It is traditional to recall the coming of the Magi by the 'chalking' of houses, asking for God's blessing for the coming year. Before the announcement of the 3rd National Lockdown I was planning to visit those who were happy for me to do so, but under present circumstances this is not possible to justify. … Continue reading Prayer for the Blessing of Houses
3rd National Lockdown
You may have heard the Prime Minister's announcement yesterday evening, Monday 4th January 2021, during which Her Majesty’s Government has instructed us, once again, to ‘stay at home’ unless we have a reasonable excuse to leave our homes. However, it seems from information published on the Government’s website after the Ministerial Broadcast that places of … Continue reading 3rd National Lockdown
GAUDETE!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil 4: 4-5) Today's service offered a reminder that even in this weird year there is reason to rejoice in the coming of Our Lord, and that one of the blessings in 2020 has been an increased awareness of the small joys … Continue reading GAUDETE!
Christmas at St Andrew’s 2020
Christmas 2020 will obviously be different than in previous years, but it looks like that we will be able to worship in a meaningful way together, albeit without the usual carol singing, mince pies and jolly drinks in church after services. Within the likely framework of restrictions we are going to have the following services … Continue reading Christmas at St Andrew’s 2020
New Lockdown for England
From Thursday 5 November churches are closed again for public worship. There are few exceptions, namely for private prayer, funerals and for live-streaming services. Hence the last public service at St Andrew's for November will be the Requiem for All Souls on Wednesday, 4 November at 12.45pm. Following this the church will be closed for … Continue reading New Lockdown for England
Weekly Sunday Parish Mass from 25th October
Over the past few weeks we have been trying hard to worship in such a way that everybody is safe and that we are compliant with the government and the national church regulations and recommendations. One advantage of having such a large church building is that we can host a fairly large number of people … Continue reading Weekly Sunday Parish Mass from 25th October
Funeral Arrangements for Rita Burton
Rita has been a member of St Andrew's congregation for many years and helpfully communicated her wishes before her death. In spite of Covid restrictions we are able to follow her wishes in most ways. On Wednesday 21st October her body will be received into St Andrew's church. This happens within Vespers of the Dead … Continue reading Funeral Arrangements for Rita Burton
Latest Covid Rules and Recommendations
Following the Prime Minister's Announcements on Tuesday 22. September it is yet not entirely clear how this will affect churches. The latest guidelines are here. Unless circumstances change, we are planning to keep the pattern of fortnightly Sunday Services (27/09, 11/10, 25/10, all at 10.30am etc) and we will start the weekly Wednesday Mass on … Continue reading Latest Covid Rules and Recommendations
