Prayers for the Repose of the Soul of HM Queen Elizabeth II

Almighty God,
You are the author and sustainer of all human life;
grant that your servant, Elizabeth our Queen,
whom you granted a long and happy reign as Monarch of these lands
may be forgiven her sins and rewarded with that eternal life
promised to all those born again
in the water of baptism and power of your Spirit.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God, forever and ever,
Amen.

Eternal rest, grant to her O Lord,
And let Perpetual light shine upon her.

May she rest in peace.
Amen.

May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen

Face coverings are now mandatory in places of worship

Face coverings are mandatory in places of worship from Saturday 8th August 2020. All those who are attending churches must wear a face covering unless they are exempt from doing so. This is for the good of all who gather in the Church for Mass as it is an enclosed public space where there are people from differing households who they do not normally meet.

Priests in the sanctuary providing they are sufficiently distant (2m or more) from the congregation do not need to wear a face covering except when distributing Holy Communion (please see below). Other ministers in the sanctuary should wear face coverings and remain socially distant from the celebrant.

Calling All Young Catholics

Young Catholics aged 16 to 23 are invited to a Zoom Virtual seminar hosted by Knights Of St Columba. The theme of the event will be ‘Our Faith Yesterday, Our Faith Today and Our Faith Tomorrow; What are the Challenges ahead for our Faith?’ Our very own Father Innocent will be a guest speaker.

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Message from Metropolitan Archbishop

It is important to reaffirm that, at present, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended. A significant number of churches may remain closed as they are unable to meet the requirements for opening for individual prayer. Fulfilling these requirements is a precondition for any church opening after the 4th July for the celebration of Mass with a congregation. 

 
Please be aware that there will be a limit on the number of people who can attend Mass in our churches. This will be determined locally in accordance with social distancing requirements. We therefore need to reflect carefully on how and when we might be able to attend Mass. We cannot return immediately to our customary practices. This next step is not, in any sense, a moment when we are going ‘back to normal.’ 
 
We ask every Catholic to think carefully about how and when they will return to Mass. Our priests may need to consider whether it is possible to celebrate additional Masses at the weekends. Given there is no Sunday obligation, we ask you to consider the possibility of attending Mass on a weekday. This will ease the pressure of numbers for Sunday celebrations and allow a gradual return to the Eucharist for more people.

-      Archbishop John Wilson
 

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No Place For Racism

A Message from your Bishops to the Young People in Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark

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Help for the vulnerable

Lambeth council can provide help if you have an urgent need for food or medicine. Call their helpline on 020 7926 2999 every day from 8am to 8pm.

Southwark Irish Pensioners project is 020 7237 5841.  Call them to be on their register for newsletter and help.

Connect Lambeth-  If you are a vulnerable person, Connect Lambeth can help you with a food and medicines pick-up service, plus food bank vouchers.T 0333 360 3700 (Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, or voicemail)

Here are some useful websites, please share with anyone who can benefit from this information.

https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/get-support-for-yourself-or-a-vulnerable-person details of how to access help through the council.

http://www.lambethlarder.org/ lists lots of organisations that provide food and other help locally.

We urge everyone to check in and telephone our elderly and vulnerable parishioners regularly.

 

 

Update from Archdiocese of Southwark

Sunday Mass from St George’s Cathedral

Archbishop John Wilson is currently live-streaming Mass each Sunday at 10 am from St George’s Cathedral via You Tube. If your parish does not currently stream Mass, please consider directing your parishioners to RC Southwark Channel on which these services are being broadcast, and encourage them to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr5pOWykDRh4v042c7n_vYA?view_as=subscriber

The re-opening of our churches

Interview with Cardinal Nichols on BBC Radio 4 - On Thursday 14th May Cardinal Nichols was interviewed by Jamie Webb on the BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme, in which they discussed how churches can be safely re-opened for private prayer as the UK government eases its lockdown restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/cardinal-on-safely-re-opening-churches-for-private-prayer

Podcast of interview: https://soundcloud.com/catholicchurch/cardinal-nichols-on-safely-re-opening-churches-for-private-prayer

See also: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-taskforce-developing-plan-to-reopen-places-of-worship

Bishops’ Statement

During the course of the week, the five Archbishop’s of England and Wales released a statement (on behalf of all Bishops) in response to the Government’s published plan for easing lockdown, which way issued on 11th May 2020. The Bishops’ statement can be read here:

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/catholic-bishops-respond-to-governments-lockdown-easing-plans/

World Communications Day 2020

On Sunday 24 May we will celebrate World Communications Day across the globe. The Pope recently recognised that the media should become a primary platform for evangelisation;

‘Studying new ways and means to communicate the Gospel of mercy to all people, in the heart of different cultures, through the media that the new digital cultural context makes available to our contemporaries is something that is very much in my heart’.

While much of the world remains in lockdown and as we, in England, attempt to recover from the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, many parishes have transformed from being physically to ‘virtually’ close for the time being, providing a new level of service and means of outreach. In Southwark Diocese alone, over 50 parishes are offering live-streamed Mass, interactive video-

conferencing, podcasts and weekly mailings filled with prayers, online meetings, sermons and offers of support. The creativity and quickness to respond has been both impressive and inspiring.

For the full update from the Archdiocese of Southwark, please click on read more