES OEUMENICA:
Presenting “Olivet to Calvary” on Palm Sunday 24th March at 4pm in Holy Angels RC Church, Wicker Lane, Hale Barns WA15 0HF. Entry is FREE with a retiring collection for charity. For further details, including directions to venue, follow this link http://cantoresoec.org/
ST COLUMBA’S CHURCH & HALL BOOKINGS
To arrange meetings etc. in either the Church, Newman Room or the Iona Chapel, please book through Carol Galvin, St. Columba’s Church Office, phone: 01244 624019, email: stcolumbaschurch2016@outlook.com. Office hours Monday to Friday 8.30am to 12.30pm
Hall availability can be checked by looking at St Columba’s Church website – section for Church Hall gives a calendar of events in the Hall. Then contact Sue Carr on 07553 114531 or email columbashallbookings@gmail.com to arrange booking.
NEXT WEEK’S NEWSLETTER:
3rd March edition will be compiled by Rebecca Vaughan, phone:01244 318632 ; or email: rebecca_vghn@yahoo.co.uk. Please include a phone number in case of queries, and please ensure that items are emailed or phoned to the compiler by 9.00a.m. on WEDNESDAY 28th FEBRUARY 2024