Parish Newsletter

Statement from Bishop Mark - Friday 12th June
A TIME MARKED BY JOY

"It is with special joy that we anticipate the beginning of the re-opening of the churches on Monday 15th June. This will also be a time of special responsibility for us in conforming to the standards of safety and Covid security required in society. It has been wonderful to hear from more than 50 parishes who expressed the wish to be part of the first phase of the re-opening and especially good to hear of the many volunteers who have come forward. I appreciate that some parishes will not be ready for some weeks to come and that you need to make local judgments. However, the experience gained across the Diocese will help us be ready in the weeks and months ahead for the return of the public celebration of the Mass and the Sacraments. Let us hope this will not be long delayed.”

So, St Werburgh’s Prepares!

Three meetings so far of our first-class Reopening Task Force - Syd and Denise Jones (Parish Council), Brian Burns and John Curtis (Health & Safety Group) and joined now by Marian McCarthy from Finance Committee, who’s kindly wolunteered (she didn’t!) to co-ordinate Steward Training and Rota. As you know, twelve great Werbies have wolunteered to be Stewards and we’re now looking at Steward Training (which is on Wednesday 17th June, 6.00 - 7.30 pm). We’ve completed our own Diocesan Risk Assessment and sent it into the Diocese. When it’s approved, our doors can open. Let’s recap on how it is all going to work:

• Maximum of ten in church at any one time
• Seated on ten safe-spaced red chairs
• Fifteen-minute slots, ten people in and ten out
• Queuing outside to be strictly six feet apart
• All red chairs to be disinfected between slots
• Two sessions each week
• Wednesday (6.00-7.30) and Sunday (11.00-12.30)
• Four Stewards on duty for each 1½ hour session
• Two Stewards manning the entrance and exit
• Two Stewards inside for seating and cleaning
• Thorough cleansing of whole area at the end of each session
• Everyone to use anti-bacterial hand gel entering and leaving
• Everyone strongly encouraged to wear some form of face covering
• No children under eight except babies in arms
• Anyone officially shielding must not come, as they should not be leaving home for any reason
• Anyone with flu-like symptoms - coughing and sneezing - should not come - better off at home

Sorry that’s rather a long list of do’s and don’ts, folks, but they’re the instructions we’ve been given by the Diocese: what we need to do to keep safe.

Hour Outside Church Sunday Morning

10.00-11.00 am, for Catholic papers, Newsletters or just to say "Hello!” Why not come along?

Our Twelve Volunteer Stewards

We appealed for a dozen good’uns, and in less than twenty-four hours, a dozen super good’uns had put their names forward. A thousand thanks: we just can’t re-open church without you! Marian McCarthy is i/c Volunteer training and Rota, and our Training Session is next Wednesday, in church, 6.00-7.30 pm. The twelve good men and true: Marian, David Quayle, Simon and Consilia Black, Tricia Poulton, Liz Aiello. Bernie Walsh, Pam Mullen, Mikhael Ahmad, Steve Tierney, Georgina Elliott and Diana Scipanova. We owe you twelve a lot!

Austin Tighe RIP

Love and sympathy go out to Catherine Neal on the death of her father, Austin, at home in Halifax. Her Mum and Dad were frequent visitors here, and we send out condolences to all the family, especially our own Catherine, Simon, Emily and Eliza.

Newsletter "Outsides” from Redemptorists

We are now out of these, and none available until Lockdown is over. Printed Newsletters will therefore be just "insides”, either side of an A4 sheet.

Mass Intentions During Lockdown

Still honoured and delighted to say your Mass Intentions: but there is only one Mass each day except Sunday (two) and that does mean that some pre-booked Intentions may not be on the exact day you requested if it was a Sunday. I’ll try to say your Mass on the nearest available day.

"Online giving to the Parish”

An online donation page has been added to the Parish website. It’s the third box down on the Home Page. (Box One, Official Statements, Box Two, Blog.)

Living Differently

During these strange times of Spring/Summer 2020, we are all finding ways of living differently. ‘Living Differently’ is a new set of free online resources from Retreat House Chester, offering the good things of retreat as we wend our way slowly and thoughtfully through these unfolding times. Go well. The ‘Living Differently’ resources are available on our website https://retreathousechester.co.uk/living-differently Please share this invitation and these resources wherever you can. Thank you.

Keeping in Touch during this Period

Newsletters and Information Sheets will be available two ways, as usual: hard copies, in the Newsletter Box on the Front Door of the Church; and on the website, as you’ve always done. Log on to: www.stwerburghchester.co.uk. On the home page, you will see three links: one takes you to all the official statements; the second is the childish Parish Priest’s Daily Blog; the third is online giving.

Photo of the Week: St Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi

Nineteenth Century Gothic Revival architecture, similar to St Werburgh’s, it’s the mother church of the Diocese of Hanoi serving over 4 million Catholics. St Joseph is the Patron Saint of Vietnam and Indochina. Many thanks to our good friend Judith from Christleton Churches Together for sending it in.