Residents of Chester and the wider community are being invited to join members of a Chester church at events to celebrate the Feast of St Werburgh and the historic city centre building’s 150th anniversary.
St Werburgh’s Catholic Church in Grosvenor Park Road will mark the Feast of St Werburgh, the Patron Saint of Chester, and the conclusion of events to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the present church building with a Mass of Thanksgiving on Tuesday 3rd February at 7.30pm. The church will also stage a special free concert featuring the Parish choir and popular local musicians on Thursday 5th February at 7.30pm.
Built between 1873 and 1875 to a design by Edmund Kirby, St Werburgh’s Church was officially opened in July 1876 with a Pontifical High Mass, the first to be celebrated in Chester for 300 years.
Born in around, 650 AD, Saint Werburgh is patron of the City of Chester whose Feast Day is celebrated each year on 3rd February. She was renowned for her good and holy life and associated with stories of many spiritual healings and miracles. The most famous of these being the legend of a goose that St Werburgh restored to life. At the end of the ninth century, St Werburgh’s relics were brought from Hanbury in Staffordshire to Chester for safekeeping. The relics were placed in a church on the site of the present Cathedral, and the church was named in her honour. Today, St Werburgh’s shrine, which dates from Circa 1340, can be found in the Lady Chapel of Chester Cathedral.
Entitled ‘Mysteries of Faith’, the celebratory concert at St Werburgh’s Church will feature a mix of music, song and poetry with performances from the St Werburgh’s Parish Choir, the Onslow Quartet, Flautist Daniel Dwyer and popular Chester Violinist Phillip Chidell.
Founded in 2007, the Onslow String Quartet is a local amateur ensemble. Its members are Craig Clewley and Andrew McCaddon (violins), Tim Rowland (viola) and Tom Teague (cello). Since its foundation the quartet has enjoyed coaching sessions with world-famous professional performers such as the Alberni Quartet and the Fitzwilliam Quartet. The Onslows have a long association with St Werburgh’s where, in 2017, they premiered a specially commissioned work by the well-known composer David Matthews.
Flautist Daniel Dwyer is a recent recruit to the pool of talented musicians which St Werburgh’s in honoured to have amongst its growing congregation.
Chester-based Violinist Philip Chidell began studying the violin aged six. He has performed in venues including the Bridgewater Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Manchester Cathedral and St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Philip set up his own orchestra 18 months ago. Together, they have now staged seven concerts in Chester, attracting large, enthusiastic audiences each time. Philip will return to Chester Town Hall with his orchestra for two special Mother’s Day concerts on Sunday 15th March.
In October last year, St Werburgh’s welcomed its new Parish Priest, Monsignor David Charters who hopes that the celebrations will highlight the enduring Catholic presence in Chester, while strengthening connections with the wider community and celebrating the parish’s role in the city’s spiritual, cultural, and charitable life.
Fr. David said “As part of various celebrations marking the feast of our patron saint, we are delighted to invite the wider community to take part in two special events on Tuesday 3rd and Thursday 5th February, celebrating both the parish’s Catholic faith and its long-standing place in the life of the city. The 150th anniversary year has included a series of community events and fundraising initiatives in support of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd, which raised £25,000 reflecting the parish’s commitment to care, compassion, and service in Chester.
“While the Mass is a liturgical celebration”, Reverend Charters added “all are welcome to attend and share in this moment of gratitude and reflection. The parish community looks forward to welcoming members of the community to our special opening evening concert which will explore faith, mystery, and beauty through music and the spoken word, classical and contemporary, as we consider how these correspond to the joys and hopes, sorrows and challenges of our own lives.”
Fr. David highlighted “This year’s St Werburgh’s celebrations are an opportunity to give thanks for the past and to embrace the present and the future with the trust and hope that inspired the building of the church so that it will continue to be a place of welcome, and a reference for the people of this city for many years to come.”
Full details of events celebrating the Feast Day of St Werburgh and the Church’s 150th Anniversary can be found at www.stwerburghchester.co.uk
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