A Parish in Confusion.

 Dear Friends,

With the COVID restrictions being eased this week, I am sending a special message to everyone in the Diocese, welcoming everyone back to Mass. Of course, the pandemic continues, so, we still need to be prudent and to take care in our churches and parishes: see the guidance the Diocese is offering. This last week, I was away, recharging the batteries and catching up on prayer and reading – but now back, all of a sudden there’s lots of news! There is news about Grandparents' Day next Sunday, about new regulations from the Holy Father on celebrations of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form and news from Bamenda. There are also a number of exciting invitations: to the Alton Day of Renewal, to an Ignatian Staycation, to the Fanning the Flame Summer Camp, and to the National Justice and Peace Network conference. There’s an Environmental Survey to complete and a new book to order. But this is above all a period of great joy, as we look forward to the ordinations in two weekends’ time: please pray for those being ordained to the diaconate and to the priesthood. This coming weekend, after eighteen months of the pandemic, I am delighted to be able once again to undertake a parish visitation, and so I look forward to being with Fr. Paul Dzwig, Deacon James and the parishioners of Fleet and Church Crookham. Let us thank God for His love and for all the graces and blessings He gives us all. My prayers for you these next days.
With all good wishes and an assurance of my prayers,
In Corde Iesu
+ Philip

The above is a letter sent by Bishop Egan welcoming everyone back to Mass. It follows the guidelines laid down by the Bishops of England and Wales and the number one Guideline is to be aware of local conditions. Was the NHS hospital under threat, was there a large rise of Covid in the area? Of course there were to be suitable precautions made, such as wearing Masks, and although the Government Social Distancing was now ended, there could be space between adults, perhaps a card it was suggested, to me this suggested we should not be standing shoulder to shoulder. We were also encouraged to sing again. They did speak of track and trace when they spoke in July but this practice is not the same as then. People who are pinged, if they have been double vaccinated are no longer compelled to self isolate.
I will emphasise that everybody under the new regulations is welcome to Mass, and the parish must adapt itself to allow this. Now the question I have been asking is why a local committee is making these decisions, which belong to the Bishop through his priests. Who is in charge?

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