From 26th March we will be able to celebrate Mass with a congregation present in the church. It’s a welcome development, but for the time being there will be some restrictions in place in order to minimise the risk of infection by Covid-19. Those restrictions will affect us in the following ways:
The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland Pastoral Ministry Working Group has published this Infographic summary of guidance for parishioners as they return to church for the public celebration of Mass. Continue reading →
The current situation is badly affecting individuals, families and businesses. Many face very difficult decisions on a daily basis and now it’s exacerbated by a very uncertain future. Because our churches remain closed to fight the coronavirus threat, our usual means of upkeeping the parish (Sunday collection) isn’t possible. Some of you have asked how they could continue to support our parish financially, some of you have already made donations (for which I am very grateful). I’m writing this extremely reluctantly because I understand that many of you struggle to keep yourselves above the water.
Usually, we go to church to attend Mass. With the temporary suspension of Masses celebrated publicly due to the coronavirus crisis, Mass online remains one of very few, if not the sole way of attending. I’d like to offer a few practical suggestions to make ‘watching’ Mass more participatory.