A letter from the President and Vice-President on behalf of all the Bishops at the Conference.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, so many aspects of our lives must change. This includes the ways in which we publicly express our faith. It is very clear that, following official advice and in order to keep each other safe, save lives and support the NHS, at this time we must not gather for public acts of worship in our churches. This will begin from Friday evening, 20th March 2020, until further notice.
Our churches will remain open. They are not closing. They will be a focal point of prayer, where you will find solace and strength. In visiting our churches at this time, we will observe with great care the practices of hygiene and the guidance on social distancing.
However, the celebration of Mass, Sunday by Sunday and day by day, will take place without a public congregation.
Knowing that the Mass is being celebrated; joining in spiritually in that celebration; watching the live-streaming of the Mass; following its prayers at home; making an act of spiritual communion: this is how we share in the Sacrifice of Christ in these days. These are the ways in which we will sanctify Sunday, and indeed every day.
We want everyone to understand that in these emergency circumstances, and for as long as they last, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is removed. This is, without doubt, the teaching of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2181). This pandemic is the ‘serious reason’ why this obligation does not apply at this time.
The second vital aspect of these challenging times is our care for each other. There are so many ways in which we are to do this: being attentive to the needs of our neighbour, especially the elderly and vulnerable; contributing to our local food banks; volunteering for charitable initiatives and organisations; simply keeping in touch by all the means open to us.
During these disturbing and threatening times, the rhythm of the prayer of the Church will continue. Please play your part in it. The effort of daily kindness and mutual support for all will continue and increase. Please play your part in this too. For your commitment to this, we thank you.
May God bless us all.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
President of the Bishops’ Conference
Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP
Vice-President of the Bishops’ Conference
Private Prayer: Please note what the Cardinal says concerning the fact that our church remains open for private prayer. If you have forgotten the entry code, please ask.
Sick List: Please continue to pray for the following members of our parish: Bernard Moyers, Patrick Hodgson, Tod Smith, Angela Doyle, Ida De Melo, Maurice Nixon, Eva Shirreffs, Stefania Stasior, Irene Pallot.
Mass online: You may be interested in the link which has been added to the Home Page of the parish website and which allows one to view Mass being celebrated at the Cathedral in Nottingham on each day of the week.
When Mass cannot be celebrated publicly: Please find attached a document provided by the Bishops’ Conference with prayers that can be used at home while we cannot assist at Mass. It is, of course, not essential, but how wonderful it would be if we could all pray these prayers at the same time. How about the time when we would normally be at Mass on Sunday morning at 9.00am?
Lent Reflections: The fourth reflection provided by the Justice and Peace Group is attached to this newsletter.
Finances: Collection: 15th March: £69.00. Candles: £4.80. Mass Offerings: £30.00. CAFOD: £155.52. Many thanks. (Cheques to be made payable to: St Gregory’s RC Church)
Parish Income:The cancellation of Masses will inevitably have a significant impact on our Weekly Collections, private donations and Mass offerings over the coming weeks and possibly months. Together with the likely closure of the Social Centre we are facing a considerable loss of income at a time when our three properties will still require maintaining. Can we therefore ask parishioners each week to put aside their normal Weekly contributions? Keep these in a separate jar or something similar, or use the planned giving envelopes if you have them. Those with gift aid envelopes please use them. We do recognise that some parishioners may be facing short-term financial difficulties as a result of the Corona virus so we only ask you to put aside what you can afford. It is in these situations that we are particularly grateful to those parishioners who contribute their collection monies through Bank Standing Orders. If anyone would like to open a Standing Order please contact Paul Carroll on 01509 620889. (Parish Finance Committee)
Gift Aid Financial Year 2020-2021: The Gift Aid envelopes (green) and planned giving envelopes (yellow) for the next financial year have been placed on the shelf at the back of Church. In line with the above could we ask parishioners to visit church and pick them up at their earliest convenience? This may be an opportune time to consider using either of the envelope systems, so if you wish to do so please contact Paul on the above number. (Parish Finance Committee)
Children’s Liturgy: During this difficult period, the Children’s Liturgy Group will be using a virtual children’s liturgy resource provided by CAFOD: https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Children-s-liturgy
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, so many aspects of our lives must change. This includes the ways in which we publicly express our faith. It is very clear that, following official advice and in order to keep each other safe, save lives and support the NHS, at this time we must not gather for public acts of worship in our churches. This will begin from Friday evening, 20th March 2020, until further notice.
Our churches will remain open. They are not closing. They will be a focal point of prayer, where you will find solace and strength. In visiting our churches at this time, we will observe with great care the practices of hygiene and the guidance on social distancing.
However, the celebration of Mass, Sunday by Sunday and day by day, will take place without a public congregation.
Knowing that the Mass is being celebrated; joining in spiritually in that celebration; watching the live-streaming of the Mass; following its prayers at home; making an act of spiritual communion: this is how we share in the Sacrifice of Christ in these days. These are the ways in which we will sanctify Sunday, and indeed every day.
We want everyone to understand that in these emergency circumstances, and for as long as they last, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is removed. This is, without doubt, the teaching of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2181). This pandemic is the ‘serious reason’ why this obligation does not apply at this time.
The second vital aspect of these challenging times is our care for each other. There are so many ways in which we are to do this: being attentive to the needs of our neighbour, especially the elderly and vulnerable; contributing to our local food banks; volunteering for charitable initiatives and organisations; simply keeping in touch by all the means open to us.
During these disturbing and threatening times, the rhythm of the prayer of the Church will continue. Please play your part in it. The effort of daily kindness and mutual support for all will continue and increase. Please play your part in this too. For your commitment to this, we thank you.
May God bless us all.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
President of the Bishops’ Conference
Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP
Vice-President of the Bishops’ Conference
Private Prayer: Please note what the Cardinal says concerning the fact that our church remains open for private prayer. If you have forgotten the entry code, please ask.
Sick List: Please continue to pray for the following members of our parish: Bernard Moyers, Patrick Hodgson, Tod Smith, Angela Doyle, Ida De Melo, Maurice Nixon, Eva Shirreffs, Stefania Stasior, Irene Pallot.
Mass online: You may be interested in the link which has been added to the Home Page of the parish website and which allows one to view Mass being celebrated at the Cathedral in Nottingham on each day of the week.
When Mass cannot be celebrated publicly: Please find attached a document provided by the Bishops’ Conference with prayers that can be used at home while we cannot assist at Mass. It is, of course, not essential, but how wonderful it would be if we could all pray these prayers at the same time. How about the time when we would normally be at Mass on Sunday morning at 9.00am?
Lent Reflections: The fourth reflection provided by the Justice and Peace Group is attached to this newsletter.
Finances: Collection: 15th March: £69.00. Candles: £4.80. Mass Offerings: £30.00. CAFOD: £155.52. Many thanks. (Cheques to be made payable to: St Gregory’s RC Church)
Parish Income:The cancellation of Masses will inevitably have a significant impact on our Weekly Collections, private donations and Mass offerings over the coming weeks and possibly months. Together with the likely closure of the Social Centre we are facing a considerable loss of income at a time when our three properties will still require maintaining. Can we therefore ask parishioners each week to put aside their normal Weekly contributions? Keep these in a separate jar or something similar, or use the planned giving envelopes if you have them. Those with gift aid envelopes please use them. We do recognise that some parishioners may be facing short-term financial difficulties as a result of the Corona virus so we only ask you to put aside what you can afford. It is in these situations that we are particularly grateful to those parishioners who contribute their collection monies through Bank Standing Orders. If anyone would like to open a Standing Order please contact Paul Carroll on 01509 620889. (Parish Finance Committee)
Gift Aid Financial Year 2020-2021: The Gift Aid envelopes (green) and planned giving envelopes (yellow) for the next financial year have been placed on the shelf at the back of Church. In line with the above could we ask parishioners to visit church and pick them up at their earliest convenience? This may be an opportune time to consider using either of the envelope systems, so if you wish to do so please contact Paul on the above number. (Parish Finance Committee)
Children’s Liturgy: During this difficult period, the Children’s Liturgy Group will be using a virtual children’s liturgy resource provided by CAFOD: https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Children-s-liturgy
