Event

Care Home Visit

On Tuesday afternoon, 10 residents from Nazareth House visited Ss Peter & Paul and St Philomena with their carers.

We had 11 volunteers from the Dome plus Fr. Gribbin. Time was spent in the church itself where volunteers spoke to our visitors about aspects of the church and showed them the side altars and our statues of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart.

Then into the presbytery where a beautiful Afternoon Tea lay waiting….

Jane Scott was in fine voice and found a willing singing companion in Muriel!

Books of old photographs of New Brighton and scenes from the past were passed around and brought smiles to our guests faces and indeed all of us.

Please pray for the residents of Nazareth House and indeed all those in Care Homes and their carers and families

11th August: New Brighton Camino Walk

Sunday 11th August 2-5pm (on St Philomena’s feast day)
Starts behind Bubbles on the prom at Marine Point, New Brighton.

This is a sponsored walk organised by Ss Peter Paul and Saint Philomena Shrine Church to raise funds for the church and for St John’s Hospice, Wirral.
It will take place on The Feast Day of Saint Philomena, on Sunday the 11th August, at 2 o’clock.
The emblem of the Walk is a golden cockle shell to echo the scallop shell emblem of the famous  pilgrim route of The Camino Way.

Route:
The Walk will start on the prom behind Bubbles and will continue along the prom to Vale Park gates and back again, a total of three miles. You can repeat this route to increase your mileage.

Sponsor Forms:
These are available at Ss Peter Paul and Saint Philomena Shrine Church in Atherton St and at St John’s Hospice Charity Shop in Victoria Rd, New Brighton, and online here

Shell Mural:
At Vale Park walkers will have the opportunity to write the name of a loved one inside a cockle shell which will be included in shell murals to be made in the gardens of the church and the hospice.

Dress: 
We are asking all walkers to wear blue as it is the colour associated with Our Lady and also with St John’s Hospice. All walkers will be given a golden cockle shell pendant bearing the anchor emblem of Saint Philomena to wear during the walk.
Don’t forget your sun hat and sun cream or your umbrella and raincoat!

Parking:
All day parking is available in Morrison’s car park at Marine Point and also along the prom. Do Not Park in Bubbles car park, it’s for patrons only and you could be fined.

Toilet facilities:
These are available in Morrison’s at Marine Point, also at Vale Park Cafe

Everyone is welcome:
This is a traffic free, wheelchair friendly route.
Children under 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult
Dogs on leads are welcome to join us.

Silent Clergy Retreat: 7th – 11th October 2019

A retreat on the configuration of the priestly heart after the Heart of Jesus Christ

Preached by the Canons of the ICKSP
Secular and religious clergy welcome
Individual spiritual direction available
Comfortable, en-suite single accommodation
Full board included
Set in the peaceful & beautiful Stonyhurst Estate

Cost: £320 per person
23 places only – booking closes 30th September

Free Dementia Training

Home Instead will be visiting on Monday 17th June to give free dementia training between 2 and 3.30pm.

Dementia affects more than 850,000 people in the UK and the figure is growing at an unprecedented rate. By 2051, over 2 million people will have been diagnosed with a type of dementia. These are not just statistics; they represent the millions of families with loved ones who require support to live a fulfilled life with dementia.

Anyone who would like to come along will be made to feel very welcome. Further details call Rachel Buckley on 07770266679.

Our Lady is Crowned May Queen

As is the custom at Ss Peter & Paul and St Philomena, Our Lady is crowned on the nearest Sunday to the 13th May (First Fatima Apparition, 13th May 1917).

The origins of the May Crowning are hard to pinpoint, although devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary originates in the earliest days of the church. Concerning the significance of the month of May, toward the end of the 18th century, Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus (in Rome) instituted the practice of dedicating this month to our Blessed Mother. His desire was to promote devotion to Mary among the students as a way to counteract infidelity and immorality. From Rome, the May devotion spread throughout the Jesuit colleges, and eventually throughout the whole church. Pope Pius VII in 1815 granted a partial indulgence for participating in either a public or private devotion honoring Mary during the month of May; Pope Pius IX made the indulgence plenary in 1859.

Immediately after the Mass and procession, the sun shone brightly through the high windows of the Dome and the bright rays fell upon the statue of the Blessed Virgin ……

 

Mayoral Visit to Church

In connection with the recent launch of our Calendar campaign to help raise much need funds for the restoration of the Shrine, the Mayor and Mayoress of Wirral, Councillor and Mrs Watt visited on Monday 29th April 2019.

Both enjoyed a fascinating tour of the Church and took tea with Canon Montjean and others in the Presbytery after which Councillor Watt said “I’d like to encourage our talented Wirral residents to contribute their beautiful images of the locality for this new calendar initiative. This kind of local support will really help this church gain the funding they need to complete the restoration of the Dome.”

Candlemas

Last Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady as an external solemnity having already observed the feast on the proper feast day on the 2nd February.

Besides commemorating the presentation of Christ in the Temple, this feast has another meaning, for it is called Candlemas Day. The candle is one of the most widely used sacramentals in the Church; one blessed in a special Mass.

We use candles at Baptism, at Mass and other church services, at the ordination of a priest, the consecration of a bishop, at Easter, at Christmas to signify the coming of Christ. Blessed candles should be in every home, to use in times of sickness, death, storms and calamities!

In the blessing of candles the Church reminds us that the candles signify light; they are blessed for the service of men, for health of body and soul, for those who desire to carry them in their hands with honour. Christ, the true Light and Fire of Charity, is asked to bless these candles; to dispel the darkness of night, to free us from the blindness of vice and to discern what is pleasing to Him and profitable for our salvation.