| St Andrew's RC Church Bearsden |
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Resource prepared by the National Liturgy Commission for people to use at home while they are unable to attend public Mass. Available to download immediately below or access through window further down. 
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Letter to All Parents - Primary 1 through to Primary 7
Re Coronavirus / Suspension of Public Masses From: The Parishes of St Joseph and St Andrew 19th March 2020 Dear Parent, You will have heard by now that Public Masses are suspended in the Archdiocese of Glasgow from after the 19th March for an indefinite period, due to the coronavirus pandemic. This will mean that the Sacrament of Reconciliation for primary 3 pupils, and First Holy Communions for primary 4 pupils are postponed for the time being. Confirmations are suspended for the time being. It may be a while before this crisis abates and Masses resume, but once they do, we'll begin to look again at making arrangements for your child's celebration of the Sacraments. Please note, St Joseph’s and St Andrew’s are open for some hours every day so that people can benefit from the presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and from private prayer and devotion. Please also note that Mass from St Andrew's Cathedral is streamed daily on this link. We would ask you to join in a National Day of Prayer this Sunday 22nd March, Mothering Sunday. It seems appropriate that as Catholics we pray together the Rosary, the prayer of our Blessed Mother Mary, at 12 noon, asking Her intercession for our country and our world in this time of need. With every good wish, Father Currie Father Mackle Please find below points to be noted from a letter from Archbishop Tartaglia (part 1 below this post) which describes the particular procedures to be followed in the Archdiocese of Glasgow in the light of today’s earlier statement from the Bishops’ Conference. 1. Churches are to remain open for some hours every day so that people can benefit from the presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and from private prayer and devotion.
2. Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Anointing: Priests are asked to accommodate parishioners who ask to receive Holy Communion and/or the Sacrament of Anointing. 3. Confession: Priests are asked to respond generously to requests for Confession. Confessional rooms/boxes can be used if they provide an adequate barrier between the Penitent and Confessor. Otherwise the Confession should take place in an open but private area allowing a separation of at least one metre. 4. Sick Calls: Routine visits to the sick should be suspended, by both Clergy and Extraordinary Ministers. Urgent requests for the Sacrament of Anointing in danger of death should be responded to observing all the necessary hygiene precautions. 5. Priests should celebrate Mass each day alone. 6. Technology permitting, Masses and other Acts of Worship from your church could be streamed on the internet. St Andrew's Cathedral Glasgow Livestream Services has live streamed daily Masses form St Andrew's Cathedral Glasgow 7. Baptism of Infants/Children: can be re-scheduled unless it is pressing, in which case only parents, godparents and celebrant are present, observing the usual precautions. 8. Funerals: Given that public Masses have been suspended and that, in our context, it is practically impossible to limit numbers or have a “private” Funeral and Requiem Mass in a Parish Church, “Funeral” in effect has to mean the Committal, whether an interment or a cremation. In these circumstances, the Funeral Director will advise on number. The Priest should commit to saying Mass in private on the same day for the repose of the soul of the deceased. 9. Marriages: Given the veto on public gatherings, most weddings will probably be postponed. If a wedding takes place in church, it has to be celebrated only in the presence of the celebrant, the bride and groom, and the two witnesses. 10. First Holy Communions can be postponed for the time being. 11. Confirmations are suspended for the time being. 12.RCIA: Catechumens and candidates have been preparing for a long time for baptism or reception into the Church. To allow them to answer the call of faith, priests may still celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation with them despite of the general suspension of public Mass. Scottish Bishops' Statement Scotland’s bishops have announced that after the celebration of Masses for the Solemnity of St Joseph on Thursday 19th March, no public Masses will be celebrated in Scotland until further notice. Priests will continue to celebrate Holy Mass in private, praying for those suffering from Covid 19 and those who care for them. Churches will remain open for personal prayer and parish priests are asked to welcome individuals who seek consolation and encouragement from the Lord and to be available for the reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion as and when they are needed especially for the sick and housebound. For the celebration of baptisms, funeral Masses and weddings the bishops ask that only close family are invited. The bishops’ statement encourages Catholics where possible to access the live streaming of Holy Mass from local parishes which have that facility.(On this link) The bishops advise that Holy Week liturgies may be curtailed, but ask Catholics to remain together in spirit and in prayer and to join in a National Day of Prayer this Sunday 22nd March, Mothering Sunday, to pray the Rosary for our country and our world in this time of need. National Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of Scotland
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, In this time of trial we, the Bishops of Scotland, wish to send you a word of reassurance and encouragement. We are all facing much uncertainty, anxiety and an unpredictable future. This situation touches on every aspect of our lives, individually and collectively. Sacred Scripture calls us repeatedly not to fear and to look to the help that comes to us from above. We are called to support one another in every way we can, especially those who are most vulnerable, through age or underlying conditions. Even in the midst of any necessary “distancing” we must stand by each other. We ask you to pray for the sick, those caring for them, for those in positions of responsibility with difficult decisions to make, indeed for our whole country and the entire human family. Most of all, we are being asked to put our trust in the living God who has created everything to be and to flourish and whose providence guides the course of world events. We put our trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, and the true physician of our souls and bodies. During this Lent, especially, let us all take the opportunity to deepen our relationship with God. As your bishops and with our priests and deacons, we assure you of our continuing commitment to your spiritual, pastoral and sacramental needs. We want to maintain and foster the life of faith in every way we can, while also being informed by the advice and guidance of Government and health professionals. Over the centuries the Church has often been a source of comfort in times of trial and transformed sadness and fear into peace and joy. We want the same to happen now. Given the official advice to reduce the spread of Covid 19, we have taken the difficult decision respecting the prudential judgement of each bishop to suspend Holy Mass in public for the time being from Thursday 19th March, the feast of St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. As pastors of the flocks entrusted to us, we are responding to an unprecedented crisis in modern times and assure all those whom we lead that this decision has not been taken without much prayer and discernment. Priests will continue to celebrate Holy Mass in private with the particular intention of praying for those suffering from Covid 19 and those who care for them. Our Churches will remain open for personal prayer and we would encourage parish priests to welcome individuals who seek consolation and encouragement from the Lord. We also ask our priests to be available for the reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion as and when they are needed especially for the sick and housebound. For the celebration of baptisms, funeral Masses and weddings we would ask that only close family are invited. We wish to remain close to and with our priests who are on the front line of pastoral care, as we remain close to the Lord, sure of that victory of Christ we celebrate at Easter. We encourage you where possible to access the live streaming of Holy Mass from the many parishes in our diocese and country which have that facility. Our celebration of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum may indeed be curtailed by this government advice and we will seek means of celebrating those most important three days of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil online so that they may be accessible in your own home. We will have the opportunity to be with one another in spirit and in prayer. Moreover, the Holy Father, Pope Francis will be celebrating the Sacred Triduum online from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and that celebration will unite us in prayer with all Catholics throughout the world. We ask you to join with all the Churches in a National Day of Prayer this Sunday 22nd March, Mothering Sunday. It seems appropriate that as Catholics we pray together the Rosary, the prayer of our Blessed Mother Mary, at 12 noon, asking Her intercession for our country and our world in this time of need. On this coming Sunday also we were due to have our collection for the SCIAF Lenten Appeal, and it would be good if we could still show our concern for the poorest in the world, even in our own time of need, by sending our donations to SCIAF or making them on-line to the SCIAF Wee Box Appeal at www.sciaf.org.uk As Government advice changes, we will update our guidance accordingly in the hope of restoring the public celebration of Mass. In the meantime, please ensure that no one feels abandoned in our communities and do what you can in practical terms to help those who are alone. We entrust all of you, especially those already afflicted by the virus and all health care professionals, to the care of Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick. Bishop Hugh Gilbert Bishop John Keenan Bishop Brian McGee Archbishop Philip Tartaglia Archbishop Leo Cushley Bishop Joseph Toal Bishop William Nolan Bishop Stephen Robson Re Coronavirus
Following further advice from the Archdiocese, in order to augment good practice with regard to hygiene and reduce unnecessary contact, hymn books and order of Mass cards will be removed from the pews; there will be no printed copies of the bulletin (copies will be posted on this website Facebook and Twitter, and on the porch noticeboard only). Plus, in order to avoid passing around a collection basket, there will be baskets in the porch in which you are kindly asked to place your offering when leaving the church after Mass. During Lent, one third of your offering will be sent to the Sick & Retired Priests Fund (except on 22nd March when one third will be sent to SCIAF). Many thanks Lent Reboot Youth Evening – Sat 21st March 6.30-8.30pm, after St Joseph's 5.30pm Vigil Mass – for all in P6 – S3 in the cluster ~ a chance to reboot your relationship with Jesus and your Faith. Games, activities, fun & friendship, & lovely homemade soup and bread.
Following advice from the Archdiocese of Glasgow, due to the current precautions being taken to stem the spread of the Coronavirus, all Lentfest events have been cancelled.
AGAP will review the situation later in the year but, in the meantime, the tour of the art exhibition has had to be stopped. |
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