Public Masses restart at St Teresa’s
Once lockdown finishes next week, Public Masses will start from 3rd December as follows:
- Weekdays (Monday to Friday, EXCLUDING Wednesdays) at 9:15 am
- Saturday Vigil Mass at 6:00 pm
- Sundays: 8.30am & 10:00 am only (no Noon Mass at present
All Masses are celebrated at St Teresa’s Church so that we can Live Stream them all, consequently, SS John Fisher and Thomas More Church will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
You MUST pre-book spaces for the weekend Masses. We must make sure that the numbers inside the church are within the permitted guidelines and that everyone is kept safe. You can pre-book for up to 5 people up to 5 days in advance. Please also check in with the Test & Trace App when you are in the church, THE APP IS NOT A SUBSTIUTE FOR REBOOKING – IT IS IN ADDITION TO IT!
All you need to do is go to the “Mass Times” tab on the website & the first option there is “Reserve a place for Mass”. If you are having problems, please let us know.
The Sacraments
- Baptisms: Baptisms can no longer take place this month.
- Sacrament of Reconciliation: Confessions – we are unable to have confessions in church, please contact the Parish Office if you need to speak to Fr Dominic.
- First Holy Communion and Confirmation Programmes: The 2020-21 programmes will begin in 2021. Please keep checking for updates.
- Matrimony: weddings cannot take place until we come out of lockdown.
- Anointing of the Sick: No pastoral visits will be made to people who are self-isolating until the isolation period ends. When anointing the sick, the Oil of the Sick may be applied using a cotton bud which can be burned afterwards (one end for the head and the other for the hands) and the priest extend his hands over the sick person for laying on of hands, without physical contact. This has been confirmed as a valid mode of celebrating the sacraments which involve “laying on of hands.” Visits to people in care homes or hospitals should follow advice from the staff on infection control.
- Funerals: Non-Eucharistic funeral services (i.e. one that does not include a Mass) are now allowed, with up to 30 people attending.
Resources
Parishes with Live Streaming
Apart from our very own St Teresa’s Church, there are several parishes in the Diocese of Westminster which stream their Mass services live. For a full list and links, see Other Parishes with Live Streaming.
The Liturgy
- Daily Mass readings: provided by Universalis, using the Jersualem Bible and the Grail Psalms which are used in UK liturgies
- The Order of Mass (PDF) produced by the Liturgy Office
- Spiritual Communion
- The Liturgical Calendar for the Diocese of Westminster
- Masses Online (a leaflet produced by the Diocese of Westminster listing parishes with live streaming of their Mass services)
Prayers
- Prayer guide for health workers by Paul O’Reilly SJ
- Pope Francis’ Marian Prayers for the Month of May
- A Prayer in Time of Coronavirus by Archbishop Michael Jackson
- Slow down, it’s COVID Time by John O’Donohue
- No one is alone! Prayer when confined to your home (PDF)
- Prayers during a time of flu and illness (supplied by the Liturgy Office)
- Prayer to your Guardian Angel when you cannot come to Mass
- Prayer for a pandemic by Cameron Bellm
- When Mass Cannot be Celebrated Publicly: a leaflet produced by the Liturgy Office
Other Resources
- Communities 1st: If you need help during the coronavirus crisis
- #PrayersOfHope Posters by Church Together in England
- Self-isolated? Why not make it a retreat? (PDF)
- Coronavirus: What You Can Do To Help (poster by Caritas Westminster)
- Living the Faith without the Sacraments: an excellent article by Catholic Answers
- Resources During Mass Suspension: compiled by the Diocese of Westminster
- Praying Unceasingly with the Liturgy of the Hours