From tomorrow, Sunday 5th July 2020, St Benet’s Church is once more open for public worship
It is with great joy and thanksgiving that we are able to meet once more in our church building to celebrate the Mass together. Please be aware that our experience of Mass tomorrow will be a little different from usual.
The most important thing to note is that St Benet’s can only accommodate a maximum of around 40 people. You will see in the picture below that the number of seats is radically reduced. If therefore, you are able to come to Mass later in the day to the 7.00 pm Mass, or to the Saturday evening 6.00 pm Mass, this could help make the 11.00 am Mass less busy.
When you arrive at St Benet’s, please enter through he door marked “Entrance.” You will then be asked to sanitise your hands immediately. Those coming to church with their family can sit together as a domestic bubble in the clusters of four chairs. Everyone else must maintain a two metre distance from their neighbour and sit in the single chairs.
The liturgy will be much simpler and shorter than usual. There will be no singing, for example. Communion will only be in one kind (i.e. only the Eucharistic bread and no chalice.) There will also be no refreshments after Mass.
There will be a very simplified Sunday School on offer. This will consist in children who are nursery age and above being taken outside to our garden for a story and then play time. It will not be possible for parents to join the Sunday School under any circumstances. All children must be left in the care of our trained Sunday School teachers. It will also not be possible to admit late comers to Sunday School, and there will be a cap of 15 on the total number of children we are able to take. If you intend to come to church with your children and want them to attend Sunday Schoo, please arrive early.
At the end of Mass, you are asked not to congregate at the back of church but to leave the building immediately. If you wish to have a socially distanced conversation, please make your way to our parish garden on Ospringe Road, where we will be able to catch up with one another.
Full details of all our Covid planning and liturgical arrangements can be found here.
Notices
Online liturgies
From this week onwards, our online provision of services will be significantly reduced. There will no longer be Zoom coffee or Zoom evening prayer. In addition, Fr Nigel will no longer be providing us with a weekly meditation via YouTube.
From now on, there will just be one Sunday Mass recorded each week on a Saturday night with a homily which will be uploaded to YouTube for those who are still shielding or are uncertain about leaving their homes.
St Benedict’s Day
Next Sunday is our patronal festival, St Benedict’s Day. It is a matter of great sadness that we won’t be able to celebrate it with the gusto that would usually accompany the feast. There will be no bouncy castle, barbecue, or ice creams this year. However, we will still be able to gather for Mass together, which is the most important thing.
Services for the week beginning Sunday 5th July.
The following pattern of weekday Masses recommences from Sunday 5th July onwards.Please note that until further notice, our weekly Mass at Ash Court, Holy Hour, Rosary, and our monthly German Mass are suspended.
In place of the Ash Court Mass, there will be a Saturday evening Vigil Mass of Sunday at 6.00 pm. This is a Mass of Sunday celebrated the evening before as our liturgical celebration of Sunday begins. If you find it difficult to get to Mass on a Sunday morning, you can come instead on Saturday evening. Coming on a Saturday evening may also help make the 11.00 am Mass on Sunday less busy, as we can only fit 40 people in church and remain Covid safe.
Sunday 5th July 2020
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11.00 am Sung Mass
7.00 pm Mass
Tuesday 7th July
Feria
11.00 am Mass of Requiem
Wednesday 8th July
Feria
7.30 pm Mass
Thursday 9th July
S. Augustine Zhao Rong
7.30 pm Mass
Friday 10th July
Feria
11.00 am Mass
Saturday 11th July
S. Benedict
6.00 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday
Sunday 12th July
S. Benedict
11.00 am Sung Mass
7.00 pm Mass