Holy Family Catholic Church

Holy Family Catholic Church

Holy Family Catholic Church Oxlow Lane Dagenham Essex. RM9 5XJ
Parish priest:- Fr. Stephen Myers MA, BSc(Hons). BA(Hons), PGCE, Cert. Theo.
Assistant Priest: Fr. David Pearce MA (Cantab), ACA, BTh(Hons)

1st July 2020

Dear Parishioner,

Recently Cardinal Vincent Nichols wrote:

 “We have waited with patience and longing for this moment, understanding the importance of protecting the health of people in our society. Now we are full of anticipation that we will be able again to take part together in the Eucharist, which lies at the centre of our faith.”

The church has been prepared to comply with the guidelines that have been sent to us. We will put everything we can in place in order to minimise the risk of the spread of Covid-19.

Please remember that if you or a member of your household are displaying Covid symptoms, you should not come to Mass. You must stay at home. Those who are particularly vulnerable should also remain at home.

There will be a Mass at 6:00pm Saturday, 9:00am and 11:00am Sunday. Due to a lack of Welcomers there will NOT be a Mass at 6:00pm Sunday.

We will all need to ensure that social distancing and all other measures, such as hand sanitising provision, are in place so that we will be able to celebrate our Sunday Masses.

The usual Sunday and weekday Masses will be celebrated at Holy Family until further notice as long as there are enough stewards to do so. We need people willing to act as welcomers and stewards while the church is open. If you are willing to help please contact the Presbytery. If there are not enough stewards available then the church will not be opened and Mass will not take place. Admission will be very much on a first come-first served basis.

• At this moment in time you will not need “to book” to come to Sunday Mass.
• Individuals, families and all those who have been in lockdown together can attend Sunday Mass and should sit together.
• Wearing a face mask is preferable.
• Toilets will be closed. Please make sure you go to the toilet before you come to Mass.
• There will be a one way system in place for entry, exit and in the church. Please follow the directions of the welcomers.
• You will be required to hand sanitise when you enter the church.
• Please minimise the surfaces that you touch.
• You will have to wait to be seated by one of the welcomers in order to ensure social distancing. Therefore, it is important that you come to Mass in very good time in order that you can be seated and that Mass can start promptly. Latecomers will have to wait until an appropriate moment during the Mass to be seated in order to minimise disruption or they may be advised to return in good time for another Mass. In all these matters, we ask for your respectful cooperation with the welcomers.
• There will not be any singing during Mass.
• Communion will under one kind only and be given in the hand only. Please extend your arms as much as possible to maintain distance.
• After Mass, you will only be able to exit by the main doors.
• Please hand sanitise as you leave the church.
• The church will be cleaned after each Mass. The church will be closed for private prayer on Sundays to allow for this cleaning.

All the measures that we are putting in place will be continually assessed and reviewed. These circumstances are unprecedented, and we appreciate your understanding and patience as we work hard to ensure the safety of all people who will gather again in the presence of Jesus, truly present to us in His living word and Holy Communion.

Mass will continue to be video streamed via Zoom.us at 9:00am on a Sunday.

If you want to join us email the parish for a password.

We look forward with hope to the time when we can resume our normal parish life and be together again. As soon as I am made aware of any change I will let the community know. In the mean time the parish has been hit hard by the lack of the Sunday collection. You can donate money to the parish by using this link

www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations/?parish=dagenham-2

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Stephen Myers

Safeguarding Guidance for Church Stewards

In the document Guidance on Re-Opening of Catholic Churches for Individual Prayer, there is a section on the stewards that will be required to assist in the supervision of people in the church building when open. The Guidance reads:

Assembling a team of stewards to ensure that the guidance in this document can safely be put into effect. The number of volunteers required will vary depending on the size of churches, but priests will not be able to manage the re-opening of churches on their own. It is important that those in the team should not be drawn from those instructed to shield themselves, nor, as a general rule, from groups considered more vulnerable to coronavirus.

Read more ……

NHS TRACK AND TRACE

With the development of Track and Trace, many people have been asking for
advice around how this works. Please find below the official advice from the GOV.UK website on how the system
works and advice on how to avoid being the victim of any possible scams as a result of the implementation of this system.

Read more ……

Guidance on safeguarding whilst using videoconferencing

In what are unprecedented times, Covid-19 has presented many challenges to individuals and organisations. Whilst having to adjust to the situation, it is important that we continue to follow safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety and protection of all, but in particular those who are vulnerable or at risk. Everyone in the Church has a responsibility to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of those who worship in our Church or who join us for any activity facilitated by Church members.
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Response to the diocesan proposal for renewal & restructuring

Holy Family is a vibrant parish in East London and has about 30 different nationalities that attend mass regularly. In fact, our parish is a mini United Nation. It is a fast growing parish, which bucked the trend of declining worshipers currently being experienced in some parishes. The parish is blessed with a Priest who works tirelessly to look after the growing population of the parish, in addition to his other very demanding responsibilities in the diocese. The parish is also blessed with some parishioners, who put in valuable time to assist the parish in several capacities. The parish has two schools: St. Joseph Primary school and All Saint College. The parish also has two hospitals within its catchment area: Queens Hospital, Romford and King Georges Hospital, Goodmayes.
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