Roman Catholic Parish of Royston

Update

From 19th July legal restrictions will be lifted. However, we have also been asked as a matter of personal choice and prudent local decisions to be careful, cautious and gradual as we return towards ‘normal’. 

We will follow the advice of the Bishops Conference and our Parish Pastoral Council has been consulted. The full statement from the Bishops’ Conference is on the notice board in the Martyrs’ Chapel and on the Bishops’ Conference website, as is a further statement expressing the hope that the Sunday Obligation will be restored by Advent Sunday by which time we hope everybody will feel safe to return to attending mass. The Bishops’ guidelines ask us to continue to mitigate against the transmission of the virus. Amongst other things “face coverings are strongly recommended to be worn by those in church”.

We will stop using the online booking-in system from 24^th/25^th July. However, we would encourage those who can to use the displayed QR code for the NHS app.

We will gradually introduce a little more singing into our worship, particularly of the ordinary of the mass and propers and such things as the Alleluia. However, this will not include hymns and the hymn books will not yet come back.

As well as these relaxations, we do intend to maintain some of our current protocols:

• we will continue to maximise ventilation by keeping the church doors open;
• we will continue our online provision for those not able to be onsite;
• hand sanitiser will continue to be available and its use encouraged;
• whilst respecting individual choices and exemptions we strongly encourage the continued use of face coverings to protect each other indoors;
• we will continue not to have the physical sign of peace (although members of household bubbles may touch each other!)
• At the present time we will continue to have the dialogue before communion (‘The Body of Christ Amen’) from our benches and then receive communion in silence
• we will continue to have communion in one kind and on the hand and encourage people to continue the practice of coming up for communion bench by bench;
• we will retain the cleaning protocols we have been following.
• we will continue to have an online volunteers rota: please sign up to help if you are able to over the summer at the new rota https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Beul0qZY0B2nJxS8hEQhkYpRhMGEPkiPqmOUblVuCIQ/edit?usp=sharing

It remains important that we look after each other and especially the vulnerable. We would ask that anyone who does have symptoms, a positive test or had been in close contact with someone with a positive test both look after themselves and to please stay at home to protect others.

All of these things will be kept under review and we shall reconsider them as necessary and we have scheduled a meeting on Wednesday September 1st. 

EVERY BLESSING TO YOU!

A very warm welcome to the parish of St Thomas of Canterbury & The English Martyrs in Royston, part of the Diocese of Westminster.

You are welcome onsite or online.

Our postal address is 6 Melbourn Road, Royston, Herts SG8 7DB. You will find us on the West side of the A10 just North of the central roundabout, towards Cambridge.

The Parish Priest is Fr Philip Knights philipknights@rcdow.org.uk

You can contact us on 01763 243117.

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We’re keen to hear from you, so please feel free to contact us!

New to the Parish?

Please click HERE to download a registration form then print, complete and return the form.

Do please make yourself known to Fr Philip after mass.

Separate forms for additional adults, please.