News
Prayer Intentions
During Easter we are asked to pray for these intentions: New Members of the Church; Vocations; The Right use of the Media; The Church; Human work.
Easter 2019
Good Friday is a day of fasting, and of abstinence from meat, for the whole Catholic Church. Fasting is binding on all Catholics between the ages of 18 and 60.
Ministries for the Holy Week Liturgies. Would Readers and male volunteers for the foot-washing please sign up on the sheets at the back of the Church. Thank you.
The Lenten Alms Church Box is at the back of the Church.
Sunday, 28th April, is the Octave day of Easter, which is also the Feast of the Divine Mercy. We will have a special holy hour here at St Francis, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. All are welcome.
Easter 2019 Services at St Francis, Chester
Maunday Thursday - 18th April
- 11:00am - 12:00 Noon - Confessions
- 7:00pm - Mass of The Lord’s Supper and Watching at the Altar of Repose
- 10:30pm - Night Prayer
- 10:30am - Stations of the Cross
- 3:00pm - Celebration of The Lord’s Passion
- 7:00pm - Celebration of The Lord’s Passion in Polish
- 11:00am - 12:00 Noon - Confessions
- 2:30pm - 3:30pm - Blessing of Food (Polish)
- 7:30pm - Easter Vigil
- 8:00am - Mass in English
- 9:45am - Family Mass in English
- 12:00pm - Family Mass in Polish
- 4:30pm - Mass in Polish
- 10:00am - Mass in Polish
- 12 Noon - Mass in English
- St Clare's Catholic Church, Downsfield Road, Chester, CH4 8HH
- St Werburgh's Catholic Church, Grosvenor Park Road, Chester, CH1 1QJ
- St Columba's Catholic Church, Plas Newton Lane, Chester, CH2 1SA
- St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, 128 Blacon Avenue, Blacon, Chester, CH1 5BU
Good Friday - 19th April
Holy Saturday - 20th April
Easter Sunday - 21st April
Easter Monday - 22nd April
Research Participants Needed
Image: Rochdale Unitarian Church © Phillip Medhurst 2011
Adrianna Wyszynska is one of our parisioners and she updates the Polish page of our website on a weekly basis. She is currently undertaking a research project as part of her BSc Psychology degree at Glyndwr University in Wrexham and would like to invite you to take part in this study.
Participants are being requested who are aged 18 and over and practising Christians. Her research is trying to understand the relationship between people’s religiosity and their humility. In order to take part in this research you will be asked to complete an online survey by completing a series of multiple choice questions relating to religiosity and humility. The survey will take approximately 25 minutes to complete.
Further information about the study is available when you access the survey using the details below. The data collected will be anonymous and kept confidential in accordance to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
If anything is unclear, or you would like more information, please contact Adrianna via email: S14004751@mail.glyndwr.ac.uk or her Dissertation Supervisor Dr Shubha Sreenivas on shubha.sreenivas@glyndwr.ac.uk
Your participation in this study would be very welcome. To take part, please visit this web page: http://bit.ly/WGU-HumilityReligiosity
Chester Pastoral Forum
After the initial meeting of the ‘Chester Pastoral Forum’ which took place on 22nd October 2018 we have decided to improve the communication between the Catholic Parishes in Chester. From this week onward on our parish noticeboard next to our parish newsletter we will put the newsletters from all other parishes, so every our parishioner would be able to see what is going on in Catholic Parishes in Chester. On our website we have added links to the Chester Church websites below.
Links to Chester Catholic Church Websites
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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 21st April | Easter Sunday | ||||
| Thursday 30th May | Ascension Of The Lord | ||||
| Sunday 9th June | Pentecost | ||||
| Sunday 23rd June | Corpus Christi - The Body and Blood of the Lord | ||||
| Saturday 29th June | St Peter & St Paul | ||||
| Thursday 15th August | Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | ||||
| Friday 1st November | All Saints | ||||
| Sunday 8th December | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | ||||
| Wednesday 25th December | Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord | ||||
Feast Days
The 'Feast Days' page has been added to the main menubar. There is now a direct link to the Wiki page for each feast day. Just click the name to open up the information in a new tab.
See Feast Days
| Date | Feast Day (click on the name to find out further information) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Saturday 13th April | St. Martin Pope, Martyr Died 655 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday 14th April | Palm Sunday The Passion of the Lord | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 18th April | Maundy Thursday | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday 19th April | Good Friday | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturday 20th April | Holy Saturday Easter Vigil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday 21st April | Easter Sunday | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Ambrose – Bishop and Martyr 1033 – 1109 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday 22nd April | Easter Monday | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday 23th April | St. Adalbert c956 – 997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday 24th April | St. Fidelius c1577 – 1622 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 25th April | St. Mark c74 |
| Date | Time | Intention |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 12th April | 12:00 noon | John Bolton RIP |
| Saturday 13th April | 12:00 noon | Joan and Mary Barrett RIP |
| Vigil Mass | 6:30pm | Mikolaj Intention |
| Sunday 14th March | 8:00am | Parishioners |
| 9:45am | Alicja and Andrzej Birthday | |
| 12:00 noon | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor | |
| 4:30pm | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor | |
| Monday 15th April | 12:00 noon | Children in Poverty |
| Tuesday 16th April | 12:00 noon | St. Anthony’s Guild |
| Wednesday 17th April | 12:00 noon | Christine Scanlan RIP |
| Maundy Thursday | ||
| Thursday 18th April | 7:00pm | Mass of the Lord’s Supper - Blessing for Capuchin Brothers in Great Britain |
| 10:30pm | Night Prayers | |
| Good Friday | ||
| Friday 19th April | 10:30am | Stations of the Cross |
| 3:00pm | Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (English) | |
| 7:00pm | Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (Polish) | |
| Holy Saturday | ||
| Saturday 20th April | 7:30pm | Easter Vigil - Private Intentions of the Brothers - Parishioners |
| Easter Sunday | ||
| Sunday 21st April | 8:00am | Joseph Stanley McCabe RIP |
| 9:45am | Eileen Bridget Garner | |
| 12:00 noon | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor | |
| 4:30pm | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor | |
| Monday 22nd April | 10:00am | Polish Mass - Intention of Donor |
| 12:00 noon | English Mass - Joan and Mary Barrett | |
| Tuesday 23rd April | 12:00 noon | Gerry Cummins RIP Anniversary |
| Wednesday 24th April | 12:00 noon | Sr. Seraphina Tatlock RIP |
| Thursday 25th April | 12:00 noon | Agnes and Edward Scanlan RIP |
| Friday 26th April | 12:00 noon | Phyllis Bolton RIP |
| Saturday 27th April | 12:00 noon | Intention of Donor |
Anniversaries
Prayers are requested for those whose anniversaries occur this month ✟ Requiescat in Pace ✟
| Date | Names | |
|---|---|---|
| 12.4 | Veronica Underwood (2000) | |
| 14.4 | Eric Barlow (2004), John Chesters (1997) | |
| 15.4 | Mary (Molly) Franchetti (2010), Matilda Maxwell (2004) | |
| 16.4 | Pedro Sanchez-Guiarro (2004) | |
| 19.4 | Iris Heswall (1996) | |
| 21.4 | Robert Court (1998), Sophie Larkin (1998) | |
| 22.4 | Michael Lukasz Janda (2010), Kathleen Johnson (1996) | |
| 23.4 | Mary Scalley (2009) | |
| 25.4 | Daniel McLoughlin (2011), Karen Betteridge (2002) | |
| 26.4 | John Casey (1996) | |
| 27.4 | Irene Hughes (1996) | |
To view anniversaries for the whole year visit our Prayers Page
Notice of Second Collections
| Date | Second Collection |
|---|---|
| Good Friday 19th April 2019 | Holy Places |
Gift Aid Scheme
Gift aid envelopes 2019/20 - Gift Aid Scheme boxes of envelopes are ready to collect at the back of the church. Please would you collect your box after Mass. Be sure to let us know if your circumstances change and you are no longer a taxpayer.
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, 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, Veronica Comerford, Julia Milan, Eleanor Milan and Colette Lazenby.
The Holy Land: 21st - 28th October 2019
The Holy Land - “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” A journey through the Holy Land in this “Year for Mission” under the leadership of Bishop Mark Davies 21st - 28th October, 2019.
“I am very happy to introduce our fourth Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The title of our pilgrimage in 2019 will echo those words first heard by the Sea of Galilee, 'Follow me' (Mt. 4:19)." Mark Bishop of Shrewsbury
Inclusive Holy Land Tour Cost - £1,695
Diocesan Vacancies
When available, job vacancies are advertised on the Diocese of Shrewsbury website here.
Job Vacancies
Caritas require 2 Early Help Support Workers to provide a high quality Support Service across Wirral. 2 X part time (21hrs & 28hrs term time only) Early Help Support Workers SCP21 - £19,742 pro rata P/T and TTO Funded until March 2021. Closing date: Tuesday 23rd April 2019 at 4pm. Interview date: Wednesday 1st May 2019.
To apply please visit our website: www.caritasshrewsbury.org.uk/news/job-vacancies/, contact Head Office on 0151 652 1281 or email trish.spencer@caritasshrewsbury.org.uk and a pack will be sent out to you. More details on the website.
Receiving Holy Communion Practical Instruction:
For all of you who decided to receive Holy Communion on the tongue and while kneeling please come forward and take your place on the kneelers straight after the priest have received The Body and Blood of Christ. The priest will come to you with the Body of Christ.
For all of you who decided to receive Holy Communion in the hand please come forward as it was in procession after the priest finished distribution at the kneelers.
Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: Communion Received on the Tongue and While Kneeling
From the time of the Fathers of the Church, a tendency was born and consolidated whereby distribution of Holy Communion in the hand became more and more restricted in favour of distributing Holy Communion on the tongue. The motivation for this practice is two-fold: a) first, to avoid, as much as possible, the dropping of Eucharistic particles; b) second, to increase among the faithful devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
There is the leaflet at the back of the church with more information and explanation on this subject. Please take and read it.
A copy of the leaflet is now available by clicking this link;
'Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling'
Redemptionis Sacramentum states: “it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing” (91). Although Mgr. Guido Marini, the Papal MC, has said that the Holy Father’s preference for communicants to receive Holy Communion on the tongue whilst kneeling better sheds light on the truth of the Real Presence in the Eucharist, he did so “without taking anything away from the other”, i.e. from standing to receive Holy Communion on the hand, where this is permitted (see the L’Osservatore Romano, 26 June, 2008).
GIRM 161. Permission for Communion in the hand for England and Wales was given 6 March 1976. Redemptionis Sacramentum reads: “Although each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice, if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand, in areas where the Bishops’ Conference with the recognitio of the Apostolic See has given permission, the Sacred Host is to be administered to him or her. However, special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful”
This Norm together with the General Instruction of the Roman Missal also provide choices which each recipient is at liberty to make: to receive the Sacred Host in the hand or on the tongue, either standing or kneeling.
Practical Instruction: For all of you who decided to receive Holy Communion on the tongue and while kneeling please come forward and take your place on the kneelers straight after the priest have received The Body and Blood of Christ. The priest will come to you with the Body of Christ.
For all of you who decided to receive Holy Communion in the hand please come forward as it was in procession after the priest finished distribution at the knee.
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