Spiritual Life

The Mass

The Second Vatican Council taught that the celebration of the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the life of the Catholic Church. Thus it is the primary activity in the Catholic life of the parish.

From 9 April 2023 the Mass times at St Elizabeth’s are as follows:

Sunday
5.30pm: Vigil (Saturday) with confessions at 5pm;
9.30am

Wednesday & Friday
9.30am

Holy Days of Obligation
5.30pm: Vigil (evening before)
9.30am

Covid-19 Notice

There is now no requirement to book places for Mass, nor to wear masks or to maintain social distance. Please continue to sanitise your hands when entering Church. The Church in England and Wales has no plans at present to restore Communion from the chalice given the ongoing health risks.

Now  public Mass is  available on Sundays and during the week  there is no longer any live-streaming:

You can read our latest Covid-19 information here: 

Sacramental Programmes

Below you will find information explaining how the Catholic sacraments can be received at St Elizabeth’s. At the bottom of this page is a link if you are looking to explore a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.

Have you ever thought of becoming a Catholic?

006-2

Normally, the Exploring Catholic Faith course runs from November to June, and aims to prepare adults who are thinking about becoming members of the Catholic Church. It is also known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

Weekly sessions are currently held in St Anne’s Pastoral Centre or church,  and are led by an experienced team, with contributions from the clergy.

A few points about the course:

  • The sessions are themed but conducted in an informal way with ample chance for discussion
  • Opportunities are also provided for one-to-one sessions, where questions and areas of interest can be discussed
  • The course aims to help you consider becoming a Catholic, but we understand that you may decide at any stage that you are not ready for this  very personal commitment
  • You do not have to be baptised already to follow this course, in which case adult Baptism would be incorporated into your reception into the Church
  • Sometimes people have joined the course because their children are also being received into the Church. This is a wonderful way in which a family can follow the same journey towards becoming Catholics. But please consider this course as a path that you want to explore for yourself, and not simply on behalf of your child (the two programmes are separate from each other)
  • If you are interested in more details about the course you should contact the Parish Office

Prayer can take many forms, including:

  • a conversation with God
  • paying loving attention to God
  • resting in God’s presence
  • asking help from God
  • reading God’s word in scripture

Our life as a Benedictine parish encourages us to:

  • Search for God through personal prayer and lectio divina (prayerful reading of the scriptures)
  • Place the Mass at the centre of parish life and our personal lives
  • Develop a strong sense of community, with hospitality a key feature, as well as finding concrete ways of valuing the gifts of all
  • Promote ongoing theological and spiritual formation for all through courses, study days and talks
  • Foster a sense of the Church which is truly Catholic, able to look beyond the local diocese, and striving for Christian unity

Vocations to the Religious Life: Is Jesus Calling you?

The following links will provide more information regarding vocations.

The first is to the vocations page at Douai Abbey, the Benedictine monastery, from where our parish priests are sent—click here.

For vocations to the diocesan priesthood, permanent diaconate and other forms of religious life there is a link to the vocations page at Liverpool Archdiocese—click here.

For further information about a vocation to the permanent diaconate please contact Rev Canon Christopher Fallon at the Archdiocesan Office:
diaconate@rcaol.org.uk

For information about a vocation to the religious life please contact the Episcopal Vicar for Religious, Fr Godric Timney OSB:
paxorm@btconnect.com

StElizabeths-50

Participating in the Liturgy and the life of the parish

There are a number of ways in which you can become involved in the liturgy and the life of the parish, including those listed opposite.

If you are interested in any of these, you would be most welcome to join the existing teams. Please contact the parish office for more information:

  • Eucharistic Visiting
  • Flower Arrangers

  • Readers

  • Church Cleaning Team

  • Choir

  • Grounds & Fabric Team

  • Ushers