Parish Groups
We have many church groups that are there to help people, parishioners, to explore their faith and/or build their faith through speaking and meeting with others of similar minds, or through working with others to create and deliver supportive actions to those less well off than them.
St Vincent de Paul
Our Society of St Vincent de Paul is made up of volunteers who are there to identify people within our parish community who are in need of help. This can be physical, practical, emotional or spiritual and they arrange to visit these people and offer various types of support. Volunteers are always welcomed to this group.
Men’s & Women’s Prayer Groups
Both of these groups are made up of men or women who meet regularly to pray together and to support each other as they explore their faith and consider the role and impact of Jesus in their lives and daily living.
Intercessory Prayer Groups
This group of people have decided to centre their prayers on seeking out those that are in greatest need of prayerful support and then praying for the help and succour that could bring that support.
Devotional Prayer Groups
The Rosary & Divine Mercy are said at 10.30am every Saturday morning. As Pope John Paul said, ‘Where if not in the Divine Mercy can the world find refuge and the light of hope?’
Also, at 7pm on the first Tuesday of every month a group of parishioners meet to turn to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in a beautiful novena of prayer and petition.
The Rosary is also recited in the months of May & October.
Eucharistic Ministers
These are men and women who have volunteered to either assist the priest at mass with the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament, Holy Communion or to take this sacrament out to people who are sick and housebound and unable to travel to church. Volunteers are always needed to help with this role.
Readers Group
These are volunteers who assist at each Mass in the reading of the scriptures to help the wider congregation in their listening to and understanding of the Holy Word.
Altar Servers
This group of people have decided to centre their prayers on seeking out those that are in greatest need of prayerful support and then praying for the help and succour that could bring that support.
Carmelites
With a simplicity of life in the spirit of the Beatitudes, prayer, a time for silence and solitude, the Carmelite group hold a monthly community meeting at St John’s and wear the Brown Scapular of Mary, Mother of Carmel.
Music Section
Welcome Ministers
Cleaners
Hospitality
Our Music Section or Group is led by our Organist, Maria Coulson. She leads us every week at our weekend Masses and at all of the other major services. She is supported by a small, but welcoming and open, group of singers each Sunday.
We have been known for a long time as a welcoming-church and this is in small part down to our Welcoming Ministers. It is not enough to say that they do what it says in their title. They are the first faces that new people see when they visit our church for services and their open, honest and full welcome is worth more than gold. We want you to feel welcome when you call in at our church and these people do their utmost to invite you in, to make you feel included and involved and to see to any and all needs that you may have. As we said at the start, All are welcome in this place – and we all have a part to play in making this statement a reality.
Our cleaning staff are integral to, and hugely important members of our church body. They have been worth their weight in gold as we have run through so many strict and recurring cleaning regimes under Covid. They continue to be so and they have helped us as a parish to come through this pandemic so successfully. They meet every Tuesday morning and new volunteers are always welcomed.
In addition to a Sunday morning tea and biscuits with friends, we have a coffee morning for special occasions and refreshments at certain events.
Bereavement Group
Traidcraft
Foodbank
The reintroduction of a new Bereavement Support Group which offers spiritual support and friendship to those who are suffering a bereavement is being worked on.
Traidcraft is a co-founder of the world fair trade movement. It fights poverty through trade and helps to change peoples lives. A stall of handmade, ethical and fair trade gifts for sale is set up at St John’s on a regular basis by committed volunteers.
Each week parishioners bring in much needed food for the Wirral Foodbank. These donations are then taken to the collection depot by our dedicated volunteers.
Children’s Liturgy
Our Children’s Liturgy group brings the Word of God to our children. This occurs during Mass but in a separate area of the church and is celebrated at a level more appropriate to the level of children’s understanding.
Flower Group
Making so many wonderful flower arrangements for the church are our ladies. A small and very talented group as shown in the wonderful displays throughout the year.