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News diary If you’ve got any news from your parish that you’d like featured e-mail us with the details at: catholicpictorial@rcaol.co.uk
Afternoon tea and tour at St Francis Xavier church, Liverpool The Friends of SFX recently hosted an afternoon tour highlighting the beautiful architecture of Saint Francis Xavier's Grade II* listed church and its wealth of 19th to 21st Century stained glass. People were welcomed from across the city and beyond. Marian Lloyd, who came along with a group of friends, said the tour was presented with so many interesting facts and good humour, showing the pulpit where the great poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ, would have given many homilies when served as a Jesuit Priest in 1869 and that Charlie Chaplain attended the Junior school during his stay in Liverpool with “The Eight Lancashire Lads Dancing Troupe”’. The Friends of SFX would like to build on this interest, especially with so many cruise liners visiting the Port of Liverpool, If you are interested an ‘Afternoon Tea and Tour’ for 5 to 20 people or individuals can be hosted; and larger group tours can be arranged without the Afternoon Tea. SFX Church is open each morning (except Wednesday). Contact the Church Office Tel: 0151 298 1911 for more details.
Catenians lend support to asylum seekers Asylum seekers in Liverpool Archdiocese are benefitting from the efforts of Liverpool’s Catenians. Bob Wheelhouse, president of the Liverpool province of the Catenians, chose asylum-seeker projects in the
Merseyside and Runcorn areas as his presidential charity, taking inspiration from the message of Pope Francis that ‘Biblical revelation urges us to welcome the stranger’. Wheelhouse, together with the brothers
Bob Wheelhouse presenting a cheque to Fr Peter Morgan at St Anne’s Church, Overbury Street. 8
Catholic Pictorial
of his circle and their fellow Catenians across province 4, have been able to assist several projects. After the circle’s annual Mass for vocations at St Anne’s church in Overbury Street on 9 February, he presented Father Peter Morgan with a cheque for Asylum Link Merseyside. Asylum Link is a drop-in centre for all asylum-seekers and refugees and it provides friendship, help and advice to people fleeing persecution in their own countries. There have also been donations made in Wheelhouse’s home parish of St Maximilian Kolbe in Runcorn, to assist an Egyptian asylum-seeker and a family from El Salvador. In the case of the former, his initial application was turned down and is now on appeal, while the Salvadoran family’s initially successful application has been appealed by the Home Office. ‘We can only imagine how upsetting this to them, but we will continue to support them and keep them in our prayers,’ said Wheelhouse.
