Lent Penitential Service on Monday 7th, 7.00 pm

A short service followed by opportunity for individual confessions. All very welcome.

 
Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Nicholls and all Bishops

A very important letter, as the Terminally Ill (End of Life) Bill enters its final parliamentary stages. Now is the time to lobby our MP’s once again, before the final vote probably in late April. Every letter counts!

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/cardinal-assisted-suicide-pastoral-letter/

 
And We’re Off! First £1,000 for the Hospice Raised!

Our fundraising is off to a flying start, virtually there for our first thousand.  £400 from the Easter Eggs - wow! - £180 from the Bookmarks, £45 from Rowton, the surplus from the Hoover Appeal, and donations of about £250. Thanks for the cheque, Mike C! At this rate, we’ll reach our £15,000 target well before the end of the year. 
 

Holy Week and Easter Times

• Palm Sunday: Sat 6.00 pm Rowton, 9.00, 10.45, 6.00 pm
• Maundy Thursday: 12.15 and 7.30 pm
• Good Friday: 3.00 pm
• Holy Saturday: 8.30 pm and Midnight
• Easter Sunday: 9.00, 10.45, 6.00 pm.

 

Holy Week Readers’ Meeting: Wed 9th April, 7.00 pm

Essential for anyone who’s volunteered for Holy Week Reading, including Rowton: we have new leaflets, a new translation, and lots to get our heads round! 

Grosvenor Villas Easter Service: Thursday Afternoon

2.30 pm: do come and join us for this little service in one of our Nursing Homes. All warmly welcome.

 
Easter Volunteer Rota Now Out

Could all Readers, Welcomers, Eucharistic Ministers, Collectors and Fire Marshalls please sign up today? And Readers, please note: there is a compulsory meeting to go through everything on Wednesday 9th April, 7.00 pm.

 
150th Celebrations: Easter Wreath Workshop

An amazing evening last Thursday of flowers, fun and fizz at the High School, everyone going home with a Easter wreath for front doors. Proceeds to the Hospice. Huge thanks to Marie for organising and running such a fun evening and such a wonderful fund-raiser.  

 
2nd Collection Easter Flowers

£500. Thanks, everyone

 
Welcome Wednesday Quiz Morning Last Week

Well, we certainly know how to bring out the competitive edge in Werbies, don’t we?  Have a quiz! They’re still arguing about Dulux Dogs and MDCCCXXV -  - and we all know the latter is 1066, don’t we? Five tables, five teams, and blood on the carpet. Leopards won the very valuable First Prize with 47½, Absolutely Fabulous second with 45½; Grumpy Old Men, having a break from Doms, 42½; Biscuiteers with 42; and Happy 16 with 39. And boy, did they fight over those half marks!  Meanwhile, we are very grateful to all who supported our ‘special’ Easter Egg Sale last weekend.  We sold out and are now working towards another smaller batch for Sunday, 13th April in an effort to exceed £500 for Hospice Funds.  More chat, craft and dominoes this coming Wednesday.    

Old Library Bookcases: Half Been Taken!

All need a good home: if interested in any of them please see FP and make a donation towards our Hospice Appeal. Remember, we’re raising £15,000!

 
On the Free Table: Our Great War Books

Delighted so many found good homes last weekend. A few more available today, and then that’s it! Because the printers made an error, the whole batch had to be reprinted – so, we have a number now left, free to anyone who would like a copy. Just help yourselves!

 
150th Hospice Fundraising: Our Own Just Giving Page

https://www.justgiving.com/page/150-years-of-st-werburghs   Huge thanks to Cristina Jones (actually Andrew and Rufus) for preparing it – it’s now live!

 
Chester International Photography Festival 

Look out for the Exhibits around the Church soon. 

 
Next 150th Planning Meeting: Thursday 24th April

Everyone warmly welcome, especially if you have never been before and you have an idea for the rest of us to discuss. Come on board, everyone!

 
Day Chapel Booking System 

If you would like to use the Day Chapel, please email admin@stwerburghchester.co.uk to check availability. Please note that Wednesday mornings are block booked for Welcome Wednesdays.

 
Youth Mass March 30th Laetare (Mothering) Sunday

Another beautiful and moving Youth Mass last Sunday evening. Huge thanks to the team that makes this possible. These youngsters are the church of tomorrow, and we can never give them too much support and encouragement. Thanks, everyone!

 
SVP Glove Sale

With the nice weather, it's time to get in the garden, and the SVP is holding its yearly garden glove sale to help you, Sunday 6th April after every Mass. All the money collected will support the activities of the SVP.

 
Chester Rosary Group

We meet online on Thursdays at 8.00 pm. So, if you’d like to join us you are more than welcome. Please send us an email and we can send you the link for the meeting. Email: danielapereira358@gmail.com

 
Lent Stations of the Cross: Fridays at 7.00 pm

Friday 4th April Liz led us in the Lampedusa Stations, those amazing crosses made out of the wreckage of the boat carrying refugees from North Africa to Italy. It caught fire and sank, 11th October 2013, criminally overloaded with 500 refugees, 311 of whom lost their lives. A local carpenter on the island of Lampedusa, Francesco Tuccio, made a cross out of the wooden wreckage as a permanent reminder of this tragedy, and this cross has gone round the world as a symbol of the world-wide refugee crisis engulfing us all in recent years, inspiring so many imitation Lampedusa Crosses. Our final Lent Friday this year, 11th April, is Tom & the Choir:  Praying The Crucifix: A Taizé Lenten Devotion. This devotion combines the simple beauty of Taizé chant with prayer and reflection on different parts of the Crucifix from Julien Chilcott-Monks' Praying the Crucifix. Friday 11th April, 7.00 pm. See you all there, especially if you’ve not yet been able to join us for any of these wonderful Friday evenings.

 
Photo of the Week: Ancient and Modern

Waverley, the world’s last sea-going passenger paddle steamer, spotted off the coast of Llandudno. Snapped by Geoff Taylor: thanks, Geoff! (Actually, Jill).