St Francis Xavier Church in Liverpool, which is run by Jesuits, will celebrate its 175th anniversary on 3rd December 2023.

Commenting, Br Ken Vance SJ, who assists in the parish, said:

"I am looking forward to celebrating a year of events leading up to the 175th anniversary of the opening of St Francis Xavier's church on 3rd December 2023. It's an added delight that we will be starting with several fundraising events for the Whitechapel Centre for the Homeless, Liverpool's leading homeless charity."

On the evening of Tuesday 6th December, the award-winning playwright, Jimmy McGovern, opened an exhibition of nativity scenes displayed in the beautiful Jesuit church of St Francis Xavier (SFX) in the Everton district of Liverpool (see pics below). Over twenty different scenes have been created by local groups ranging from schools to foodbanks and includes a contribution by the users of Whitechapel Homeless Centre. A recycled tableau has been created from discarded material and the local youth centre 'The Shewsy', based at the nearby St Peter's Anglican church, has used discarded toilet roll tubes to make their figures and there is even a marzipan manger complete with edible kings.

The Whitechapel Centre is the leading homeless and housing charity for the Liverpool region. Staff work with people who are sleeping rough, living in hostels or struggling to manage their accommodation. The centre is committed to helping people find and maintain a home and learn the life skills essential for independent living. To find out more about the centre click here.

For those in the area (or visiting), come and check out a display of Nativity scenes at the church in aid of The Whitechapel Centre (event poster below).

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