News
Prayer Intentions
During Ordinary Time we are asked to pray for these intentions: A deeper understanding between Christians and others; Those who suffer persecution; Oppression and denial of Human Rights; Europe; Human Life; Seafarers.
Holy Days Of Obligation
Click on this link to the Liturgy Office for further information and a list of Liturgical Dates.
| Date | Holy Day (click on the name to find out further information) Weekday Mass Times - 12 Noon in English and 7.00pm in Polish | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 1st November | All Saints | ||||
| Wednesday 25th December | Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord | ||||
Feast Days This Week
| Date | Feast Day (click on the name to find out further information) |
|---|---|
| Sunday 19th August | St. John Eudes c1601 - 1680 |
| Monday 20th August | St. Bernard c1090 – 1153 |
| Tuesday 21st August | St. Pius (Pope) c1835 – 1914 |
| Wednesday 22nd August | The Queenship of Mary |
| Thursday 23rd August | St. Rose of Lima c1586 – 1617 |
| Friday 24th August | St. Bartholomew - Apostle |
| Saturday 25th August | St. Louis c1214 – 1270 |
| St. Joseph Calasanz c1557 – 1648 | |
Mass Intentions
| Date | Time | Intention |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 17th August | 12:00 noon | Vocations |
| Saturday 18th August | 12:00 noon | Agnes and Edward Scanlan RIP |
| Vigil Mass | 6:30pm | Anne Mahoney (Sick) |
| Sunday 19th August | 8:00am | Parishioners |
| 9:45am | In Thanksgiving | |
| 12:00 noon | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor | |
| 4:30pm | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor | |
| Monday 20th August | 12:00 noon | John Leaver RIP |
| Tuesday 21st August | 12:00 noon | Friars and Benefactors |
| Wednesday 22nd August | 12:00 noon | Mary Devine RIP |
| Thursday 23rd August | 12:00 noon | Friars and Benefactors |
| Friday 24th August | 12:00 noon | Marie Salkeld Birthday – Good Health and release from depression |
| Saturday 25th August | 12:00 noon | Holy Souls |
Anniversaries This Week
Prayers are requested for those whose anniversaries occur this month ✟ Requiescat in Pace ✟
| Date | Names | |
|---|---|---|
| 16.8 | Br Lawrence (2014), Florence Taylor (2000) | |
| 17.8 | Eileen Bowen (2001), Margaret Williams (1998) | |
| 18.8 | Mary Immaculate Casinader (TBA), William Stebbings (1998) | |
| 22.8 | John Smith (1998) | |
| 24.8 | Bertram Joseph Haddock (2005), Agnes Gentile (1999) | |
To view anniversaries for the whole year visit our Prayers Page
Gift Aid Scheme
Joining the scheme - for those people not taking part in the gift aid scheme, or those regularly completing white envelopes each week, if you would like to participate and obtain a box of weekly envelopes then please see Fr Jarek after Mass. Please note you need to be taxpayers to join. For every £1 donated by a taxpayer the parish can claim 25p from HM Revenue & Customs. Tax status - please note that if you are currently part of the scheme and no longer pay tax would you please let Fr Jarek know, otherwise it will be assumed that you have paid sufficient income tax for the parish to claim the tax on your donations.
Sick Parishioners
Please let us remember our sick parishioners in our prayers:
Angela Crowe, Terry Halpin, Arthur Wright, Anne Daly, Kath Heffeman, Barbara Edwards, Kevin Roberts, Margaret Davis, Hilary Linty, Patrick Hannah, Elle Mae Dunne, Elaine Bruce, George Jones, Colin Williams, Christopher Browne, Gill Wright, Christina North, Emma Noble, Marie Charlesworth, Veronica Comerford, Julia Milan and Eleanor Milan.
Foundation Governors
The Diocese has a number of vacancies for Foundation Governors within your local area, particularly people with financial experience. If you would be interested in joining a Governing Body then please contact Sue Blackwell at the Curial Offices sue.blackwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org
Nurse (or Doctor) Required For Lourdes Visit
Chester Across Group urgently require another nurse (or Doctor) to travel overland to Lourdes by Jumbulance. The latter is literally a Jumbo-Ambulance with seven beds, an accessible toilet and kitchen. Now in our 25th year, sadly, one of our nurses has withdrawn so another is needed. Dates: Thu 30th August to Sat 8th Sept. Cost. Nurses are asked to pay half price - £400 - but we do fund raising to subsidise anyone who cannot afford to pay the full amount. For further information please contact Group Leader Tony Murphy by email tonymurphyefc2002@yahoo.co.uk or phone on 07881-656-974.
Franciscans In Chester: St Francis' Church and Friary Photographs Wanted
They say that a photograph is worth a thousand words. We are currently looking for any photographs of St Francis Church and St Francis Roman Catholic school in Cuppin Street, 'the Sisters' (ie the Faithful Companions of Jesus from Dee House) or other teachers and pupils at the school. Any photographs used will be credited, scanned and made available on-line as part of the history of St Francis School and Church. Please pass any photographs in and envelope with your name, address and a contact number to one of the Brothers. We will simply scan which photographs we wish to use and pass them back to you.
The book can be found by clicking on a new tab on the top menu called 'History'. It was originally published in 2000 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the consecration of St Francis’s church in Chester and the 125th anniversary of its opening.
A guided tour of the church was published on our website last year and the full book has now been digitally published over the last twelve months setting out the Catholic and Franciscan history which gave rise to the church, friary and parish.
The book has been brought completely up-to-date with new pictures and topics in this digital edition. Be sure to have a look at our 'History' page and discover the origins of our beautiful Church.
The Journey in Faith Group (RCIA)
The Journey in Faith Group (RCIA) meet each Wednesday at 6:45pm in the Church. This group is meant, not only for those interested in becoming Catholics, but also for practising Catholics who would like to deepen their faith.
Thursday Prayer Group
We are so grateful to God that for over a year now we have been meeting weekly to pray, to reflect and to share. We pray for our parish and our country in the sacramental presence of our Lord. We reflect on inspired readings and most of all on God’s Word. We share our thoughts and life experiences as Christian brothers and sisters. You are more than welcome to join in weekly, or biweekly or just once in a while when you can make it on Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. in the choir of the friary. Entrance is through the green friary door.
If you have questions call deacon Peter on 07497 752272. See you there!
The Rosary: 11:30am Monday - Friday
The custom of praying the Rosary as a family is strongly encouraged, even if it is just to say one decade. In our Parish, the rosary is recited at 11:30am, Monday to Thursday, and all are welcome to join in.
Eucharistic Adoration at St Francis Church
Every Friday from 11.00 am – 12 noon and after Mass until 3.00 pm
Also Saturday from 11.00 am – 12 noon
Divine Mercy Prayer Group
Our Divine Mercy Prayer Group is held every Wednesday 3:00pm in the Church.
Youth Group for 10 - 14 Year Olds
Our new St. Columba's and St. Theresa's youth group, began meeting on Monday 9th October 2017, from 7.15 to 9pm. The group will meet on the second Monday of each month in the Iona Chapel, at the back of St. Columba's church, then move over to the church hall. Each session will have a relevant theme, lots of faith based activities, games and fun, ending with prayers. If your child would like to join please email Anthony Hunt on Hunta@christofidelis.org.uk for more information, the consent form and so we can get refreshment numbers.
Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team
Dave Burke from the Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team introduced the work of the team at our Sunday masses on Sunday 8th April 2018. He explained their vision to encourage, empower and equip the young people, and youth leaders of the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
They continually plan an exciting calendar of events, from regional evenings of music and games, to larger national events like Lourdes, Flame and World Youth Day. This is as well as providing on the ground support of Confirmation Retreat Days, Youth Leaders Training Courses, workshops and training within Schools and much much more!
All the information about the team can be found on their website. www.symt.org.uk
Details of their Lifeteen Summer Camp UK #LTCAMPUK have been posted on our news and events pages. Their website has also been included in our useful links.
Virtual Church Tour
Our virtual Church tour is now live and accessible via the 'TOUR' tab on the far right of the menu bar or by clicking 'Tour' on the Latest News item. Please have a look and let the other people know how interesting and informative it is. We found it fascinating and learnt so much about St Francis Church and it's history. Alan, Peter and Bernard have done a great job with the tour. We are sure that people all over the world would enjoy a virtual tour of our beautiful Church.
Prayers Web Page
We have set up a very special web page on our internet site which records all the anniversaries of family and friends who have died in the Parish. Throughout 2016 we will be updating this page adding dates of death and special epitaphs.
The page says the following; 'Prayers are requested for those whose anniversaries occur this month. May they Rest In Peace.' Due to the size of the list and the work involved in updating the list, names will be added to the web page each month during 2015 as the year progresses. It is also possible to include the date of death and a short personalised epitaph for your loved ones which will be displayed next to their name. To add relatives, dates or a personalised epitaph to the anniversary list please email to information to; stfrancis.chester@gmail.com We will try to update your information as soon as possible but please allow up to 28 days for the website to be updated.
See Prayers Web Page
The Order Of Mass: Printable Leaflets
We have included an on-line link to the printable 'Order Of Mass' leaflets from the Liturgy Office website which we will leave on our website as a 'Useful Link'.
Here is a direct link to the web page The Order of Mass Printable Leaflets
Diocesan Vacancies
Senior Trusts & Foundations’ Officer to play a key role in the development and implementation of the Diocesan fundraising activities and those of Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury in order to secure funding for parishes, programme work, project work (and organisational core costs) by assisting with the preparation of funding bid applications.
Diocesan Health & Safety Officer The post holder will act as the key contact for all health & safety matters throughout the Diocese and will co-ordinate health and safety compliance in all Diocesan Departments and Parishes, trading subsidiaries and associated organisations; supporting, training and assisting in developing risk assessments, policies and procedures required to deliver and promote a first class safety culture. This post is suitable for those holding NEBOSH diploma and Chartered Member of MIOSH For more information please visit our website: http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies or send a CV to pauline.mcculloch@dioceseofshrewsbury.org
When available, job vacancies are also advertised on the Diocese of Shrewsbury website here.
Job Vacancies
The SVP (St Vincent de Paul Society) is seeking to recruit an 1833 Research and Project Development Officer to review, re-model, project plan and potentially produce resources for our programme for 18-30 year olds in preparation for a service re-launch in Sept 2019. £27k pa pro rata; 3 days a week; one year contract. Home-based with national travel. Closing date: 10:00 on Wednesday 25th July 2018. Interviews: Thursday 26th July 2018. Start date: Wednesday 29th August 2018. For more details & application pack, please visit the vacancies section of the SVP website: www.svp.org.uk.
St Vincent De Paul Catholic Primary School, Manor Park South, Knutsford, WA16 8AL require a permanent Full Time Class Teacher Key Stage 2. Salary: MPS: £22,917 to £33,824 depending on relevant teaching experience Applications must be submitted on Catholic Education Services’. Application forms and these are available from the C.E.S. website: www.catholiceducation.org.uk. A job description and further details are available from Mrs. Kate Watson, the School Business Manager by email: admin@stvincents.cheshire.sch.uk
Adoremus, The Eucharistic Congress: Liverpool, 7th – 9th September 2018
Adoremus, The Eucharistic Congress will take place in Liverpool on 7-9 September 2018. Cost details are given as £40 per person for attendance for a session taking place on Friday 7 September (intended for those involved in catechesis and formation) or for Saturday 8 September (ie £40 per day). This cost also includes “privileged places” to one of 2 solemn Masses at The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool on Sunday 9 September. If you are interested to participate please talk with Br Jarek. Full details are available from the announcement page of the Catholic News website. www.catholicnews.org.uk