St Catherine's Celebration

St Catherine's Celebration & Thanksgiving

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The Mass Sheet booklet prepared for the Mass of Celebration and Thanksgiving on the occasion of the closure of St Catherine's Church on 5th September 2025

Last Friday, 5th September, we celebrated a beautiful Mass of Thanksgiving as we said farewell to our little church at Farington. Our new parish, now with it's centre at St Mary's, Euxton, continues on. It was a poignant evening and more than a few tears were shed.

Be still, for the power of the Lord has moved us in this place.

Thank you to David Barton for the photographs.

Our little church in all it's glory. Farington's hidden gem!	Awaiting the start of Mass.
Visiting concelebrants, including one former priest of the parish, Fr Raphael.	Archbishop John entered to Elgar's "Ecce Sacerdos Magnus".
Incensing the altar.	The smoke of the incense ascends as does the prayer of the saints before the Throne of God: Et ascendit fumus incensorum de orationibus sanctorum de manu Angeli coram Deo
The Scriptures proclaimed.	Proclaiming the Gospel. The whole point of a parish!
Archbishop John.	Our singers - mainly from the Octavius Choir, who have sung so beautifully over the years in our little church. Especially recalling our Charity Carol concerts for the Order of St Lazarus each year. They will continue at St Mary's, Euxton.
Always good to have an enthusiastic Music Director!	The flag of the Order of St Lazarus in Great Britain. We have held many Order events at St Catherine's over the years, as Fr Simon is the Chaplain General for Great Britain.
Grand Chancellor of the Order of St Lazarus, His Excellency, Matthew Jackson, representing the Grand Master, HRH Prince Francois d’Orleans. Sitting with the concelebrating clergy.	New experience for two of our younger newly recruited servers to wear the vimps.
Fr Simon is not singing solo here but saying a few words at the end of Mass.	Thanks to Archbishop John for his words of consolation and of hope for the future.
Thanks to the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr Sean Riley, acting as MC for the Archbishop.	Our own St Catherine. She is preparing to move to her new home at St Mary's, Euxton.
At the end of Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was removed in solemn procession whilst the choir sang Allegri's Divine Praises; after which the people were invited to make a special final farewell to the church by coming up to venerate the altar with a kiss.	Exuent omnes - to "Faith of our Fathers". We will be true to thee till death.
The sanctuary party.

St Catherine - Pray for us!

St Catherine's Celebration & Thanksgiving

Our little church in all it's glory. Farington's hidden gem!

Awaiting the start of Mass.

Visiting concelebrants, including one former priest of the parish, Fr Raphael.

Archbishop John entered to Elgar's "Ecce Sacerdos Magnus".

Incensing the altar.

The smoke of the incense ascends as does the prayer of the saints before the Throne of God: Et ascendit fumus incensorum de orationibus sanctorum de manu Angeli coram Deo

The Scriptures proclaimed.

Proclaiming the Gospel. The whole point of a parish!

Archbishop John.

Our singers - mainly from the Octavius Choir, who have sung so beautifully over the years in our little church. Especially recalling our Charity Carol concerts for the Order of St Lazarus each year. They will continue at St Mary's, Euxton.

Always good to have an enthusiastic Music Director!

The flag of the Order of St Lazarus in Great Britain. We have held many Order events at St Catherine's over the years, as Fr Simon is the Chaplain General for Great Britain.

Grand Chancellor of the Order of St Lazarus, His Excellency, Matthew Jackson, representing the Grand Master, HRH Prince Francois d’Orleans. Sitting with the concelebrating clergy.

New experience for two of our younger newly recruited servers to wear the vimps.

Fr Simon is not singing solo here but saying a few words at the end of Mass.

Thanks to Archbishop John for his words of consolation and of hope for the future.

Thanks to the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr Sean Riley, acting as MC for the Archbishop.

Our own St Catherine. She is preparing to move to her new home at St Mary's, Euxton.

At the end of Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was removed in solemn procession whilst the choir sang Allegri's Divine Praises; after which the people were invited to make a special final farewell to the church by coming up to venerate the altar with a kiss.

Exuent omnes - to "Faith of our Fathers". We will be true to thee till death.

The sanctuary party.