Croxteth, Fazakerley and Walton Pastoral Area : Our Lady and St Philomena & Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs, and St Swithin
Church Services
Queen of Martyrs Church is open each day from 9.00am until about 12 noon. This means you can pop in for a few minutes quiet prayer if and when you are passing.
Weekday Mass times may vary each week so please check weekly church newsletter
Through a separate Liturgy of the Word for children, we aim to introduce children to important aspects of God's message. We try to do this by allowing them to celebrate God's word at their own pace, giving them the opportunity to offer their thoughts and reflections, following the pattern of normal congregational liturgy.
We hope that they gain an experience of being part of a community, the parish, and the feeling that their thoughts and ideas are valued by that community. By using symbols and movements of the liturgy we endeavour to help them discover how the Word of God has meaning in their daily lives. We hope that by offering a Children's Liturgy of the Word, we can help support families with children in the parish.
The Childrens Liturgy takes place in 3 groups at the 11.15am Sunday Mass.
Pre- school: A group for those who have not yet started school gathers in the Church porch. Parents are asked to accompany children in this age group.
Infants Group: The sacristy is the venue for the work with those who are aged 4 - 7.
Juniors Group: The Parish meeting room holds those children who are aged 8 and above (usually finishing at the age of 11.)
RCIA / Journey in Faith
RCIA is known in the parish as the Journey in Faith.
Those adults who desire to become full members of the Roman Catholic Church follow the process and are Baptised (when necessary), Confirmed and make their Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. The RCIA is also open to Roman Catholic adults who have not completed the Sacraments of Initiation (namely Communion and Confirmation). Those who are already full members of the church are welcome to join the group to learn more about their faith. Please contact Sr. Sara or Fr Andrew for further details.
FUNERAL SERVICE
At the time of the death of a loved one a funeral service can be arranged. For some people this will be a mass for others it will be a funeral service. The arrangements for this are made in conjunction with the priest and an undertaker. Due to the reduced number of priests it is not always possible to arrange the funeral on the day or at the time you may initially wish. We do everything we can to accommodate. A team of parishioners will lead the rosary on the night before the funeral if a family wishes. (It is not usually the priest who will do this.)
In November each year we invite those who have been bereaved in the last 12 months to a special Mass.
CATECHISTS
At the heart of much of our sacramental life is the role of Catechist. We have many wonderful people who give of their time to share their faith (and their doubts). Handing on the faith to others is central to our life as Church. All our catechists are CRB cleared and checked. If you are interested in joining in this ministry please see one of the Catechists or Fr Philip
THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
This section of the parish website is dedicated to the various scaraments including; baptism, confession, confirmation, holy communion, marriage and anointing of the sick.
1210 Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life:1 they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.
1211 Following this analogy, the first chapter will expound the three sacraments of Christian initiation; the second, the sacraments of healing; and the third, the sacraments at the service of communion and the mission of the faithful. This order, while not the only one possible, does allow one to see that the sacraments form an organic whole in which each particular sacrament has its own vital place. In this organic whole, the Eucharist occupies a unique place as the "Sacrament of sacraments": "all the other sacraments are ordered to it as to their end."2
