Parking Ticket Shock!

Christmas worshippers leaving Sacred Heart Church, Jasper
Street, Hanley on Christmas Eve discovered an unexpected present - not
from Fr Christmas, but from traffic wardens who had visited the area
around the Victorian Church and issued up to 50 tickets to worshippers
at the Christmas Mass.

Parish Priest, Fr Peter Weatherby, is livid.

"We
are calling on those issued with tickets not to pay the fines but to
appeal, " he said. "What is especially annoying is that Mass began at
5.45pm, just 15 minutes before surface parking becomes free in the City
Centre, so most tickets must have been issued just minutes before
traffic charges for surface parking in Hanley are lifted at 6pm. All
the shops were shut - clearly the wardens must have known that the cars
belonged to families worshipping in the Church."

Church wardens
reported that a vehicle carrying several traffic wardens arrived after
a complaint had been made about a vehicle which was causing an
obstruction. "The church wardens tell me that the scene appeared like a
raid - fines were being issued to worshippers, just as we were singing
'in the bleak midwinter'! " said Fr Weatherby.

"It is such a
shame that Christmas began for so many people like this," said the
priest. "We had our largest Christmas congregation for many years -
nearly 400 people - and it was wonderful for us to welcome the Bishop
for this celebration. We are the only mainstream Christian Church left
in the City Centre, yet action like this will drive good people away.
This is so sad."

Fr Peter has written a letter of protest to the
City Council. He is also calling upon all those who receiving a ticket
to appeal the fine and to contact the parish so that a full list can be
drawn up of those affected. Worshippers can use the website
www.sacredhearthanley.org.uk or write to Sacred Heart Catholic Church,
1 Eastwood Place, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DB.

UCM Christmas Dinner

Members of the Sacred Heart UCM had an enjoyable evening for their Christmas Dinner at the Toby Carvery, Festival Park, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent on the evening of Wednesday December 10th.

More photos here: http://tinyurl.com/68j65v

Journey in Faith - Shirley's studies

Shirley Weatherby - pictured right - leads the Journey in Faith group at Sacred Heart Church on the topic of Our Lady. This is part of a series of three sessions Shirley is leading entitled "Do not be afraid to be saints" which she has planned and is delivering as part of her course for the BA in Applied Theology at Maryvale Institute, Birmingham.

Shirley is in the fourth year of a five year course for the BA and hopes to receive her degree in 2010.

Heavy snow at Sacred Heart!

Snow on Tuesday December 2nd fell heavily in Stoke on Trent. The prayer group was cancelled, but the Journey in Faith carried on despite the weather. Below you can see Journey in Faith hard at work.

Candida at work

Parishioner and UCM member Candida Hitit can be seen on youtube. See the video here: http://tinyurl.com/5bs7t7

It's snowing!

December 2nd, and the snow falls heavy on Sacred Heart, Hanley. The prayer group is cancelled this evening, but the Journey in Faith (on a sled, perhaps) continues as usual.