History
The North Potteries Team Ministry is still quite young, but the three churches in the team have been part of the life and community in north Stoke-on-Trent for many years.
May 2020
On the Feast of St Joseph the Worker (1st May), St Saviour (Smallthorne), St Werburgh (Burslem), and Holy Trinity (Sneyd) Churches formally became one parish under the name North Potteries Team Ministry. The then parish Priest of St Saviour, Fr Andrew Swift, became our Team Rector, and oversees each of the churches in this new parish.
June 2020
Fr Glen Thomas joined the team as Fr Andrew’s Assistant Curate, he was initially licenced as Lay Worker following his training and formation at St Stephen’s House in Oxford and ordained to the Deaconate in September of the same year at Lichfield Cathedral by +Michael Ipgrave, Lord Bishop of Lichfield (delayed because of restrictions caused by the Covid pandemic).
June 2021
Fr Glen was ordained to the sacred priesthood, here at St Werburgh by +Jonathan Goodall, the then Bishop of Ebbsfleet.
Easter 2022
Now Covid restrictions are relatively over, we are able to resume recruitment of a Team Vicar to join our Ministry Team.
May 2023
In celebration of the Coronation of TM King & Queen, we also said farewell to Fr Glen who takes up the post of Vicar of S. Mary’s South Ruislip.
August 2023
With the start of the new football season comes a new opportunity to worship – Valiant Church! An opportunity for all the family to get match ready in a different kind of way. It is planned that these short services will take place before Saturday home matches at 1.45pm in Holy Trinity.
Liturgy & Tradition
We are an Anglo-Catholic parish of three churches of the Society (SSWSH) in the Diocese of Lichfield. St Saviour is in Smallthorne, Holy Trinity is on Hamil Road next to Port Vale Football Club, and St Werburgh in on High Lane opposite Haywood Hospital.
Mass
With many of us having such busy lives, or with obligations which might make attending church difficult on a Sunday morning, we are pleased to let you know that we celebrate Mass once a day, 7 days a week across the parish. You can expect a traditional form of liturgy, something that is in direct contrast to modern society; we see it as a way of keeping our worship true to old forms, a place where we can make space for God, and come together to worship corporately. To find out where and when, please view the latest news which has times and locations published every week.
Holy Rosary
We also have an active Rosary Group which meets 3 times a week across the parish. If you’ve ever wondered what the Rosary is all about, or would simply like to pray it with others, please do come along – you are very welcome:
Wednesdays – 6.20pm, St Werburgh
Fridays – 11.20am, Holy Trinity
Benediction
Benediction is sometimes given as the conclusion to Thursday Vespers (Evening Prayers) which starts at 6pm at S. Saviour’s, you are very welcome to join us for this very special and brief service.
Bell at St Werburgh
If you live near, or have ever passed by, St Werburgh, it is likely you have heard its bell chiming at different times of the day. The bell (set on the opposite side of the church so as not to face Haywood Hospital) chimes the Angelus twice a day: 12noon, and 6pm.
The Angelus, or Angelic Salutation, became popular in this country in the early 1300s. Typically the Angelus bell is chimed at 6am, 12noon, and 6pm, we had altered the time of the morning chime to 9am to coincide with the normal start of the working and school day, however, on discovering some of our neighbours are shift workers we currently forego the first chiming!
The Angelus is a pious practice; when we hear the bells chime, we stop whatever we are doing and pray the Angelus (a brief prayer) in the knowledge that others are doing the same.
Angelus Prayer
1st 3 chimes:
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art though among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
2nd 3 chimes:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
3rd 3 chimes:
And the Word was made flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
9 chimes:
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray
Pour forth, we beseech Thee O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts;
that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son,
was made known by the message of an angel,
may by his Passion and Cross be brought
to the glory of his Resurrection
through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Other bells
As you move about the parish you may hear the bells of the churches being rung at seemingly odd times; the bells are typically rung five or ten minutes before the beginning of mass – they are a call to prayer, and for those who cannot come, a reminder that we are praying for you at that time. Normally the bells are rung either 33 times, once for each of the years of Christ’s life on earth, or 39 times, once for each of the Church of England’s Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.