Our Lady, health of the sick, pray for us.

 

Please Note:- New government regulations mean that from 8th August wearing of a face covering/mask will be compulsory in church.

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Re-Starting Public Masses Coronavirus: Parish Plan to be effective from July 5th

Mass Times Sunday 9am & 11am at St. Teresa and Wednesday 10am at St. Teresa

Unfortunately, St. Johns will remain closed.

Please note that the Sunday obligation is suspended.

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Can you help?

We urgently need people to help with church cleaning on Monday mornings. You must be under 70 years old, not in one of the Covid-19 high risk groups, or be in a household where other people are shielding. We would also welcome more people interested in helping as stewards/welcomers and invested Eucharistic Ministers - again with the same age/shielding criteria.  

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Entry into Church

Please arrive in good time. You will not be able to enter if the maximum number that the church can hold safely (48) has been reached. This measure is to help keep social distancing and stop the spread of possible infection.

Dispensers for hand sanitisers are installed by the main entrance doors and must be used.

Mass sheets & newsletter will be handed to you by welcomers who will have sanitised their hands.

Follow the guidance of the stewards and follow the one-way system, ensuring that you keep to 2m social distancing.

The Blessed Sacrament chapel, quiet room and balcony are closed

Sit in the spaces marked in the pews (3 people to a pew) which will ensure 2m spacing, However, members of the same household (e.g. spouses, children) can sit together.

 

One-Way system

To make social-distancing easy, and avoid people walking towards each other:

Everyone will walk one-way up the nave and left hand aisle, towards the altar when entering.

Everyone will walk one-way down the side aisles, away from the altar when leaving.

Stewards will direct, row by row, starting at the back pews using the aisles (not the nave) to leave by the rear exit doors.

 

During Mass

Please do not have conversations with other parishioners so as to keep personal contact as low as possible.

Holy Communion will be given and received silently and will be Host only. People should wait in their pews until instructed to move forward, always aware of the regulations on social distancing in the orderly queue. When they approach the Eucharistic Minister, they should do so standing with arms at “full stretch” so that there is a good distance between the minister and the communicant. Their hands, palms upwards, one of top of the other, should be extended as flatly as possible. Having received Holy Communion, communicants should move back to their pews in an orderly manner.

To receive Holy Communion, you will move up the nave and back down the aisles, all people in the pews must proceed even if they are not receiving Holy Communion this is to keep the social distance, if you don’t or can’t receive Holy Communion please cross your hands over your chest.

There will be no offertory collection during the Mass but baskets will be available when you leave the church.

Hymns will not be sung for the foreseeable future, as singing seems to project more droplets of air from lungs.

 

After Mass

Exit the pews when directed by the stewards following their instructions, please be patient as this will be a slower process than normal.

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Exiting the church

Mass sheets & newsletters must be taken home DO NOT leave them in the church as they could risk spreading germs.

The money collection will be as you leave Mass (not at the normal offertory time), with people putting the donations into the baskets.

For hygiene reasons, we would strongly encourage everyone to switch to regular standing orders from the bank (instead of handing money).

Stewards will hand out standing order and gift aid forms on the way out. This is to minimise the counters having to handle the offertory collection.

Please use the hand sanitisers when leaving the church. Please do not congregate chatting outside the Church, but disperse quickly.

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Votive Candles

These will not be available at this time.

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Newspapers & Leaflets

These will not be available for the time being, to avoid multiple people touching the same papers.

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Toilets

To minimise surfaces being touched (and thus needing cleaning) only the disabled-access toilet will be available (doors to the gent’s toilet will be shut and marked ‘out of service’). People will be directed (by signs) to wipes which must be used to wipe surfaces both before and after using the toilet.

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Dear Friends in Christ,

 

Fr Paschal Uche was ordained to the Priesthood at Brentwood Cathedral on Saturday 1st August. He will celebrate Mass at St Francis Church Stratford on this Sunday 2nd at 3.00 pm. Fr Paschal spent a number of months in our parish when he was a student at Oscott College. We welcome him back at a later date to celebrate Mass for our parish. Let us ask God’s blessing on his future priestly ministry in our Diocese.

The Funeral Mass for George Birch will be celebrated on this Friday the 7th and the Funeral Mass for Wyn Williams on Thursday 13th. Attendance at Funeral Masses is for Family and friends only. May those who have died rest in peace and may those who mourn be comforted.

On this Sunday we celebrate the 18th Sunday of the Year. The Living Word says Jesus feeds all those who come to him. He feeds us in a special way when we come to receive him in the Eucharist. He becomes present to us in his very self. May we receive this gift of himself with great joy and gratitude.

On Tuesday we celebrate the Memorial of St. John Vianney, the Patron Saint of Priests. Please pray for vocations to the Priesthood.

On Thursday we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. On Mount Tabor a voice from the cloud said “ This is my Son, the Beloved, he enjoys my favour. Listen to him”

On Saturday we mark the Memorial of St Dominic the founder of the Order of Preachers the Dominicans.

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Caritas Development Co-ordinator. The Diocese is diverse, vibrant, and full of dedicated volunteers running projects which bring to life the Gospel mandate to recognise and serve Christ in the poor and those on the edges. If you have a heart for such work, and the skills to develop and strengthen it, this could be your perfect job! Deadline 2nd October 2020; Start January 2021. Full details https://www.caritasbrentwood.org/news/developmentcoordinator

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Please consider supporting the charities Mary's Meals at https://www.marysmeals.org.uk and Cafod’s coronavirus relief work at www.cafod.org.uk/Give/Donate-to-Emergencies/Coronavirus-appeal

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Friday 14th August 2020 National Day of Prayer & Fasting For Life. On this day, which is the vigil of the Assumption of Our Lady, please pray and fast for the end of abortion and euthanasia. Your prayer and fasting is urgently needed. For more information on the days of Prayer and Fasting contact; The Good Counsel Network on 020 7723 1740.

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Let us continue to pray for each other, Blessings to you all,
Fr Tom

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When attending Masses online please do pray the Spiritual Communion prayer which you will find below:-

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My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

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Pope Francis has asked us to say the following two prayers after the Rosary:-

O Mary,
You shine continuously on our journey
as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who, at the foot of the cross,
were united with Jesus’ suffering,
and persevered in your faith.
“Protectress of the Roman people”,

you know our needs,
and we know that you will provide,
so that, as at Cana in Galilee,
joy and celebration may return
after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the will of the Father
and to do what Jesus tells us.
For he took upon himself our suffering,
and burdened himself with our sorrows
to bring us, through the cross,
to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.
We fly to your protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from every danger,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin
------------------------------
"We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God”.
In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you,
Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.

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Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic.  Comfort those who
are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves
them deeply.  Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and who, in order
to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them.  Fill with hope those who are troubled by
the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.

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Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies, that this great suffering may
end and that hope and peace may dawn anew.  Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that

the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and
trust.

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Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this
emergency, and are risking their lives to save others.  Support their heroic effort and grant them
strength, generosity and continued health.

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Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who, in their pastoral concern and
fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.
Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find
effective solutions to overcome this virus.

 

Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those
lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by
farsightedness and solidarity.

 

Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling
arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from
occurring in the future.

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Beloved Mother, help us realize that we are all members of one great family and to recognize the bond
that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations
of poverty and need.  Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.

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Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch
out his all-powerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its
normal course.

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To you, who shine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope, do we entrust ourselves, O Clement, O
Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary.  Amen

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You can continue to participate in Masses online at:-

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Wickford Catholic Church - http://wickfordcatholic.com

Ilford Catholic Church - http://ssppilford.org.uk/wp2/live-stream-church

Leigh on Sea Catholic Church -https://lourdesleigh.org/live

Also at Walsingham - https://www.walsingham.org.uk/live-stream

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Your weekly offering - during this time of closure you may wish to keep up with your weekly offering to our Parish.  You can donate online to our parish using the Diocesan Online Donation platform. https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=lexden  where donations can also be gift aided. 

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You may also consider contributing by standing order - you can do so by completing and returning a Standing Order Mandate. 

You may also wish to gift aid your offertory. If so please complete and return a Gift Aid Declaration Form. 

Our Parish relies on our contributions.  Thank you.

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We feel it important to remind everyone that scammers and hackers have not stopped their attacks. Please think before you click on a link in an email or text message.

Click here for more guidance/advice​

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Updated 02/08/20

Prayer for protection

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