St Peter's Catholic Church, Hazel Grove

25/12/2025

We hope you all had a peaceful Christmas Day.

Look at the wonderful flowers, the fabulous Christmas tree, and the beautiful crib.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our services, either in person or online, and to all in our parish who help to keep the church running.

22/12/2025

Mass times

21/12/2025

09/12/2025

07/11/2025

Good Luck to both the Junior and Adult choirs this weekend.

They are taking part in the Hazel Grove Musical Festival tomorrow - Saturday 8th November.

Eileen and Chris have been working very hard getting the choirs ready to sing their hearts out.

The Junior Choirs perform in the morning from 9.30am and the Adult choirs are on in the afternoon from 2pm - all at Hazel Grove Methodist Church.

Come along, enjoy some amazing performances, and soak up the friendly festival atmosphere.

🎟️ Tickets available on the door
☕ Refreshments served all day

27/04/2025

The Pilgrims' Progress - Day 7

Sunday 27th April 2025

And so dear reader we have reached the last full day of our pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. Who could have thought that only last Monday when we arrived at Rome airport that we would be greeted with the news that our beloved Pope Francis had given up his soul to God and entered into his heavenly kingdom. Yet his spirit has stayed with us and led us on our continuing journey in faith.

Our morning walk took us to the Basilica of Saint Clare where she lies in a glass sarcophagus. Also in the church is the crucifix which spoke to Saint Francis saying “Go Francis, and repair my house; as you can see it is falling into ruins”. The cross had originally been situated at the church of Saint Damian. And it was there that we ventured next for our Sunday service in a small chapel by the cloisters.

After Mass we were able to wander through the many rooms there before boarding our taxis for the hairpin ride up to the Carceri Hermitage. It was here that Saint Francis frequently visited to spend periods of contemplation and prayer. Some chose to return to the hotel on foot, pilgrims to the last!

Our final afternoon was spent as we wished. Some chose last minute shopping, others enjoyed ‘people watching’ from the street cafe’s and some in quiet contemplation in one of the many churches that adorn this beautiful place. Our final meal together was pizza, well this is Italy!

And so dear reader, from this contributor, God bless and may peace be with you.

Brendan Morrison

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-pilgrims-progress-day-7-sunday-27th.html

26/04/2025

The Pilgrims' Progress - Day 5,
Friday 25th April 2025

Today we transferred from The Eternal City to the City of Peace. We joined a lively community of mostly youth groups marking Confirmation retreats; day trips or the presence of Carlo Acutis.

How privileged we are to represent our parishes in this wonderful, medieval home of Ss Francis and Clare.

The Franciscan sisters of the Atonement welcomed us for Mass and Antony continued his illuminating guidance.

Let us pray the peace we are experiencing follows us home and spreads out to our needy world.

James Gallogly

Later we were welcomed by Roy Grant, a nonagenarian living in Assisi who welcomed us to his home adorned with antiques and ancient religious articles.

A lovely man who served us prosecco and told us the story of St Francis and St Clare and described some of the ancient artwork from East and Western Christianity which he had collected through the years.

We really got a sense of the timelessness of our Faith. We then enjoyed supper at the Albergo and had an evening stroll down to the Piazza.

To cap another wonderful day, we had the opportunity to greet Carlo Acutis at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore which had remained open for a few extra hours.

Tomorrow we look forward to a day in Assisi and some time to take in the funeral of Pope Francis.

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-pilgrims-progress-day-5-friday-25th.html

25/04/2025

Rome and Assisi
The Pilgrims' Progress - Day 4

Thursday 24th April 2025

Last night, a group of 5 including the 'Romiley Rockers' set out with some trepidation after Mass at the Irish college, to join the queue to pay our respects to Pope Francis lying in state.

After a 4 hour wait, we were blessed for our group to be picked out to enter. One of our party needed mobility assistance and we were able to enter without the crowd. This made the procession very special - as we progressed up the nave, just our small group- it felt like a pilgrimage within our pilgrimage. There was beautiful music as if we were being greeted by a chorus of angels.

We were all very emotional as we said our final goodbyes and Thankyous to this amazing man of the people.

This morning we were up early. We were privileged to go to the Basilica of St Paul outside the walls where we were able to view the tomb of St Paul. We felt we were meeting the place where the foundation of our Church meets us the modern day catholics, where heaven meets earth. My personal prayer was to say ‘Thankyou for your letters’.

We then travelled by coach to the Basilica of the 12 Apostles and shared Mass together in a beautiful side chapel.

Antony then treated us to an ice cream at the busy Trevi fountain. We had time then for a group photo at the Spanish steps. Then we had David to guide us home after a leisurely lunch!!

We’ve now got a free evening………….Assisi here we come!!!

Terry and Teresa Thiele

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-pilgrims-progress-day-4-thursday.html

24/04/2025

The Pilgrims' Progress Day 3

Wednesday 23rd April 2025

Some of the group this morning headed down to St Peter’s square to see if there was any chance of paying our respects to our beloved Pope Francis.

Others stayed to visit the church of San Clemente and the archaeological remains of a church dating back over the centuries beneath it. Stunning to know there had been worship on that site since the first century.

So, we are queuing outside St Peter’s to visit Pope Francis as he lies in state. Maybe 1,000 queuing as we join the queue in the side streets beside the Vatican. Rachel, John and Christopher together as we wait for Bernie and Claire. 07:40 and the queue is moving.

We have just given an interview as to why we are here, and what the Pope means to us. As the reporter commented, an interesting contrast to the Pomp of the formal gathering this weekend. So, having completed our media duties we are now sat in St Peter’s Sq awaiting the placing of Pope Francis to lie in state.

The Pope is carried through and the East Bell tolls with authority to acknowledge the occasion. A brief service, accompanied with singing follows, before we are ushered to queue to enter the Basilica.

A solemn hush ascends, as we slowly edge towards the resting Pope, the sound of shuffling feet breaking the silence. Mobiles reduce in numbers as we approach the resting Pope, a final intimate minute is enjoyed with his holiness - a moment never to be forgotten.

We then have a short period of prayer and reflection before leaving the Basilica in respectful service. A truly wonderful experience.

Christopher Glennon

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-pilgrims-progress-day-3-wednesday.html

To read the full blog and see photos and videos go to

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/

23/04/2025

The Pilgrims' Progress Day 2
April 22, 2025

Our pilgrim way today was a day of privilege. We began by walking over the Esquiline Hill to the Basilica of Santa Prassade which had some mosaics created by Pope Paschal I in the 800's based on the Book of Revelations.

Having marvelled at them, we continued to an even more beautiful church, San Alfonso. There was a tranquility and quiet splendour there - a beautiful setting for our Mass at 10am.

This is the titular church of Archbishop Vincent Nichols and we felt a special affinity with our home country at the time of sadness over the death of the Holy Father. Fr Peter and Deacon John were in great voice in this magnificent acoustic leading us to sing at various parts of the Mass.

The church also houses the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour - it's worth looking up the history of that icon - and we finished with the beautiful plain chant "Regina Coeli" to fill the space.

From there we visited the Basilica of St Mary Major, where Pope Francis used to come and pray. Of course it was announced that he will be buried there this coming weekend, so we had the added privilege of being there in person today. We made our pilgrim way through the Holy Door there, after airport-style security, and drank in the splendour of the church.

The staff and volunteers both here and at St Peter's will be well and truly tested in the coming days as will the shops and cafés, hotels, restaurants, transport etc.

After some free time for lunch, for us another journey, another coach. The coach company is under real pressure this week, organising the logistics for suddenly needing to transport people all over.

We arrived alongside the River Tiber and made our way to the beginning of that splendid vista up to St Peter's, the Via Conciliazione. We gathered behind a special pilgrim cross that James carried and processed in prayer right up into St Peter's. What a beautiful way to enter the Basilica.

We have done so much - and we're only at Day 2. (Many pilgrims are finding they're getting more than their usual steps in - by lunchtime!!)

Anne-Marie

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-pilgrims-progress-day-2.html

21/04/2025

St Peter’s pilgrimage 

Rome on arrival
April 21, 2025

We woke at 4AM after a special weekend of Easter celebration to set out to Manchester airport in the dark. Met with a few of the group for a coffee before finding the gate. A Jet2 All Day Breakfast was well received although Chris did opt for a Chicken Dinner on the grounds that it already seemed like lunchtime 😂

Landing was a cloudless dream and then switching on our phones to the sad surprise of the death of our beloved Pope Francis. Everyone was saddened and the tone of our little assembly was framed by different hopes and prayers for our week.

Suddenly the questions were bigger than the future of our parish, broadening more sharply into the future of the church and the world.

Rome on arrival was bathed in beautiful Easter sunshine. A sense of being here at a significant moment in history, yet there’s a peace and a calm - a moment of resurrection to celebrate a life lived to the full in service of God and the church.

Anthony, our guide, met us in the airport and once we rallied our group we joined our coach for transfer to the Lancelot Hotel just across from the Colosseum. Surreal to be driving through the streets of Rome with so many landmarks and the dome of the Vatican in the distance and all that is taking place there in this moment.

We tuned into the Parish to the service of Word and Communion and were pleased to be united with our church family at St Peter’s in this moment of sadness.

Simple lunch turned out to be quite substantial 😃 before a trip to the Catacombs of St Callistus this afternoon - the burial site of many of the early Christians in Rome. We prayed especially in thanksgiving for the life of Pope Francis when Fr Peter celebrated Mass for us at the catacombs.

We had a moment of silence before dinner and Fr Peter prayed in thanksgiving for the life of Pope Francis. After dinner, an optional stroll to the Colosseum - all framed by the loss of our lovely Pope Francis. May he rest in Peace 🙏

Deacon John

https://stpeterspilgrimage.blogspot.com/2025/04/rome-on-arrival.html

18/04/2025

Friday 18th April 2025
Good Friday
The Celebration of the Lord's Passion

10.00 am Syro Malabar Liturgy at St. Philips
1100 a.m. Way of the Cross for the Young People In St Peter's

3.00 pm Liturgy of the Passion
at St. Peter's and St. Philip's

Readings: Isaiah 52: 13-53: 12; Psalm 30; Hebrews 4: 14-16, 5:7-9,
John 18: 1-19:42

Saturday 19th April 2025
Holy Saturday

9.00 am Syro Malabar at St. Philip's

12. Noon Blessing of Food in Polish in St. Peter's
8.30 pm The Easter Vigil - People of the Parish
Readings: Luke 24: 1-12

Sunday 20th April 2025
EASTER SUNDAY

8.30 am Michael Higginbottom ORGAN

10.00 am Mass at St. Philip's - James Flynn
10.00am Sarah, Frank and Michael Parker RIP FOLK GROUP

11.30 am
Canon John Roper RIP
JUNIOR