Sunday 14 July 2024
Fifteenth Sunday
Thank you to parishioners who shared their country of origin on the World Map last weekend. Our diversity is visualised by the flags on the front of this week’s Parish Newsletter: we are truly a catholic parish, made up of a community from 25 nations! We have parishioners from every Continent, except South America (and Antartica!). This snapshot shows not only our diversity, but the strength and unity of the Catholic Church throughout the world. Let’s pray that what unites us - our Faith in Jesus Christ - may always move us to embrace those from other cultures and backgrounds and see no-one as an outsider or a stranger.
Father Edmund
School Masses
There are school Masses for the end of the school year for each of our four primary schools this coming week
Lourdes 2024
Deacon Tony, ahead of the Lourdes Pilgrimage, invites petitions to be taken and placed before our Lady
Deacon Tony 2
A happy second anniversary of Diaconate Ordination to Deacon Tony for this Tuesday, 16 July
18 July: A Date in Roman History
The 18 July is a date famous, or rather infamous, in Roman history. You might remember from your school days of the story of Nero playing the fiddle whilst Rome burned? On 18 July 64 AD the City of Rome experienced a disaster: a Great Fire that burned for six days, destroying much of the City. The Emperor, wishing to distract attention from his own lack of vigilance and care for the City of Rome, decided to assign the blame to a new and growing religious minority: Christians. The first wave of persecution of followers of Christ outside of the Holy Land can be traced to the Great Fire of Rome on 18 July and what followed.
Refugee Assist
I am very happy with the response the parish has given to the appeal to support the work of Refugee Assist, designated as our fourth social project. It might be of interest to parishioners if I share with you a snap shot of the nationalities of some of the 82 people Refugee Assist has helped in recent weeks: Iranian, Afghani, Sudanese, Yemeni, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Albanian, Turkish, Er i t rean, Libyan, Namibian, Botswanan, Jordanian, Nigerian. Not all of these will necessarily be asylum seekers, but all are people in need. Please consider volunteering for roles as broad as helping sort clothing and manage stock through to considering volunteering to be at a distribution point to assist in the dispersal of packages to those requesting help. If you would like to be involved, please contact the Parish Office: parishoffice@rcchep.co.uk or 0151 355 5877.
Appeal for Donations
Refugee Assist are appealing for donations of: bed linen (not duvets), pillows, towels, children’s clothes, young men’s clothes, big pans, cutlery, toys, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deoderants, and razors. Donations can be dropped at St Saviour (by appointment: 07395 471902), at Paul Londis & Co. Accountants 367 Chester Road (Mon Friday 10am-5pm), Flynn’s Port in a Storm Cafe, 9 Rivington Road. Many thanks in anticipation.
Rome Pilgrims: Get Together
With just under seven weeks until we have our Pilgrimage to Rome, 2-5 September, it would be good to get everyone who is going together for a pre-pilgrimage meeting and talk through our itinerary in Rome. May I suggest that we get together on Sunday 4 August at 4.30pm in Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Centre? I hope to have a sense of the itinerary for you and to talk through any logistical issues that might be helpful in advance of travelling together.
Missio: Red Boxes
Noreen Darwent writes: Please can parishioners to check if their empty red box is at the back of Our Lady's. There are a few there that need collecting. Many thanks.
Deacon Paul Sutton: Silver Jubilee
This July, Deacon Paul Sutton marks his Silver Jubilee of ordination as a deacon. I would like to celebrate this important milestone - both as a way of offering our prayerful congratulations to Deacon Paul - and as an opportunity to thank him for his many years of ministry in the parish, particularly at St Bernard’s.
Sunday 28 July 11am Mass will be offered for Deacon Paul and his family, and will be followed by a celebration with food and drink in the centre - all welcome to this special celebration.
Schools Finish for Summer
Over the days ahead all five of our parish schools will finish for their long Summer break. Please remember a prayer for all the children, their families, and the staff: that the Summer will be a safe, happy, and restful time ahead of them beginning a new school year in just short of seven weeks. The parish through the SVP and other channels will supporting families who might find the Summer break a difficult time, not least in terms of meal provision, and also activities for the children to enjoy the Summer and to make new friends. My thanks to all those who are helping families over the coming weeks.
Masses this Week
With Masses requested by the schools for their final week before Summer, Masses will be in each Catholic primary school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: St Saviour, St Bernard, and St Mary of the Angels respectively. There is no weekday Mass this coming Thursday and the Mass on Friday for Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic primary takes place in Church, and is a whole school Mass. Please pray for the school communities: especially for those children in Y6 leaving to begin at High School in Autumn.
Football Tournament: Parish Cup
This past week I was grateful to meet with Mr Arathoon to discuss a tentative plan to utilise the field at St Mary of the Angels, Hooton for a parish football tournament with teams invited from Y5/Y6 at each of our four primary schools.
Hopefully to take place on a Sunday in September following the 9am Sunday Mass. More details to come!
Pilgrimage to Lourdes
A message from Deacon Tony Nuttall:
The annual Shrewsbury Diocese Lourdes pilgrimage is only a matter of weeks away. This year the theme is from the words of Our Lady to St Bernadette; ‘Go tell the priests to come here in procession’. Pilgrims will be travelling by plane and coach to Lourdes from all corners of the diocese from 24th July onwards. Whilst in Lourdes we will be praying for each and every one of you, if you would like us to take your prayer intentions with us to leave with Our Lady at the Blessed Grotto in Lourdes, a basket will be provided on the sanctuary of each of our Churches. Please don’t leave any money with your prayer intentions. Our Lady of Lourdes pray for us, St Bernadette pray for us, St Therese of Lisieux pray for us.
A Special Invitation to Our International Parishioners!
Now that we know we have - at least - 25 different nationalities here in the parish, it would be wonderful to invite overseas parishioners to get together to prepare some food, some music, some expression of their culture for us to share in Ellesmere Port and Hooton. To have such a diversity of cultures and nationalities is a great gift from God and allows us to see the global reach of the Catholic Church even in our small town and community. I would like to invite parishioners to speak to me about how we might celebrate our diversity: perhaps through a shared table meal with lots of different foods and national dishes? Maybe some from one country could sing a traditional hymn or song at Mass from their home country?