Thursday 2 July 2020

Dear Parishioner,

 Re-opening of our Catholic Churches for individual prayer and Celebration of Mass Welcome back to church! 

I hope you have been keeping well in the meantime.

 Individual Prayer: The Catholic Churches of Our Lady’s (in Stubbington) and St John’s (in Lee-on-theSolent) have now re-opened for individual prayer, mornings only. The timings this week (Mon 29 June – Sat 4 July) are from 0930 to 1130hrs Monday - Saturday at Stubbington, and the same time on Tuesday and Thursday at Lee.

There will not be any Masses this weekend 4-5 July.

 Weekday Morning Masses: (0930hrs, commencing Mon 6 July) Our Churches will re-open from Monday 6 July at 0900hrs daily in preparation for the Celebration of weekday morning Mass at 0930hrs, alternating between Stubbington and Lee, as follows:

•        Monday: Our Lady’s, Stubbington
•       Tuesday: St John’s, Lee
•        Wednesday: Our Lady’s, Stubbington
•       Thursday: St John’s, Lee
•       Friday: Our Lady’s, Stubbington

Our Lady’s will also open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for individual prayer (0930 – 1130hrs).
 St John’s will only open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings (i.e. for 0930hrs Mass).
Both churches will be closed on Saturday mornings.
Confession Fr Francis will be available to hear Confession after Mass, until 1100hrs, by arrangement.

Weekday Evening Mass (Tuesday, 1900hrs) There will be a weekly Tuesday evening Mass at Our Lady’s, Stubbington, commencing on 14 July, for the benefit of people who work during the day.

Weekend Masses commence on Saturday 11 July, with the evening Vigil Mass at 1800hrs at Stubbington, followed by 0800hrs Sunday Mass at Lee, and 1000hrs Sunday Mass at Stubbington.

Bishops’ Guidance We shall be adhering to guidance from Bishop Philip Egan, Diocese of Portsmouth, who is following the lead of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of England and Wales.

No Sunday obligation Please note that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is no longer in force: it has been waived by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales for the duration of the pandemic, to lessen congestion and minimise risk of transmission of the virus. Parishioners are encouraged to spread their Mass attendance over the week; you are not obliged to attend Sunday. Masses. 

Volunteer Stewards and safety measures A variety of safety measures has to be in place for the duration of the pandemic, as instructed by our Bishops. These measures are overseen by volunteer stewards, and I am very grateful to them for volunteering as otherwise we could not reopen for worship. We need more stewards to share the rota, so if you are between 16 and 70 years of age, fit 2 and well, and not caring for a vulnerable person, do please consider coming forward to help as a volunteer. Volunteers should contact David Vassallo djvassallo@aol.com or 07986788547.

Most importantly, these safety measures include:

• physical distancing (we shall adhere to the gold standard of 2 metres wherever possible)
•  hand hygiene (a steward will sanitise your hands on entrance and exit from church, but please bring your own sanitiser as well for use on your pew; seating will also be cleaned with anti-viral spray by the stewards after prayer sessions or Masses)  
• face coverings/masks should be used during Mass (bring your own face coverings; these are obligatory for Mass, not for individual prayer sessions)
• ventilation of the church (windows and doors will be kept open, so bring warm clothing) 
•  one way system (exit will be via the fire escape doors)
• restricted seating and diminished overall capacity (a steward will usher you to your seat; each church has designated seating zones and a maximum seating capacity: Our Lady’s has a maximum capacity of 60 people, and Lee’s maximum capacity is 25 people; there is no online booking so come early to avoid queuing and to ensure your place)  
  
• register of attendance (a register of attendees and contact telephone numbers will be kept for your own safety, to aid in contact tracing should someone fall ill with COVID-19 having been in church at the same time as yourself)
• Receiving Communion (parishioners must remain seated until they are called forward by the steward, according to seating arrangements, to ensure physical distancing. Face coverings should only be removed when called forward, and replaced immediately after consuming the host. Communion will be of one kind only, received on the hand. Fr Francis will sanitise his hands and wear a face mask to distribute Communion, and distribution will be done silently. Parishioners who normally prefer to receive on the tongue are strongly encouraged to receive on the hand instead, to prevent potential transmission of illness to Fr Francis and endangering him and others. Any parishioner who nonetheless insists on receiving on the tongue should notify the steward, to be called forward after everyone else, and kneel to receive)
• No singing at Mass 
• No physical contact sign of peace
  
• Exiting church after Mass (parishioners should remain seated until called forward according to seating arrangements, leave through the fire exit, and have hands sanitised by a steward. There will be no communal gathering afterwards, the kitchen will be closed)
  
• And if you feel you cannot remember all this, don’t worry, as a steward will brief the congregation about these measures immediately before each Mass.

Thank you for your forbearance and understanding. I look forward to seeing you at church.

 Yours in peace,

 Fr Francis Sasinowski.

If you need to speak Father Francis his contact details are:

                                                                                               Telephone: 01329 663 435                                                                                             
                                                                                               Email: fsasinowski@gmail.com

Please  also note the Webmaster can be contacted by Email bernardmcquillan@ntlworld.com 

Live Masses are being streamed from many churches on their websites and some are also on YouTube.  

A live Mass is streamed every day from Porstmouth Cathedral at 12.15 pm and of course there are several Masses on Sundays. Please check the Schedule on the Diocesan website. The Masses are also recorded so if you cannot make the live stream you can catch up at your convenience. To see the live stream  go to Portsmouth RC Diocesan website (https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/spiritual-resources) or simply click here.

To celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church, pray the Holy Spirit Novena - click here