COVID-19 UPDATE

Public Mass Suspended

Dear sisters and brothers,

Recently the UK Government has officially announced that from Saturday 4th July, we may resume public worship in our churches. Therefore, we are delighted to be able to welcome you back to St Joseph’s Church for celebration of Sunday Mass soon but not immediately. We must stick to the Governments rules regarding hygiene and social distancing and the guidelines issued by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales’ Conference (Visit https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishops-letter-on-resumption-of-collective-worship/). It will take some time to organise our volunteer helpers so we will not be open for public Mass this weekend 4th/5th July but we will be able to allow a certain number of parishioners (42) to join us on weekdays for 9.15am Mass beginning and continuing each weekday from Monday 6th July. The church will open for weekday Mass at 9am and close after Mass.

We need more volunteer helpers (between ages 18-70) to help with ushering and cleaning so if you can help then contact parish office leaving your name age and telephone number. We are also planning to have a simple outdoor Mass (weather permitting) on the school playing field on Sunday 12th July, at 12pm. People must bring their own blankets or chairs. There will also be a (non-public) live-streamed Sunday Mass at 10am on 12th July which will continue to go ahead either way and is not weather dependent. It is important to note from the outset that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days has been suspended until further notice. Therefore, if you are shielding or unable to come to church for any reason, you are under no obligation to attend Sunday Mass. There is no obligation for anyone to attend church during these unusual times and no-one should feel guilty about not coming back to church until they feel that it is totally safe to do so. This is an opportunity for those who want to come back to church to do so if they so wish. The number of people able to attend Mass at St Joseph’s, taking social distancing measures into consideration is 42. These seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and once we have reached this limit, we will not be able to admit anyone else.

It will remain necessary to maintain social distancing at all times whilst in the church, and use the hand sanitizers provided on entering and leaving the church. Although the one-way system will remain in place, whereby you’ll enter the church through the doors by St Joseph’s stained glass window and exit through the other fire exit doors, an exception will be made if necessary. Please continue to be aware of social distancing when entering or leaving the church or when coming forward to receive Holy Communion. Holy Communion will be distributed by the priest in the hand under one kind or a blessing given without the laying on of hands. Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist will not be required at this time. There will be a basket available at the end of Mass for those wishing to make a church donation. The toilets, the foyer, the kitchenette and the parish office will remain closed until further notice. Confessions may be heard before or after Mass, or by appointment, however will be done outside and with social distancing in place. There will be no holy water and the lighting of devotional candles and the touching of statues is not permitted. We will not be providing any personal protective equipment to our visitors so you will need to bring your own gloves or face mask etc if you require them. Newsletters will not be printed or distributed until further notice. The church will close immediately after Mass but open again on Mondays and Fridays at 10am until 12pm for private prayer. If you would like to have a particular Mass intention then please contacting the parish office by e-mail or leave a telephone message.

God Bless, Fr Chris.