Sunday 16 May 2021

Changes in restrictions from 17 May

New guidance has been released by the bishops to reflect the next stage of lockdown easing that begins on Monday 17 May.

From now on, we only need to have stewards on duty for busier Masses on Sundays and Feast days. We are all very grateful to all the volunteers who have made it possible to open the church over the last year.

The church only needs to be cleaned once a day. Again, thank you to everyone who has helped with this after Masses. The Fathers will clean the church at the end of the day before locking the church, which will allow the church to remain open for private prayer after the evening Mass until 7pm, and our opening times can now return to what they were before the start of the pandemic.

Some of the restrictions surrounding distribution of Holy Communion have also been relaxed. We will continue giving Holy Communion as we have been doing for the last few months, but this can now take place in the usual place within Mass.

Use of social distancing measures, masks and hand sanitiser will continue, and congregational singing is not allowed yet. Thank you all for your co-operation and patience with these measures, which have enabled us to keep our church open as much as possible over the last few months.