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BELIEVE IN THE LOVE AND SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH
Parish Priest :
Canon Mark Hackeson
Welcome to our parish website. We hope you will enjoy your visit. Our parish is part of the diocese of East Anglia. Our parish community is represented here on this site. You are welcome to browse our pages and get to know about us, our faith and our way of life.
Weekly Newsletter and Mass Booklet
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Mass Times
Saturday Evening Vigil Mass
Currently Watton Methodist Church which hosts our Mass is closed thus Mass will be ‘live-streamed’ only.
Sunday Morning:
8.30am - Our Lady of Pity Swaffham
10.30am - Our Lady of Pity Swaffham
PUBLIC WEEKDAY MASSES & OPENING TIMES
Wednesday, 10.00am - Mass followed by Exposition & Private Prayer until 11.30am
Saturday, 9.30am - Church Open for Private Prayer & Confessions until 10.30am. (9.00am Mass is streamed only)
STREAMED & ‘ZOOMED’ MASSES & SERVICES
Saturday Vigil 5.00pm Mass
Sunday 8.30am Mass
10.30am Mass
Tuesday 9.00am Mass
Wednesday 10.00am Mass followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
10.30 Holy Hour
Thursday 9.00am Mass
12noon ‘Zoomed’ Mass (For link e-mail ourladyofpity@btinternet.com)
Friday 9.00am Mass
Saturday 9.00am Mass
PARISH PRIEST AVAILABLE
In Church (unless otherwise indicated)
Wednesday 10.30-11.30am & Saturday 9.30-10.30am
By telephone - at all reasonable times (please leave a message if I am unavailable)
At the Presbytery - by appointment only unless an emergency.
For Sacrament of Anointing & ‘Last’ Sacraments etc, by appointment.
CATHOLIC PARISH OF OUR LADY OF PITY
Swaffham & Watton
PASTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 3rd NATIONAL COVID-19 LOCKDOWN
According to Secretary of State for Health, Professor Chris Whitty and other politician, medical practitioners and scientists, the weeks through which we are currently living will be the worst that this pandemic brings down upon us in the United Kingdom. In response to this the Government has once more put us into national ‘lockdown’. The message, which is constantly put before us, is to ‘STAY AT HOME!’ unless we have a serious and permitted reason for not doing so. We are to go out only as is necessary, even when it comes to our ‘daily exercise’.
In the light of this, it may seem very strange that places of worship, such as our Church, are still permitted to remain open and public worship to continue. Whilst we are permitted only to meet with one person with whom we do not reside, and then only outside, that we can continue to gather in a group for Mass seems to run counter to all other advice and instructions.
On Monday, our Parish Pastoral Council met with me to discuss this situation, and to discern what our response should be. It was a fruitful and constructive meeting which saw input from people who have been ‘shielding’ since last March and some who are considered ‘at risk’, from others who, while ‘limiting social interaction’ have been working, shopping, assisting others during those periods when this was permitted. Input was also given from those working in the National Health Service both as medical practitioners and in administration and strategic planning. We also discussed input from parishioners who had written, e-mailed and telephoned either myself or PPC representatives.
The over-riding consensus of the meeting was that we should respond to the general call to ‘Stay at Home’ in order to limit the spread of the virus, safeguard our NHS by ensuring that our hospital are not overwhelmed and so rendered unable to care for everyone, so saving lives and protecting each other. At the same time, both the Government and the Bishops’ Conference have underlined the importance they attach to churches being open and Mass being publicly celebrated and this was also reflected by some of the submissions made at our meeting. While the weekday Mass schedule and other Services lie within the competence of the Parish Priest, decisions as to Sunday and Holy Day Masses ultimately rest with the Bishop to whom I communicated the feeling of our PPC.
Having written and spoken with the Bishop on Tuesday, he was appreciative and responsive to our concerns, but wishes me to continue to make public Mass available on Sunday. He did suggest that we reduce to a single Mass, but I expressed that such a move could actually increase risk rather than reducing it depending on how many people wished to attend.
With all this in mind, I suggest that from next Monday we adopt the following schedule of church opening times for the public celebration of Mass and for private prayer and Confessions, trusting that the compromise which respects the Bishops’ desire to ensure that a common policy is in operation in England and Wales, will be acceptable to the PPC and go some way to responding to their concerns and the concerns and desires of other parishioners, some of whom favoured a complete shutdown and some who wishes to have Mass available and the Church open for Private Prayer.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
SUNDAY MASSES
Saturday Evening Vigil Mass
Currently Watton Methodist Church which hosts our Mass is closed thus Mass will be ‘live-streamed’ only.
Sunday Morning:
8.30am Our Lady of Pity Swaffham
10.30am Our Lady of Pity Swaffham
PUBLIC WEEKDAY MASSES & OPENING TIMES
Wednesday 10.00am Mass followed by Exposition & Private Prayer until 11.30am
Saturday 9.30am Church Open for Private Prayer & Confessions until 10.30am
(9.00am Mass is streamed only)
STREAMED & ‘ZOOMED’ MASSES & SERVICES
Saturday Vigil 5.00pm Mass
Sunday 8.30am Mass
10.30am Mass
Tuesday 9.00am Mass
Wednesday 10.00am Mass followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
10.30 Holy Hour
Thursday 9.00am Mass
12noon ‘Zoomed’ Mass (For link e-mail ourladyofpity@btinternet.com)
Friday 9.00am Mass
Saturday 9.00am Mass
PARISH PRIEST AVAILABLE
In Church (unless otherwise indicated) Wednesday 10.30-11.30am & Saturday 9.30-10.30am
By telephone - at all reasonable times (please leave a message if I am unavailable)
At the Presbytery - by appointment only unless an emergency.
For Sacrament of Anointing & ‘Last’ Sacraments etc, by appointment.
Certain IMPORTANT POINTS for you to consider:
1. HM Government, following the latest Covid-19 Task Force meeting with faith leaders on Monday, have reaffirmed its wish that places of worship remain open, and public worship continue to be offered. This recognises that in such places as our own Church the required actions to ensure safety are being applied, but perhaps more importantly, that in the present emergency such buildings, institutions, prayer and practical help is an essential service offered to the wider community and for the spiritual and mental well-being of people who are suffering the results of isolation and the pervading atmosphere of fear. Thus remaining open is NOT an infringement of the rules, or a ‘flexing’ of those rules.
2. THERE IS NO OBLIGATION PLACED UPON CATHOLICS TO ATTEND MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS AT THIS PRESENT TIME. The Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, and our own Bishop specifically has asked me to emphasise this fact. Physical attendance at Mass during this emergency pandemic is a matter of personal choice for each individual. No one should feel compelled to attend simply because Mass is being celebrated publicly.
3. CONSIDERATIONS TO BE TAKEN ACCOUNT when deciding whether or not to attend Mass in person, include your own safety and level of vulnerability and of those with whom you live, and also the welfare and peace of mind of others with whom you will come into contact at Mass.
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Those who are showing symptoms of any kind are NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND.
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Those have tested positive for Covid-19 ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND until they have received clearance following isolation and subsequent negative tests.
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Those who have been asked to ‘shield’ SHOULD NOT ATTEND.
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Those in ‘at risk’ groups are ADVISED NOT TO ATTEND.
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Those living with any of the above should CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHAT IS APPROPRIATE.
If you are suffering from a non-Covid-19 related cough or any other symptoms that may lead to others , please talk with me before attending.
It is also necessary for the rest of us to consider carefully whether or not it is appropriate to attend, and if we choose to do so, carefully to observe all the rules on social distancing, mask wearing, hand cleansing etc.
4. Consider participating in Mass and the wider life of the Church by other means that are now available. If you have a computer, lap top, smart-phone or tablet/i-pad then you are probably able to participate in live-streamed Masses, ‘zoomed’ Masses and Holy Hour, Prayer Group, and in the Spiritual Reading, Coffee Mornings and simple chat groups that are already live or we hope will become live in the next week or so. If you are unsure about how to do this, a simple guide is being produced and can be sent to you soon, or ask a younger member of your family (grandchildren are particularly good at this kind of thing!)
5. If you do not feel able to attend Mass, but wish to pray in Church, or to meet with me in Church (I am not currently meeting people in my home) then come to Church when it ‘Open for Private Prayer’.
6. Mass and other prayer will continue to be offered daily by me in Church.
PLEASE REMEMBER THE SAGE ADVICE OF ONE OF OUR PPC MEMBERS:
BECAUSE WE CAN ATTEND MASS DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT WE SHOULD ATTEND IN THESE PRESENT AND UN-PRECEDENTED CIRCUMSTANCES!
THE VACCINE:
HM Government, the NHS, the Pope and our Bishops urge us all to avail ourselves of the protection of one of the vaccines currently being offered in this country. Doing so protects ourselves but also other people as it will limit the spread of the virus.
The Vatican and the Bishops have received assurance that production of the vaccines available in the United Kingdom does NOT compromise Catholic teaching on the abuse of cells obtained from aborted foetuses, does NOT CONTAIN any such cells. Any arguments to the contrary should be referred to the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales for clarification.
Both Pope Francis and HM The Queen have now received the vaccine.
Canon Mark Hackeson
Parish Priest
14th January 2021