| Letter from Fr Mark McManus 31st July |
| Dear Parishioners of St Joseph's & St Charles', |
| Public Masses this week at St Joseph's church are: |
| Saturday, 1 August, at 5.00pm & Sunday, 2 August, at 8.30am & 10.00am & Tuesday, 4 August, at 7.00pm & Friday, 7 August, at 10.00am |
| You can choose to attend one of any of the 5 Masses - there is no Sunday obligation at present. Live-streamed Masses continue to be broadcast. Let us do all that we can to respect the health and safety of each other. When the church is full you may not enter the church. However, if you wish, you may remain outside as the main doors of the church will still be open and you can follow Mass there. As people leave the church you may then enter by the porch to receive Holy Communion.
Please contact me if you wish to arrange for the Sacrament of Baptism for your child. Baptisms will be carried out on an individual basis and your group must not exceed more than 12 people (this includes the child, the parents and Godparent/s). You may not exceed this number and no exceptions should be sought. CAFOD has joined forces with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help millions of vulnerable people whose lives are at risk as the coronavirus pandemic spreads across refugee camps and countries suffering conflict, for example, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you would like to reach out and protect the most vulnerable who have already lost everything you can do so by donating online at cafod.org.uk/coronavirusappeal by calling 0303 303 3030 or by writing to CAFOD Coronavirus Appeal, Romero House, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB. Finally, after delay due to the lockdown, I am delighted to tell you that Simon Hegarty's ordination to the Permanent Diaconate will now take place on Sunday, 6 September, at 10.00am at St Joseph's church. Obviously, we will not be able to have the celebration that we would have wanted and numbers at this Mass will be restricted. It is appropriate that Simon be permitted to invite family and friends and I shall have more details soon regarding the event. For now, I would ask that you remember Simon and his family in your prayers and Bishop Heskett also - I am sure he will be encouraged by the prospect of Simon's ordination. Finally, I attach this week's newsletter. Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us. St Joseph, pray for us. St Charles Borromeo, pray for us. With my prayers, Fr Mark McManus |