Category: Fr Eamonn’s Blog

St Mary Star of the Sea, Hastings will be open for private prayer beginning November 8th: Sundays: 11am until 1pm. Wednesdays and Fridays: 11am until 12 midday

St. Thomas of Canterbury, St. Leonard’s-on-Sea will be open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11am until 12 noon and Sundays from 9.30am until 10.30am.

Beginning at midnight tonight (November 4th-5th) in accordance with government regulations there will be no public Masses at St. Mary Star of the Sea until after December 2nd. From Thursday November 5th Mass will be recorded and posted on YouTube, the Parish Website and the Parish Facebook page. The church will open for private prayer on Sunday November 8th from 11.00am until 1.00pm. Other times will be added later. We continue to carry each other in our hearts and prayers in the Love of the Lord.

The following message was received from Bishop Richard this evening:

Celebrations of Holy Mass

Priests (parish priest and assistant priests) who hold parochial office should continue to celebrate Mass in a church within their parish without the faithful on a daily basis. Other priests (i.e. retired from office or entrusted with a non-parochial ministry) may celebrate Mass without the faithful in a church, chapel or their private home. Deacons should not participate in these celebrations.

The continuing celebration of Mass ensures that the faithful can join in spiritual communion with the priests of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states (1364): As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which ‘Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed’ is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out. Daily liturgical resources for those at home, including those for making a “Spiritual Communion” with the priest, will be available on the CBCEW website.

Information about the locations of live-streamed celebrations of Mass is available on the Diocesan Website at: https://abdiocese.org.uk/livestream.

Wherever possible, during this period, churches should remain open, especially on Sundays, for individual private prayer, without any organised services, and for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Please remember to ensure that COVID secure precautions are strictly adhered to when
opening the church open for private prayer:
• Social distancing
• Face coverings, hand sanitising, good ventilation
• Regular cleaning of common touch points
• Supporting test and trace – Minimum of NHS QR Code poster

New National Restrictions from 5 November can be found here on the government website

STATEMENT OF THE BISHOPS OF ENGLAND AND WALES