What are Mass intentions? A venerable tradition in the Catholic Church is that the faithful ask their priests to celebrate Holy Mass for particular, specified intentions. This custom, familiar to earlier generations, is less widely understood today. Why have intentions…
Baptisms, Weddings, First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
Postponed for the time being Bishop Patrick has told us that baptisms are to be deferred until the bishops’ advisers say it is safe; but naturally, a person in danger of death may be baptised, without a congregation, and with…
Daily scripture readings
When you’re not hearing the Word of God at Holy Mass We can still nourish ourselves with the Word of God, by reading for ourselves the readings we would have heard in church. The newsletter each week will have the…
Spiritual communion
When you can’t take part in Holy Mass These are difficult times. But God is with us. When on Wednesday night I saw the information from our bishops, decreeing the measures that they have chosen to respond to the present…
Confession without a priest
God’s mercy is greater than our sins As you know, we had to postpone the Reconciliation Service planned for earlier this month, and during Lent, I’d usually be visiting housebound people who had indicated their desire for the Sacrament of…
If you can’t get a priest for the last rites
I was deeply moved to learn that, in response to the eagerness of Pope Francis for the earthly comforting and the eternal salvation of many who, in this present crisis, will find themselves at the point of death without an…
Responding to pastoral emergencies
Bishop Patrick has instructed priests who are aged seventy and over, and those who have a health condition which requires them to self-isolate, to stand down temporarily from external pastoral ministry. These priests are still happy, eager even, to continue…
COVID-19 precautions – phase three
By order of the Bishops of England and Wales, with effect from the evening of Friday 20th March 2020, the following precautions are now in effect Holy Mass is not celebrated with a congregation in Catholic churches. Public acts of…