The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester

The Morning Mass from St. Theresa's will be live-streamed here from (shortly before) 9.30am this Sunday - 1st September 2024.

Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8; Psalm 14; James 1: 17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

We say goodbye to Fr Desmond with our love & prayers for his future

One of our parishioners, 8 year old Adam, is raising money for British Heart Foundation. He’s running 3 miles on the 27th July. Please support Adam as much as you can for this brilliant cause

Adam's fundraiser for British Heart Foundation Help Eszter Papp raise money to support British Heart Foundation

We say goodbye to Fr James, a great friend & inspiration to the parish for the last three years. We will miss him greatly.

We warmly welcome Fr Desmond.

📢 EXCITING FUNDING NEWS!

We’ve awarded over £100 million funding to nearly 2,500 community groups in England.

Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will support communities to thrive and meet fresh challenges raised by the cost of living.

Read all about it! https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/news/press-releases/2022-12-13/100-million-national-lottery-lift-for-charities-and-community-groupsarr

A photo just received from Fr James, Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance

Fr William in Tamale, Ghana

St Theresa's feast day 1st October 2021

Party to celebrate Carol Galvin's retirement from her long service as Parish Secretary to St Columba's 29th September

Happy 90th Birthday Mary Kilcoyne x

New Parish Website;
PARISH EMAIL AND WEB ADDRESSES:
Please note these new email addresses for making contact with our
priests and for admin enquiries. Current email addresses and website will still be usable for the moment but will gradually be phased out.
General enquiries: [email protected]
Fr William: [email protected]
Fr James: [email protected]
Website: www.sscolumbaandtheresa.co.uk

For our new Website www.sscolumbaandtheresa.co.uk, It is a work in progress. For any comments, please email [email protected]

God Bless.

The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester – Serving the Chester Community Serving the Chester Community

EMERGING FROM THE LOCKDOWN
On Monday, we received news that “there will no longer be restrictions on group sizes for attending communal worship.” This allows a return to pre-Covid-19 safety capacities whilst taking into account the guidance of the Bishops of England and Wales published last week.
While we are glad to receive the news, we are aware that in our community, some of our parishioners, especially in the vulnerable category need extra care. We are also aware that the Covid -19 cases are still increasing.
Hence:

• For Parishioners who will need extra care when they come to pray with us, should attend Saturday evening Masses -5PM in St Theresa and 6.30pm in St. Columba’s). In this masses, the previous measures will continue: social distancing as well as following the Capacity of our buildings. For these masses, we advise people to book using the existing booking system.
• For 9.30am Mass - St. Theresa and 11.00 Mass- St. Columba’s, the measures as announce by the Government will apply, following the general guidelines below:
General guidelines to observe:
1. We continue to have sanitiser at the entrances and exits to our churches; good ventilation, wearing of face coverings.
2. Stewarding will no longer be required, however, they will serve as welcomers.
3. Congregational singing is permitted from 19th July; however, in our parish, this will be phased in gradually. We will continue to use Cantors/Choir as we were doing. Congregational singing will not be allowed at this moment.
4. Sign in will be done through the NHS QR code at the entrances of our Churches. NHS Test, track and Trace is still in operation in our church buildings.
5. For the time being, our Holy Water Stoops will not be refilled. However, Holy water is available to all parishioners who need it.
6. Servers, Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion can be fully deployed as needed.
7. The Offertory Collection will resumed with baskets and pouches; however, online giving is encouraged.
8. The Sign of Peace remains suspended in the Liturgy of the Mass to reduce physical contact between members of the congregation.
9. Holy Communion will continue under one kind with no administration of the Chalice.
10. Ministers are asked to sanitise their hands and wear face coverings as before.
11. Holy Communion is still recommended on the hand though all who wish to receive on the tongue, but should be the last to receive communion.
12. For the celebration of Baptism there are no restrictions on numbers though multiple Baptisms should be avoided.
13. For the celebration of Marriages there is no restriction on numbers.
14. For Funerals there is no restriction on numbers.
NB: The Sunday Mass and Holidays of Obligation:
The statement from the bishop conference: “It is not possible at the present time for all the faithful to attend Mass on a Sunday thereby fulfilling their duty to God.” We hope it will be possible for all Catholics to fulfil the Sunday obligation by the First Sunday of Advent 2021.

Cafod Campaign – to “Reclaim our Common Home” This year, the eyes of the world are on the UK as we host two major international meetings – the G7 in June and the UN Climate talks (COP26) in November. Decisions taken at these meetings have the potential to impact the lives of millions of people across the world. It is vital that politicians at these meetings put the poorest communities at the heart of the decisions they make so that the world can rebuild from the pandemic in a way that addresses global poverty and climate change. As citizens of the host nation, we have a vital role to play. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales recognised the importance of this role in the Episcopal Letter for Pentecost 2021. CAFOD knows that change can happen when enough of us come together to take action and raise our collective voices. Please sign the online petition at cafod.org.uk/reclaim, scan the QR code on the posters in church or alternatively, petition cards to sign will be available on the weekend of 12th/13th June.

Thank you all for your Support and Prayer. May God bless you. - Ann McCarthy

Cafod’s Big Walk for Water - Sat 20th Feb. Abdulla lives in a very remote area of Ethiopia and has to walk 10 hours a day to collect water. The “Big Walk for Water”, a national event, was to walk in solidarity with people like Abdulla and at the same time to raise funds to help vulnerable communities around the world. The challenge was to walk 5 miles. Ann McCarthy took up the challenge and walked from St Theresa’s to St Columba’s and back again, a distance of 5.4 miles. So far she has raised just over £400 in sponsorship and would like to thank everyone for their support.

Photo 1 – at the start at St Theresa’s

Photo 2 – St Columba’s – still smiling

Photo 3 – back at St Theresa’s – a bit jaded but for such a worthwhile cause

Abdella's story
Abdella is 23 and lives in a small village in the Afar region in northern Ethiopia.
He wakes before dark to start on a long journey that will see him walk along a dried-out riverbed, over rocks, and over a mountain just to get a drink of water. The entire journey to get water for the family will take Abdella ten hours.

Can you imagine needing a drink of water and having to spend most of the day collecting it? Coming back exhausted and bruised from the journey? Being so frustrated because you feel your life is slipping away from you? Then having to do it again without any sick days or days off. (from CAFOD). for more information: https://cafod.org.uk/Give/Donate-to-CAFOD/Lent-Appeal

Fratelli Tutti is Pope Francis’ latest Encyclical. Based on the story of The Good Samaritan, the Encyclical aims to promote a universal aspiration towards fraternity and social friendship. In the background of the Encyclical is the Covid 19 pandemic which, Pope Francis reveals, “unexpectedly erupted” as he was “writing this letter”. But the global health emergency has helped demonstrate that “no-one can face life in isolation” and that the time has truly come to “dream as a single human family” in which we are “brothers and sisters all”.

(Reflection and artwork by Anne McCarthy)

The Bishops of England and Wales invite us to make today, January 17th, a day of prayer for world peace, using the theme proposed by Pope Francis: ‘A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace’.

Let us pray for all who work to promote a culture of care in our midst: for those who nurse the sick, for those who support the marginalised, for those who feed the hungry, for those who oppose oppression and reject the way of violence. We ask God’s blessing on the work of the international Catholic peace movement, Pax Christi. Lord in your mercy: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Prayer for Act of Spiritual Communion:-
My Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I long for You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though You have already come, I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from You.