A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning

Thinking of the Jesus Prayer, Archbishop Anthony Bloom says, "It is a very companionable prayer, a friendly one, always at hand and very individual in spite of its monotonous repetitions. Whether in joy or in sorrow, it is, when it has become habitual, a quickening of the soul, a response to any call of God. The words of St Simeon, the new theologian, apply to all its possible effects on us: ‘Do not worry about what will come next, you will discover it when it comes.’”

As you know, the government has allowed churches to open for public worship under the very strict guidelines of numbers, seating arrangements and deep cleaning. The church of Christ the King was opened last week for private prayer only for three hours, thanks to the generosity the volunteers who clean church before and after people have been.
The maximum number allowed in church at any one time could be 30 possibly 40. Given the number of people who attend Mass in the whole parish, this would mean that one person could only attend Mass once a fortnight and we would need to pre-book that attendance.

I have spoken with quite a number of parishioners about the potential for opening, and the consensus seems to be that we should keep our present arrangement for this week and review it again at the end of the week. Parishioners are rightly concerned about the danger of transmission of the virus from different sources and we must respect that.
If and when the church opens parishioners must take all the necessary decisions for themselves - and, importantly for others - as to whether they should come to church. There is no obligation to come to Mass during this time.

I will continue to listen to guidance from the diocese and from parishioners. If you would like to let me know your thoughts please send an email. In the meantime, let us keep each other in prayer knowing that we are always in communion with the Body of Christ who never, ever leaves us and is closer to us in our struggles and our weaknesses than when we feel strong in ourselves.

Church opening times for private prayer at CTK
Monday: 2-3.00pm
Wednesday: 6-7.00pm
Friday: 2-3.00pm

Can we please remember in our prayers all our parish family, especially those who are part of the frontline, essential workers of all kinds; we are enormously grateful for all they do. We also have our own responsibility to stay safe for our sake and the sake of others.

Joseph, Lisa, Patrick, Chris, Catherine, Anne, Terry, Mark, Theo, Clare, Richard, Anthony, Jane, James, Andrew, Mary, Francis, Ruth, Tony, Sue, Dan, Fiona, Katy. Ian & Bethany - and of course all our teachers who are already preparing for the changed circumstances of September

St Joseph, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John

PS thank you for your continuing support of the Food Bank