About Us
The Church of the Ascension has been the spiritual home of the people of Torrisholme for over 100 years. The Parish Church strives to be a welcoming community to all who come seeking the grace of God. The church is rooted in the catholic tradition of the Church of England, and might be described as "Modern Catholic". This is reflected in our style of worship and the regular celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of all we do, culminating in the Parish Mass at 11am on a Sunday.
We use a variety of traditional and more contemporary hymns and music in our services, and hope that anyone from any Christian tradition (or none!) can find a home here.
We have a thriving Junior Church which meets most weeks during term time, from 11am, and once a month an All Age Eucharist is celebrated aimed at people of every age young and old alike.
The liturgical seasons are marked with due solemnity and Mass is celebrated on all feast days.
Our church halls are host to a wide range of community as well as parish events and groups, including the uniformed organisations, toddler groups, health and fitness classes, craft and music societies and much more.
St Martin's Church Centre is on Braddon Close, in the Westgate area of the parish. We have a simple Mass here on Wednesday evenings at 6pm, and an informal drop in on Thursdays at 2pm.
'Where love is, God is there also' wrote Leo Tolstoy. Our aim is to be a worshiping and welcoming community founded on the greatest command of all, to love. Love God above all things and our neighbour as ourselves. A warm welcome awaits you.
Regular Weekly Worship Times
Sunday- Mass at 9am, Parish Mass at 11am, Evening service 6pm
Wednesday- Mass 10am (monthly Requiem 1st Wed, Healing Ministries 3rd Wed)
- 6pm Mass at St Martin's, Westgate
Thursday-Mass 12 noon followed by "Breaking Bread" lunch club, fortnightly
Saturday- Mass 10am (monthly for Walsingham on last Saturday)
SAFEGUARDING
The Church of The Ascension takes safeguarding matters seriously and adheres to the policies and requirements of the Diocese of Blackburn for the care of children and vulnerable adults (see its website).
The Diocesan Safeguarding Officer is Sharon Hassall and can be contacted at [email protected] (Tel. 01254 503415).
Our parish safeguarding officers are: Hazel Higgins Tel: 01524 412848, and Janet Diamond 01254 36268
The following policy was reviewed and agreed at the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on
May 14th 2019
In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:
• Promoting a safer environment and culture.
• Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church.
• Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
• Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
• Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
• Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.
The Parish will:
• Create a safe and caring place for all.
• Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures.
• Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
• Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.
• Display in church premises and on the Parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.
• Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.
• Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately.
• Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
• Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.
• Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.
• Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.
Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.
This church appoints Hazel Higgins and Janet Diamond as the Parish Safeguarding Officers