EASTER WEEK FIVE
28TH APRIL 2024
| Sat 27 Apr | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | Tom Groom RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | John Black | |
| Sun 28 Apr | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Brian Kelly RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Stuart Worrall Anniversary | |
| Mon 29 Apr | St Catherine of Siena, V, D | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 1.30pm | Funeral Service Cecilia Relish | |
| St. Columba’s | 10.30am | Chris Steele RIP | |
| Tue 30 Apr | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Special Intention | ||
| St. Columba’s | James Connolly RIP | ||
| Wed 1 May | |||
| St. Theresa’s | Priests’ Intention | ||
| St. Columba’s | 9.30am | Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament | |
| 10.15am | Novena Prayers | ||
| 10.30am | Frank Stone Jnr | ||
| Thu 2 May | St Athanasius, B, D | ||
| St. Theresa’s | Parishioners’ Intentions | ||
| St. Columba’s | Thomas Hanratty RIP | ||
| Fri 3 May | Ss Philip & James, Ap. | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 10.00am | Mary & Frank Lally RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | Private Intentions | ||
| Sat 4 May | The English Martyrs | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | Margaret Turnbull’s Intentions | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | The Parish | |
| Sun 5 May | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Parishioners’ Intentions | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Special Intentions |
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.
LIVE STREAMING OF MASS:
Mass will be streamed from St Columba’s at 11a.m. this Sunday 28th April 2024
www.facebook.com/thecatholicparishofstcolumbaandsttheresa
POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS – For April -for the role of women – Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.
ANNIVERSARIES:
John Bond, Michael Thornber, Carol Anne Murray, Brian Peter Kelly, Michael Patrick Murray, Thomas William Groom, Mary Lally.
CONFESSIONS:
There will be Confessions after each weekday Mass until 11.30a.m.
St Columba’s: From 6pm before the 6.30p.m. Saturday evening Mass.
St Theresa’s: From 4.30p.m. before 5p.m. Saturday evening Mass.
RECENTLY DECEASED:
Please remember in your prayers Cecilia Relish of Warwick Rd, who died recently. May the Lord console her family and friends. Cecilia Relish’s funeral is on Monday 29th April at 11am at St Theresa’s.
WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS AND FUNERALS:
Please contact one of the Parish Offices to make your arrangements.
OFFERTORY:
Loose Plate £738.17; Planned Giving £418.40; Average weekly SO £735.00; Candles £30.30;
Many thanks for 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.
28th April – volunteers please
5th May – Giovanne for Little Choir, music books
12th May – volunteers please
St Columba’s Little Choir
Sunday 5th May there will be coffee and cake after Mass at St Columba’s to raise funds to support the the Little Choir. The Little Choir leads the musical liturgy every 1st Sunday of the month but we do need new music books and other items so your support would be greatly appreciated.
PRAYING TOGETHER:
We pray for:
- the residents of Arley Close, Lincoln Drive, Grasmere Road, Imperial Avenue, Embassy Close, Bristol Close and Virginia Drive.
- the elderly and housebound.
- all who prepare the food and for those who come and enjoy the fellowship enjoyed at church meals
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.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNIONS – St Columba’s
On Sunday 5th May and Sunday 12th May at the 11.00a.m. Mass, children from the parish will be making their First Holy Communions. The central benches in church will be reserved for the children and their families on these occasions.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION – INFORMATION MEETING:
The next Chester Parishes Sacrament of Confirmation will be on 8th November 2024. Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation will be led by St. Columba and St. Theresa’s Confirmation team.
An information meeting will be held on Thursday 23rd May, at 7pm in St. Columbas church. If you wish to be Confirmed next November please email stcolumbatheresaconfirmation@hotmail.co.uk to register, before the meeting, stating your school year, or if you are over 18 and wish to join the adult preparation group. If you are not sure about being Confirmed then please come along to the meeting anyway to find out more. To to be eligible to be Confirmed you must be at high school now, or older (no upper age limit). For more information please call Denise Lusk on 01244 379742.
CONFIRMATION CATECHISTS
If you are already Confirmed, would you like to join our team who prepares our young parishioners to be Confirmed? It is a rewarding and enjoyable thing to do. For more information, or to volunteer, please call Denise Lusk on 01244 379742 or email stcolumbatheresaconfirmation@hotmail.co.uk
CHILDREN’S LITURGY:
We are delighted to announce that due to a couple of more volunteers, we can now offer Children’s Liturgy twice a month at St Columba’s. Thank you to all those who have expressed an interest in assisting with this vital part of the Mass and we hope that soon we will have enough volunteers to run it at both churches with the parish and each week. Should anybody be interested in helping with Children’s Liturgy please contact Gillian Blatch at gh.settle@gmail.com
PRAYER AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE WORKSHOP:
Pope Francis has designated 2024 a Year of Prayer. He urges us to embrace prayer ‘as the royal road to holiness’. As part of your journey to deepen your prayer life, we invite you to access a workshop entitled Growth in Holiness: Prayer and the Spiritual Life offered to you freely by the Diocese of Shrewsbury, in conjunction with the Franciscan Catechetical Institute. Please see notice boards or visit this webpage for more information: https://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/growth-in-holiness-prayer-and-the-spiritual-life-workshop-offering-for-parishes/
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD – 9th MAY:
The Ascension is a Holyday of Obligation and Mass will be at St Theresa’s at 10am and at St Columba’s at 7pm.
PENTECOST APPEAL FOR THE SPIRITANS:
The Holy Ghost Fathers, Spiritans (the Religious Order of Frs.William and Desmond) will be having a mission appeal in both churches in aid of their mission here in the UK and abroad, on Pentecost Sunday. Spiritan students: Caliel from Cameroon and Valentine from Nigeria will preachthe appeals. Parishioners are encouraged to contribute generously insupport of the Spiritan missions. Your donations make a lot of positiveimpact on the lives of your Christian brothers and sisters in need. For more information there are leaflets and envelopes available at the back of church.
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN UPTON:
The Annual Coach Outing will be held on Wednesday 29th May and will be to the church of Our Lady and St. Nicholas in Liverpool. See the Notice Boards for more details.
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.
DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS VACANCY:
The Diocese is seeking to recruit a Director of Schools and applications are now open. Details of the role and the application process can be found at https://www.tes.com/jobs/vacancy/director-of-schools-birkenhead-2040730
THE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL is looking for exam invigilators to support the exams from as soon as possible. If anyone is interested please visit the school website Vacancies – The Chester Catholic High School (christofidelis.org.uk) or email Mr Kilcoyne School Business Manager kilcoynea@christofidelis.org.uk for more details.
A YEAR OF ENCOUNTER:
With a UK general election due sometime this year, politicians will be looking for our votes. We have a responsibility as Catholics to make sure that parties commit to tackling issues such as poverty and injustice. Raising our voices and contacting parliamentary candidates as a parish community will send a strong signal to those standing for election in our local constituencies. A Year of Encounter is a joint initiative between CAFOD and St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), equipping Catholics to ask key questions of local candidates at the key moments. Please see cafod.org.uk/encounter for more information, including an online session on Saturday 4th May to learn more.
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 8.30a.m. to 12.30p.m.
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.
RED BOXES (St Theresa’s):
The boxes are available at the back of Church for you to collect. Thank you for your donations.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
We can’t choose the music life plays for us, but we can choose how we dance to it! Kate B Jackson
SVP THEATRE NIGHT – THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST:
The SVP will be holding their annual theatre night at the Gladstone theatre, Port Sunlight on Tuesday June 4th at 7.30. Tickets £12 available from Sue McCarthy or any SVP member.07515 491251. All proceeds go to the SVP holiday home.
BARN DANCE – ST COLUMBA’S HALL:
In aid of Hospice of the Good Shepherd. Saturday 1st June. Tickets £18. Telephone 07861049281 for tickets or more information.
CAFOD – CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE IN THE HOLY LAND:
Thousands of people have been killed across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory as the region witnesses the deadliest days in recent history. CAFOD unequivocally condemns this shocking killing and kidnapping of civilians. But we know more violence is never the answer.
The scale of the Israeli government’s violent retaliation is causing more civilian deaths and injuries. The decision to withhold food, water and fuel from reaching the two million inhabitants of Gaza – half of whom are children – will inevitably lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Will you email the Foreign Secretary to urge the UK to play its part in upholding international law, ensuring humanitarian aid can reach people in need, and works with other world leaders to secure a lasting peace for the region? Go to cafod.org.uk for more details of what to email. In addition we could all consider doing what we can personally to make our views known to those in authority, our MPs for instance. Copies of a CAFOD’s prayer for peace in Israel and Gaza are available in the church porches.
CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR NEWBORN BABIES IN AFRICA:
A request for unwanted sewing patterns for young children’s clothing, please. As part of our ongoing support for African children, we would like to make a variety of clothing for them, please arrange a handover with Margaret on 01244 318424.
NEXT WEEK’S NEWSLETTER:
5th May edition will be compiled by Eileen Irwin, phone: 01244 371660; or email: st.theresas@btinternet.com. Please include a phone number in case of queries, andplease ensure that items are emailed or phoned to thecompiler by 9.00A.M. on WEDNESDAY1st MAY 2024