Evan Rothwell and Ann Massey

We will be holding a Memorial Service here for Evan on Saturday 14th December at 11.00 am, when his remarkable young life will be celebrated  by all who knew him. All warmly welcome. His funeral will then have taken place, and strictly private, please. Ann Massey, with characteristic generosity, left her body to Medical Science, so no funeral for Ann. But we are actively organising her Memorial Service and hope to let you have the date by next weekend. Again, all warmly welcome. 

 

First Sunday of Advent – Year C – New Lectionary

We begin a New Liturgical Year and our new Lectionaries. Copies for readers are in the drawer in the porch.

 

Christmas Mass Times

• 4.00 pm Christmas Eve Children’s Mass – Booking Essential#
• 6.00 pm Christmas Eve Children’s Mass – Booking Essential
• 8.30 pm: Vigil Mass of Christmas
• 11.30 pm: Carols and Midnight Mass
• 9.00: Dawn Mass of Christmas
• 10.45: Day Mass of Christmas
• 10.00 am Boxing Day: Altar Servers Mass of St Stephen

Booking for the 2 Children’s Masses will go live this week. 

 

Christmas Volunteer Rota Now Out

Please sign up for any or all of the many, many volunteer ministries over the Christmas period. Thank you!

 

Advent Day-by-Days and Sacred Heart Messenger

Now both on the News-stand, £1 each. 

 

Support our Primary School Christmas Fair Raffle

Tickets £1 each or £5 a book. On sale at the back of Church between Sunday morning Masses on 1st Dec. Thanks for your support!

 

FHC Parish Group – Next Meeting, 3rd December 6.30

In Church and in the Parish House. For parents and children not at Catholic Schools. The children will need their preparation books and pencil cases.  If there are any photographs or forms that need to be returned, please will you bring them along too.

 

Music for Advent

To mark the period of quiet reflection that washes over us during Advent, we will be using the solemn Advent Alleluia and Bernadette Farrell's Mass of Hope on all four Sundays. In addition, the Choir will be singing a Communion anthem at the 9.00 am Mass each week: (1st) Hosea: Come Back To Me / Gabriel's Oboe; (2nd) Wait for the Lord - Taizé; (3rd) O Come, Divine Messiah; and (4th) Come, Come Emmanuel. We are still looking for singers for Midnight Mass, especially those with a high range. Please contact Tom Rozario if you're interested: music@stwerburghchester.co.uk. Or simply come to our 6.00 pm rehearsal every Thursday in church.

 

2025: 150th Anniversary of our Church

The Feast of St Werburgh begins the year of our 150th Anniversary. If you’d like to join the steering group as we begin the planning, please let FP know.

 

Christmas Tree 2024

This Christmas, like last year, we would again love it if everybody in our church community would like to add their own special prayer or wish to adorn the branches of our Christmas tree. No wish too small and we would love as many of you as possible to get involved. There are white stars at the back of church; please add your wish and leave it in the box provided.

 

Items for the Newsletter – A Cry from the Heart!

Please get them in by Thursday at the latest. Thanks. 

 

Carol Singing in the Nursing Homes

The SVP would like to invite you to join us singing carols on Tuesday 10th December. We will be joining the residents of Grosvenor Villas care home at 10.30, and at the Oaklands Care Home at 14.30. Please join us for either or both on a day of Christmas merriment!

 

Missing House Key

Remember it’s been missing for some weeks? Saw the Bishop on Tuesday: “Ah, Paul! When I was on Visitation in September, you kindly loaned me a house key in case I wanted to go out in the afternoon…”

 

Recent Photo Exhibition in Church

Following the success of the pilot exhibition, Alex is now preparing for the full exhibition that will take place in June. In this respect he would like to put on display some contributions which come from Parishioners. Photographs of feelings, personal stories, myths or traditions is what is required together with a short statement of interpretation. It would also be special as the exhibition will form part of our 150 year celebrations. There are some information cards at the back of the church or contact Alex on https://ChesterPhotoFestival.com   Thanks, everyone.

 

Welcoming Christmas Wizziters to St Werburgh’s

As we begin Advent and in preparation for Christmas, we would like to extend our Welcome to all in Chester, visitors and residents. If you are able to help with preparing Mass Time cards or delivering them to hotels and tourist offices, please email Litugy@stwerburgh.co.uk or sign up at back of Church.

 

Catholic High School Religious OFSTED Inspection

“We are proud to announce that the overall quality of Catholic Education provided by the school is Good, having achieved an Outstanding Catholic Life and Mission, Good Religious Education, and Outstanding Collective Worship. This can only happen thanks to the dedicated work of Mrs. McKeagney, our headteacher; Mrs. Johnson, Chair of Governors; and all the team members, especially Ana, our School Chaplain”. Full report, please visit our school website: Catholic-Schools-Inspectorate-Report-2024-CHSC.pdf

 

Knitted Nativity Raffle in aid of CAFOD. 

Raffle Tickets available to buy £1 a strip before and after Masses and at Welcome Wednesdays during Advent. The raffle will be drawn  after the 9.00 am Mass on Sunday December 22nd.

 

Welcome Wednesdays Last Week and This

This week, “A Precious Object”. Please bring to WW a possession that has treasured memories and be ready to share why this particular object is special to you. The recent Talk about the Hospice and the sale of Christmas items raised the wonderful total of £233.70  for Hospice funds.  Grateful thanks to everyone.

 

Chester Operatic Society: “Christmas is Coming”

A concert of sacred and popular Christmas music.
Friday, 13th December 7.30 pm. Here in St Werburgh's. Ticket price: £16.50 (includes mince pie and glass of mulled wine or soft drink at interval).  Tickets available after Mass or by calling 01244 675431 or online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/chesteroperatic 

 

New Stewards and Readers Wanted

We are looking for new readers to join the Ministry of the Word. All you need is a clear voice and the confidence to have a go! Training is provided. Interested? Then let Fr Paul know or email  marian.mccarthy@btinternet.com as soon as possible.
Stewards for Christmas season: We will need 3 or 4 stewards at most of the Christmas Masses, working alongside the Welcomers, to ensure that everyone gets a seat for the busy Masses. Whether you have stewarded before or not, if you think you could help then please sign up on the Christmas Volunteers sheet at the back of church. Briefing will be provided.

 

Hospital Mass This Thursday 12th December

12.15 pm, in the Hospital Chapel. This Mass is for all the staff, patients, patient families, volunteers and parishioners of our area. If you’re able to attend, we’d love to welcome you to the COCH chapel.

 

Donation to “Welcome Wednesdays”

Sincere thanks to our friends at Dutton and Hallmark for another generous donation of £100 to support our Welcome Wednesdays. Thanks, Simon and Anne!

 

Beautiful Christmas Presents for the Right Person

Each year, we’ve advertised excellent second-hand items given to us by generous parishioners that would make fantastic Christmas Presents, with all the proceeds going to Caritas. Today, a virtually brand new Fieldscope, ideal for bird watching or observing wild animals or any aspect of nature. It’s a Nikon ED 50 Angled Fieldscope with 2 eyepieces and protective cover. Terrestrial telescope for viewing magnified images of distant objects such as observing wild animals or bird watching. Exceptionally compact and lightweight body and nitrogen gas-filled waterproof construction. Also, Velbon PH-157Q telescopic tripod. All in excellent condition. On table at back of church if you’d like to have a look, but please handle carefully! Sealed bids to FP, please, by Sunday 22nd December at the latest. Hearty thanks to the donor. 

 

SVP Christmas 2nd Collection: 7th and 8th December

The money raised will go to the families and beneficiaries we support especially during Christmas. We will also be making a donation to the SVP Wirral Support Centre.  We thank you as usual for your generosity and support.

 

SVP High School Tea: Thursday 5th Dec, 2.00 pm

Everyone warmly invited. Let Marco know if you’d like to attend (bububaba05@icloud.com) and contact Fran fran.waldie@gmail.com if you require transport.

 

Chaplaincy Vacancy at HMP Stoke Heath Prison

Near Market Drayton in Shropshire. For a job description and application information: 92268 - Roman Catholic Ordained Priest/ Deacon, Religious Brother, Sister - MoJ or contact Mohammed Rahman,
Imam & Managing Chaplain, HMP & YOI Stoke Heath on
01630 636175. Closing date: 13th December.

 

PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) Here on 28th Nov

For all our equipment & any that parishioners bring in. Over seventy items were tested and passed, and thanks to the History Group for bringing in their projector and leads. Remember, if you bring in anything electrical, it must be PAT tested. An incredible number of fires begin with faulty electrical equipment. No PAT test? No bringing in, please. 

CathSoc Tonight, 1st December: Debate Night

All students warmly welcome: Sunday, 7.00 pm

 

Our Parish Posada Statue Journey

The beautiful statue of the Holy Family moves round the parish, one night in each parishioner’s home, as an Advent Symbol of the journey of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to that stable in Bethlehem. We start today, Sunday 1st December, with Sebastian and Geraldine receiving the statue at the 10.45 Mass. If you’d like to host the Posada Statue, there are still a few gaps on the rota at the back of church. Please add your name, giving your location and telephone number. The arrangements for transfer are made between host families. Queries: Elizabeth Hoey 01244 683258

 

Wanted: English Language A Level (AQA) Tutor

Please let FP know if you can help out. 

 

Assisted Dying Bill: Friday’s Vote

I can only write personally, and say I heard the news of the vote with enormous sadness. I am sure we as a country have crossed a line here, yet another assault on the Sanctity of Life that we cherish so dearly. My only hope is that, as the detail of the bill is debated, its fundamental unworkability will become more and more obvious. I cannot thank you all enough for the views and articles you sent in, and for coming to our Open Discussion Evening on 19th November. 

 

Youth Mass Last Sunday for Christ the King

Another joyous and spirit-filled Mass on Sunday evening for Christ the King, “Youth Sunday”. The youngsters – readers, servers, musicians, prayers, Welcomers – were superb, and fill us with hope for the church of tomorrow. We took as our theme, “Earth’s Proud Empires Pass Away – only Almighty God’s Empire of Peace and Love lasts for ever”. But I do have to ask one question: why did our youngsters get every single question right, while the adults couldn’t answer a single one?? Just asking. 

 

“Spend, spend, spend!” Five Tickets Left!

We’re in business for another fantastic Werbies Theatre Trip over to the magical Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. “Spend, spend, spend” is a newly written musical inspired by the life of pools winner Viv Nicholson. She won £152,319 on the Football Pools in 1961(only the Choir are old enough to remember Football Pools), equivalent to about £4,500,000 today. She vowed to “Spend, spend, spend” and really did, with predictable results… Thursday 2nd January at 2.30 pm. Tickets are £25 each and we’ll take the train together from Chester to Manchester Piccadilly (around £20 return without a railcard). Plus an after-show supper which FP is negotiating as we write. 5 remaining tickets – deadline next weekend – 8th December. 
[Two fun facts: Viv only died in 2015; and it was actually her husband Keith who won the pools, not her. Isn’t it always the way: us chaps make the money, you girls spend it??]

 

Photo of the Week: Traquair House

The oldest inhabited house in Scotland, south of Edinburgh, it ws the home of the Catholic Stuarts for centuries. Nathalie’s picture (really taken by Loic) is of the Priest’s Room, where Mass was said in secret during Penal Times. Thanks, Loic!