Thank you to the many people who took time to speak to me or get in touch with their thoughts about the different options to be able to attend Mass. While I normally wouldn’t seek to change anything so quickly in the parish, I thought this was worth considering straight away as the restrictions are continuing longer than we all hoped. While I appreciate the simplicity and convenience of the current ‘first come, first served’ approach, I am persuaded of the need to try changing to a booking system for weekend Masses for the following reasons:

 

• Young families, and those taking particular care because of health reasons and those who cannot be in the Church for too long with the toilets closed would all benefit from a booking system making it easier to attend Mass.

 

• Turning people away from full Masses during the poorer weather of the winter seems like something best avoided. The weather may put people off coming to Mass if there is a possibility they may not get in.

 

• The clergy are currently encouraged to keep Mass short and simple to avoid people being gathered in Church for longer periods, at the moment some people are arriving an hour before Mass begins. With tightening restrictions in our country, I think we too need to take particular care in the parish and a booking system will mean people are gathered for a shorter time.

 

An online booking system will start for Saturday and Sunday Masses from Saturday 17th October. If someone is unable to access the internet or to get someone to book for them, they can call a dedicated telephone number to book a space for Mass. A space needs to booked for children and adults with the exception of babies.

 

In order to increase the number of people who can attend a Sunday Mass during the pandemic I will add a 4.00pm Vigil Mass in St Gerard’s Church and the Vigil Mass in Sacred Heart Church will move to 5.30pm. There will be no Mass on Saturday morning. The church doors will open for weekend Masses 30 minutes before Mass.

 

Mass during the week will continue to be on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Funerals continue to be an exception and are limited. I hope the booking system can be convenient for everyone and work as well as it has done in other parishes. My thanks to those acting as stewards at our Masses helping to keep us safe, those who are stewards for a Mass shouldn’t book a space for that Mass.

 

I hope over the next few weeks to be able to live stream Masses from both churches once I am able to sort the technical issues.