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Garden Party in the Dell!
On Sunday afternoon, there is a garden party in the Dell. There will be music - from about 1pm, and singers from 3pm. Gazebo, bar open, food available to order ... and lots of sunshine!
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Year Six Leavers’ Mass
Have you seen it yet? Go to youtu.be/74VlhPvyux0 We can now resume public masses under strict conditions.
1.There is still no Sunday Obligation. You may come to mass on any day of the week. 2.We can only open if there are two Stewards – please follow their instructions. 3.Numbers are strictly limited. There will be a maximum capacity of 80 people in Church. If more arrive at any mass they cannot be admitted. 4.Stewards will direct you to a place to sit in Church. 5.We will be keeping a 1m+ social distance. 6.Everyone must wear a face covering in Church. (Exceptions are the under 5’s and those with breathing difficulties; and those in the sanctuary reading etc) You should provide your own masks. 7.Please observe the one- way system unless directed otherwise. 8.There is no toilet available (unless the centre is open) 9.Please leave church immediately after communion and talk together outside, keeping a social distance. A big thank you to our volunteer stewards!  The annual pilgrimage to Hednesford is not taking place this year, so why not come online to join Fr Jeremy Howard, Fr Peter Weatherby, Deacon Peter Tibke and parishioners from Hednesford and Cannock for the Rosary (Glorious Mysteries) and shrine prayers.
The Rosary, prayers and a message from Bishop David McGough will be on Our Lady of Lourdes website – ololhednesford.org and also the Diocesan website and the Facebook pages of both Our Lady of Lourdes Hednesford and St Mary’s, Cannock on Sunday 5 July at 3 pm. Proposed Mass Times from July 4th Saturday 11am - Exposition & Private Prayer | 12pm - 1st Mass of Sunday 5pm - Mass Sunday 8am - Mass | 10.30am - Mass Tuesday to Saturday 9am - Mass each day At last, after more than three months, from July 4th, mass and other sacraments will again be celebrated publicly However, it would be quite rash to describe this as “back to normal”: far from it. A letter from the Archbishops about this return is being sent out with this Newsletter. (It has already gone to those on the WhatsApp list). Much more detailed information for the clergy, can be downloaded from here: bit.ly/3dHrqEx From July 4th, our own masses will continue to be live streamed, and although we will move to mass times closer to what we had before the lockdown, we are now moving to an “inbetween” stage. Not all Churches will be open, and those which are, such as ourselves, will have to follow precise social distancing and hygiene measures. The Church understands that many faithful catholics will not be ready to take part in public masses. The Sunday obligation has not been reintroduced. No one has to attend mass on Sundays and holidays. The Church encourages us to hear mass, but on any day when it is offered, and only if it is safe to do so. Also, mass will be celebrated with some unfamiliar features. There will be no congregational singing, and face coverings must be worn. Social distancing (1m+) must be observed. Communion (in the hand only) will be distributed after mass, and you will leave the Church immediately afterwards. We will need volunteer stewards for every mass or service. Many of you have volunteered already. The celebration of daily mass will depend upon stewards being available. If you can volunteer as a steward and/or help with cleaning please complete the online form here: https:// bit.ly/2BY2hsh We will also need the co-operation of Eucharistic ministers, readers, counters and so on. I will be in touch will all of you again very soon. Times for private prayer this coming week. Will be kept under constant review:-
TUESDAY : 5.00PM-6.30PM WEDNESDAY : 11.30AM-1.00PM FRIDAY : 11.30AM-1.00PM
REOPENING CHURCH
Last weekend, the government announced that from June 15th Churches will be allowed to open for private prayer “in line with social distancing guidelines”. This requires much practical organisation and a great deal of paperwork. Many churches will not open, simply because of the work involved. Fr Jeremy at Hednesford and I are keen to reopen our Churches for private prayer. We will keep the situation under review, but provided we can meet all the requirements in time, we hope to open for the first time at the end of the coming week, and from 21st to open each Church for a couple of hours three days a week, so that on most days one of the churches will be open. We plan to open St Mary’s on Friday 19th from 11am to 1pm. If you can volunteer as a stewards and/or help with cleaning please complete the online form here: https://bit.ly/2BY2hsh This week we received further guidelines which have now been agreed between the Government and the Churches which will apply when the Churches are opened for private prayer. However, THERE IS NO DATE YET FOR THE REOPENING Before Churches are allowed to reopen risk assessment and other documentation will have to be completed. As well as signposting, floor marking and so on. This is no small task. If you are can volunteer as a steward, cleaner or other helper when we are permitted to reopen, you should read the guidance which you can download here Please note that the advice to those who are over 70 has been relaxed a little, but you should still take additional care.
Do not let us know yet, but we may need to ask for volunteers soon. Fr Jeremy at Hednesford and I are also keen that we work together when the churches reopen.  We wait on the government, but, we are preparing to reopen the Centre in three stages
1) Preparing the buildings and grounds - some essential gardening, cleaning and also measures to make social distancing possible. Some important cosmetic work is already taking place. If you could help with some odd jobs, around the centre - all following social distancing rules, - please ring Wayne on 07864 50658. 2) When laws and circumstances allow, we will start to serve and deliver food. 3) When the authorities allow we want to ready to open the bar and serve food. YOU CAN HELP! We applying for a grant for funds so that the Centre can reopen as soon as possible. Please send short accounts to say how much you value the Centre, how it helps build strong communities, how valuable the activities of the centre to people of any age, especially vulnerable people. Send these as soon as you can to 07766 335591 (WhatsApp or text) or email stmary- sttm.cannock@rcaob.org.uk.  No dates yet, but we expect that churches will open first for private prayers, and sometime later for worship. Churches will not be allowed to open if they do not meet the requirements of social distancing, which includes the kind of measures we are familiar with in the banks and supermarkets.
We will need to provide cleaning, sanitising and protection equipment, and have signage to ensure social distancing. Thorough cleaning will be needed each time the church is open. We have been told that not all churches will be able to open at once, and that the measures put in place may need to continue till the end of the year, perhaps longer. We will need a good number of volunteers for cleaning and stewarding, and anyone who is self-isolating or shielding, which includes most over the age of 70, will not be able to be a volunteer. The Diocese has produced detailed documentation (about 20 pages) which I am happy to share with anyone who is interested. We are already starting to work on the guidelines. |
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