Activities and Groups

Activities and Groups within the Parish

Ascent Movement

One of the ‘new movements’ in the Church, for people in their middle years who are called to be Active, Spiritual, Caring, Enlightened, Needy and Thankful. The group also aims to build a link between the young and the not so young in the parish. Meetings are held usually on the first Wednesday of each month. For further information, contact Veronica Sowerby or Sr. Clare Smith.

Card Making Group

A group of volunteers who make cards, which are sold in aid of the Goodwill Children’s Villages, India. A friendly group who meet some Tuesday mornings and always make new members very welcome. Contact Julie Hull for the date of the next meeting.

Dance Club

The Dance Club is the Thursday evening female dance and movement class, from 8.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. in the Assisi Hall. Soft shoes essential – please, no trainers! £3.00 per head admission. Come along and have fun. The Dance Club enables the weekly class to join exercise, correct breathing and dance movement – all performed to music. Beginners particularly welcome. Routines will gradually be established. Fully qualified tutor in charge. For further information contact Grazyna Swales.

Luncheon Group

St. Francis’ Tuesday Luncheon Group welcomes you to join them if you have two hours to spare. They meet from 12.15 p.m. to 2.15 p.m. every first Tuesday of the month. For further details contact Veronica Sowerby.

Parents and Toddlers Group

This takes place on Wednesday and Thursday mornings between 9.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. The group is aimed at children from new born to the age of 3. Everyone is welcome although priority will be given to parishioners of St. Francis if there is a waiting list. Contact Maria Levesley, who is a parishioner.

200 Club

If you are not already a member, then do give this note your serious consideration. We run this little lottery to raise money for the Parish. Members have a chance to share in cash prizes of £30 in eight months of the year or £125 every quarter.

A total of £740 is paid out in prizes every year and if you are a member your token participates in 12 draws annually. The club usually raises over £600 per year for the parish.

You can join by contacting Kevin Exell. All he asks is that you sign a standing order of £13 per annum, payable quarterly, half yearly or annually to the Club - a sum equivalent to only 25p per week! Some parishioners have two or even three tokens in each draw. There is no limit to the number of tokens you can purchase. (Reg. under the Lotteries Act 1976).

St. Vincent De Paul Society

The SVP was founded over 160 years ago with volunteers dedicated to helping the poor, sick and lonely and housebound, Catholic or not. Today, the society has almost a million members working in five continents for the benefits of others. Contact Kevin McHale for further details.

Welcoming of new Parishoners

A group of existing parishioners visits those new to the Parish in their homes in order to give them a formal welcome to St. Francis’ Parish and to outline the various activities and facilities available within the Parish. The scheme is coordinated by David Kay.

Ecumenical Projects

Churches Together in Hallam

This is made up of the seven churches in the local area: Tapton Congregationalist, Stephen Hill and Nether Green Methodist, St. Luke’s Local Ecumenical Church (Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed) at Lodge Moor, the Anglican churches of St. Columba, Crosspool, and St John, Ranmoor together with the Catholic Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

The principal events are two shared services each year: the first is held in January during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the second is an Evening Service on Good Friday. These ecumenical activities take place, on a rota, in each of the participating churches. Other activities are organised on an ad hoc basis. Our Parish Contact is John Green.

Sheffield Christian Constituency Movement

St. Francis’ Parish subscribes to and supports the work of the Hallam Branch of the Sheffield Christian Constituency Movement, an ecumenical discussion forum that aims to bring matters of Christian concern to public notice, and especially to members of parliament and local authorities and politicians. Our representatives are David and Maura Kay.

Activities within the wider community

The Roundabout Project

Roundabout, which is one of the ‘home’ missions supported by the Parish, provides accommodation for young people who are homeless in Sheffield. They are helped to develop the necessary skills to live independently in their own flats. An activity programme has been developed which not only caters for individual and educational needs, i.e. applying for jobs, literacy etc. They are grateful to receive clothes and household goods as well as art materials, camping equipment, sports equipment, board games, musical instruments, radios, stereos, videos, tapes, televisions and framed pictures. Your time, skill sharing and donations of money are also welcome. Within the Parish Christmas presents are collected to send to the young people and, at Easter, we collect and give Easter eggs. If you would like to help out in any way contact Margaret Simpson, a parishioner.

St Wilfrid's Centre

This Centre offers food, clothes, and facilities for showers, friendship, recreation and training to the homeless and less disadvantaged in our society. Once each month St. Francis’ Parish collects tea, coffee and sugar for the delivery to the Centre. A box is available in the Narthex for your donation. If you would like to help out at St. Wilfrid’s Centre please contact Kevin Bradley.

Vincent's Charity Shop

Vincent’s shop forms part of the St Vincent de Paul Society and is run by a team of volunteers who sort and sell donated merchandise. The funds raised help towards the running of the SVP Furniture Store, the St Wilfrid’s Centre and other diocesan charity shops. Any clothes or small household items can be donated direct to the shop on Abbeydale Road. Larger items of furniture can be donated to the Furniture Store (see below). For further information please contact the Shop Manager. New Volunteers are always needed.

St Vincent's Furniture Store

Operated by the SVP Society, St. Vincent’s Furniture Store collects good quality furniture from willing donors and then supplies these essential items to needy Sheffield families. This service is provided to anyone in need who is formally referred, irrespective of race, gender, age or creed. The store operates two vans, and a full-time Coordinator leads a dedicated team of drivers and office staff - the majority of whom are volunteers - supported by a Management Committee. Funding comes from the Vincent’s Charity Shop, Sheffield City Council and in donations from various Trusts. Extra funding is always needed to help with vehicle replacement, and running and maintenance costs and special fund-raising events are arranged from time to time. If you would like to join other volunteers from St. Francis’ parish or have furniture which you could donate please contact the store for further details.

Support of the Foreign Missions

CAFOD

CAFOD (The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is a significant means within the Parish of providing material help to the mission of the Church and other deserving causes in foreign countries. Projects and fund-raising events are organised regularly by our parish CAFOD Group. In recent years this has included a Parish Pantomime (if you are interested in helping contact Stephen/Eva.) The parish CAFOD representative is Stephen Spooner.

Justice and Peace

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Hallam aims to raise awareness of Justice and Peace issues in a practical way, through a contact in each parish. A quarterly newsletter is published and displayed in the Narthex. Our contacts are the Parish Councillors in charge of Mission: Sian Ellen Price and Dominic Shirt.

Traidcraft

There is a Traidcraft stall after the 11.00 a.m. Mass on Sundays and the 9.00 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of each month. Fairly traded goods and crafts from the Third World are sold as well as recycled paper goods. A catalogue is available showing a wider range of goods, including fashion and jewellery, which can be ordered. To place an order, or for more information on goods or the running of a stall please contact Diane Ryan.

Goodwill Children's Homes - South India

Goodwill cares for 800 children in 7 homes throughout the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. They are shown examples of love, knowledge and service. The children are from very poor families who may be in bonded labour, or relying on casual labour or working on the coffee plantations, or be tribal families who are so poor that they do not even appear on the Indian Government census. Whilst orphans receive priority for placement in a Goodwill home, many of the children still have one parent alive, who is often in ill health and struggling to bring up a family. During the holidays many of the children return to their villages so that family and community links are maintained. Long-term aid projects call for patience, endurance and commitment. Education is slow and undramatic. In due course, some of the Goodwill children will become leaders in their own communities, passing on to others what they have learned.

Additional information is placed on the Notice Board and in the Franciscan. Further details may be obtained from Julie Hull.

Sister Helen Spragg, MMM - In Rwanda

Sr. Helen is a Medical Missionary of Mary whose family lives in St. Francis’ Parish. She made her final profession on 9th August 1997 here in St. Francis’ Church. Sr. Helen is a Pharmacist currently working in the Order’s Mission in Kirambi, Rwanda. Fundraising events, to support her work, are arranged on an occasional basis. Sr. Helen’s mother, Mrs. Mary Spragg, is happy to give current information on Sister Helen’s work.