The news from Balmoral this past Thursday that Her Majesty the Queen had died was a moment in our nation’s life that only the most senior of our parishioners might remember: the death of the Sovereign. We find ourselves living a moment of history, even as the events since The Queen’s death unfold.

I am sure that parishioners will be remembering Queen Elizabeth in their prayers for the repose of her soul and praying for their Majesties the King and Queen and all the Royal Family at this time of national mourning and family grief.

This Sunday, I will offer two Requiem Masses for Queen Elizabeth: one at St Mary of the Angels at 9am and one at Our Lady Star of the Sea at 11am, allowing the whole parish to mark this historic moment with the prayer of the Mass. I have also placed a Book of Condolence at Our Lady Star of the Sea, which you are invited to sign. I will send these to His Majesty the King following the State Funeral, on behalf of the Catholic Community of Ellesmere Port and Hooton.

With the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her first-born son and heir succeeds as His Majesty King Charles III together with his wife, Her Majesty, Queen Camilla. The Bishops of England and Wales have circulated a prayer that you may wish to offer to God for the new King and Queen:

O God, to whom every human power is subject, grant to your servant His Majesty the King wisdom in the exercise of his high office, so that, always revering to you and striving to please you, he may constantly secure and preserve for the people entrusted to his care the freedom that comes from unity and peace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God, forever and ever, Amen.