Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
is now open for Holy Mass
It is a great joy to be able to welcome parishioners back into the church, but at this time registering is essential for Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.
HM Government has decreed that face coverings are now mandatory for all inside the church, apart from children under 11, or those who have a condition that makes wearing one difficult and/or distressing.
More volunteers are needed to steward at Masses.
The situation we are enduring due to COVID-19 is likely to continue for some time. We need more volunteers to act as as stewards for Mass. The greater the number of volunteers, the less the burden it will be
for everyone.
If you are under 70 years of age and in good health, please consider helping out.
Now that we have managed to open the church again, it would be a pity should I find that I am forced to cancel public Masses because we don’t have sufficient numbers of stewards.
We aren’t able to use much of the space in the church. There are only 11 pews that can be used - this equates to 22 individuals (one at the opposite bend of each bench), but more when couples, families or established social ‘ bubbles' ( e.g. if you travel to Mass in the same car) sit together on a bench. Eleven is the crucial number here - when the 11 benches are occupied by any combination of people, the church will be full and no one else is allowed inside the building. However, the doors have to be left open for ventilation.
- There is a text SMS registration system for those intending to come to Mass - this will also be useful for Track and Trace purposes, should details be needed.
- You will be expected to use the hand sanitiser that is provided on arrival and departure, or be seen to be using your own
- From Saturday 8th August 2020, people are required by HM Government to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces where there are people they do not normally meet, this includes churches. There are exemptions to this requirement (link)
- You’ll be directed to a place in church by a steward. I know this is difficult fror some of our longstanding parishioners, but this is a requirement of us being allowed to open. We need to carefully space those who are in church. For a time we all have to put to one side ‘my usual place in church’.
- For the forseeable future, celebrations of Holy Mass must be brief, the order of Mass is slightly altered particularly for the distrbution and reception of Holy Communion, and there’ll be no singing. For the time being, I will be the only person in the sanctuary.
- No toilets are available
- There will be no leaflets/Mass sheets/newsletters avaialable - you can either bring your missal or print out a Mass sheet, but please make sure you take them away with you
- Mass times have changed and, for some time to come, will all take place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
N.B. The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is still suspended by the bishop.
Don’t be anxious if you are a 'shielder' or feel you would rather not come back to church just yet.
There will be some weekday Masses (this week on Tuesday and Thursday at 10.00 am) and these are likely to be less busy - perhaps an option for those who can come to church on weekdays and help ease the pressure on Sundays.
Masses are still being streamed online from various churches.
Unfortunately, I can't see St Thomas of Canterbury Church reopening for a while yet. Having no side aisles, there isn’t a way to establish a ‘one-way’ system there and, with 2 metre social distancing, we would be able to admit very few people ( 8 individuals) into the building.
For the time being, we will use the larger Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to accommodate as many as possible, in the hope that parishioners who normally attend St Thomas’ will be able to get there.
safeguarding for volunteers video
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR PARISH AT THIS TIME (link)
Links to live-streamed (and recordings) of Holy Mass etc.: English texts are available via our Today tab on the menu bar above. Schedules are on most of the live-stream websites.
Live-streamed and recorded daily Holy Masses from the York Oratory
Click here for the 24 hr live-stream of Masses & devotions at the Walsingham Basilica
Click here for a live-stream of the Traditional Latin Mass (FSSP)
