Prayer Intentions
During Easter we are asked to pray for these intentions: New Members of the Church; Vocations; The Right Use of the Media; Survivors of Abuse; the Church; Human Work.
Important Notice - Change of Sunday Mass Times
- As from Sunday 5th May there will be no Sunday 8:00am mass at St Francis Church.
- The Sunday 9:45am mass at St Francis Church will be moved to start at the earlier time of 9:30am.
This has been discussed in the parish council, please feel free to share your opinions to any of the brothers. There are masses at the Convent each day (including Sunday from 5th May) at 8:00am and all the masses are open to everyone.
The reasons for these changes are; At present, we have six masses on Sundays including the 6:30pm Saturday Vigil mass. These are the Saturday Vigil mass, Sunday 8am, 9.45am, 11.15am Convent, 12.00 & 4.30pm Polish masses. Due to the number of priests available to say mass this number needs to be reduced. The small change of 9.45am mass to 9.30am will give the English community a few extra minutes for coffee morning before the Polish community arrives for mass.
Sunday Mass Times (from Sunday 5th May 2024)
- Saturday 6:30pm - Vigil Mass in English
- Sunday 9:30am - Family Mass in English
- Sunday 12:00pm - Polish Family Mass
- Sunday 4:30pm - Polish Mass
Mass Times at the Convent
- Every day at 8:00am - In English, all are welcome
Lourdes Overland via JumbulanceThursday 30th May - Saturday 9th June 2024Thursday 15th - Saturday 24th August 2024
Tony Murphy will make an appeal for a nurse, helpers and sick and disabled pilgrims for the two local Across Groups that go to Lourdes by Jumbulance. Wirral Group travel from Thursday 30th May to Saturday 8th June. Chester Group travel from Thursday 15th to Saturday 24th August and Brother John Cavanagh is the Chaplain. A second collection will be made at all masses, the weekend of 27th/28th April.
Franciscan Brother John Cavanagh is Chaplain. Cost including a kitty and insurance is £1,095. Nurses and young people in full time education pay half price. Help may be available if people cannot afford the full amount. Travel insurance is available for just £65.
For further information, visit www.across.org.uk or contact Tony Murphy 07881 656974 or email tonymurphyefc2002@yahoo.co.uk
Further Threat to the Unborn of Abortion up to Birth
In the next couple of weeks an attempt is to be made to widely decriminalise abortion up to the birth. This is a further assault on the sanctity of human life in our society. This extreme amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill is being made by Diana Johnson MP and parliamentarians will be under pressure to support the amendment on grounds of compassion for mothers who seek to abort their unborn child beyond the legal limits.
The effect would be to withdraw legal protection from the unborn. It is important to make our voice heard in support of the unborn child. The Right to Life website has details under ‘Take Action’ which enables you to find and contact your MP directly and the website of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has helpful information under ‘Resources.’ The Right to Life website also has details of an alternative amendment by Caroline Ansell MP to reduce the legal limit for abortion from 24 to 22 weeks on the basis of the increased survival rates for babies being born at 22 and 23 weeks. We cannot doubt the impact which your e-mail or letter will have in making known opposition to decriminalizing abortion up to birth and in support of the value of every human life.
https://righttolife.org.uk/littlefighters https://www.spuc.org.uk/Mark – Bishop of Shrewsbury
Please contact your Member of Parliament to ask that they oppose the decriminalization of abortion up to birth:
SAMANTHA DIXON Parliamentary office House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Phone: 020 7219 3000 Email: Samantha.dixon.mp@parliament.uk Constituency Office Phone: 01244 343229
Br Prins 25th Anniversary
You will remember Br Prins who was Parish Priest at St. Francis a few years ago. On 10th April this year it was 25 years to the day since he was ordained to the Priesthood. Can we remember him in our prayers and this special day as he celebrates such a wonderful achievement.
Car Parking at St Francis Church
Please note the following and many thanks for your co-operation.
- Car park is for Church and Hall use only.
- Park your car prudently using every available space. For those who are arriving first please use the spaces against the wall not the front spaces.
- Any regular parishioners using the car park out of service time must inform one of the brothers using any medium of communication to avoid confusions.
Job Vacancy - Exam Invigilators
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.
Gift Aid Envelopes 2024-25
Boxes of envelopes for the coming year will be placed on the table at the back of the church shortly. Please would you collect your box after Mass. For those people not taking part in the Gift Aid Scheme, or those regularly completing the white individual envelopes each week, if you wish to participate in the scheme and obtain a box of weekly envelopes a special form is available from the Parish Priest. Please complete, sign and date the form and hand it back to the Parish Priest after Mass.
Please also let us know if your circumstances have changed, ie you are no longer a taxpayer or if you have had a change of address since the last envelopes were issued, again please inform the Parish Priest. For every £1 donated by a taxpayer the Parish can claim 25p from H M Revenue & Customs.
Sacrament of ConfirmationFriday 8th November 2024
The next Chester parishes Sacrament of Confirmation will be on Friday, 8th November, 2024. Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation will be led by St. Columba and St. Theresa's Confirmation team.
Any one who is currently at high school may be Confirmed in November, with no upper age limit. If you wish to be Confirmed please email stcolumbatheresaconfirmation@hotmail.co.uk to register and receive further information about the preparation program. Please say in your email if you are over 18, as adults will be prepared separately.
The Rosary
The Rosary will be recited at 11.30am Monday to Thursday. If you would like to volunteer to lead the Rosary please contact Br Jinson. All are welcome to join in.
The prayers that compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten Hail Marys, called "decades". Each decade is preceded by one Lord's Prayer, and traditionally followed by one Glory Be.
Usually, five decades are recited in a session. Each decade provides an opportunity to meditate on one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which recall events in the lives of Jesus Christ and his mother Mary.
Wikipedia contains a series on the Rosary of the Catholic Church available via this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosary
Sunday 9:45am Mass - Hymns & Music
Sunday 12th May 2024 Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year B) |
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Organ Prelude: Chorale Prelude on ‘Let us pray now for the Holy Spirit’ ( D. Buxtehude) |
Entrance: 289, ‘Praise Him As He Mounts The Skies’ (Tune - Llanfair) |
Sung: 518, Kyrie; 529, Gloria; Psalm; Alleluia; 570, Sanctus; Eucharistic Prayer Acclamation; 591, Agnus Dei; |
Communion: Choir Motet - ‘Introit for Ascension’(Words - A. T. Russell; Music - Anon arr. P. Ledger) |
Recessional: 326, ‘Rejoice! The Lord Is King!’ (Tune - Gopsal) |
Organ Postlude: Ricercare on D (J. J. Froberger) |
Monthly First Friday DevotionFriday 3rd May 2024
Join us for First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, following the 10.30am Stations of the Cross in St Francis Church, in front of the Sacred Heart statue of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The statue depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a representation of the love of Christ, devotion to which, although it first appeared explicitly in the late 13th century, only became widespread after the Napoleonic Wars.
It was declared a universal feast of the Church in 1856, and in 1875, the year our church was opened, Pope Pius IX exhorted all Catholics to consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart. It might be considered a visual portrayal of the same sense of Jesus's overflowing love for mankind as is conveyed in the words of Methodist hymns dating from the same era.
An Update on Br Jim
Br Jim is thankfully no longer in the hospital and is currently at Florence Grogan House in Blacon for some respite care after which it is hoped that he will return to the Friary. The address of where he is: Florence Grogan House, Shelley Road, Blacon, Chester, CH1 5XA. Please feel free to visit Br Jim whilst he is in respite at Florence Grogan House. Once he is back at the Friary a notice will be put in the newsletter.
A Day for Catechists in the Diocese of ShrewsburySaturday, 18th May 2024
The Department of Catechesis and Promotion of the Vocation of Marriage is pleased to announce a Diocesan conference specifically aimed at catechists who are involved in preparing young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The day is being run by the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph, a group of experienced and visionary catechists who have conducted a number of inspiring and highly enjoyable days for us already within the diocese. We are particularly blessed that Bishop Mark will be joining us for the day.
The conference is on Saturday 18th May 2024 from 10am till 4pm and is to be held in the Parish Centre of St Mary's RC Church, Crewe.
The event is free of charge.
For more details and to book your place, please follow the Eventbrite link below:: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-day-for-catechists-in-the-diocese-of-shrewsbury-tickets-851383700567
English Catholic History Associaton Visit to Holywell Saturday 25th May 2024
Dear St Francis Church, Chester
I hope that this finds you well. My name is William King and I am the secretary of the English Catholic History Association. I was wondering if any of your parishioners would be interested in taking part in one of our forthcoming events?
We haven't organised an in-person visit for several years, so I was very keen to organise an event in 2024. We are going to Holywell on 25th May and I would be very happy if people from parishes in Chester would be able to join us. I am sure that many of your parishioners will have been already, but I still thought it worthwhile to ask. We have arranged for a tour at the Well, an optional lunch at the convent guest house and a tour and talk at St Winefride's Catholic Church.
It is only £8 for non-members, plus £15 in cash for the Bridgettine Sisters if they would like to take lunch with them. Payment by cheque or bank transfer (details for the latter available from myself). A link to the booking form is below. I do hope that some of your parishioners will be able to join us. Please return booking forms by 25th March 2024.
[Visit to Holywell - Booking Form]
Regards, William King, Secretary
Highlights from the High
Clothes and Bric-A-Brac Collection Point
We have placed a large metal container near the school carpark, by the external wall to the Hall. All donations collected by Collection4Clothes+ are sorted and sent to least economically developed countries where they are sold at local affordable prices that benefit their local communities. The royalties made from these sales are donated to the Birmingham Children's Hospital. You are welcome to drop off any clothes or unwanted gifts at this collection point.
St Francis' Repository
Many thanks to everyone who has given to our Repository - this all contributes to the upkeep of our Church and we are most grateful. Please keep bringing them in and we will lovingly restore them! We would especially welcome any unwanted holy items such as statues, crosses, medals and rosary beads.
A good stock of Mass, Prayer and general cards are all available and Holy Water direct from Lourdes! Please feel welcome to browse!
Why not come along and have a look and buy someone special a present!Additional photos on our 'Gallery' page.