GUIDANCE FOR REOPENING ST MARY OF THE CRAYS CHURCH, CRAYFORD,
FOR HOLY MASS WITH A CONGREGATION PRESENT from Friday 10^th July 2020:

With great joy, and some trepidation, and while taking “small steps” we are now able to announce that we can re-open our church for the celebration of Holy Mass with a congregation to begin on Friday 10^th July 2020 at 9.30am in line with guidelines received from our Government and the Metropolitan Archbishops of the Catholic Church in England.  A summary of which is set out below:

Click Here for the latest message from the Metropolitan Archbishops of the Catholic Church in England.

• In the Government document Guidance for the safe use of places of worship from 4 July, published on the 29 June, reference was made to the ‘NHS Test and Trace service’ which has been set up ‘…to manage the risk of the virus re-emerging.’ This states: ‘…In line with other government guidance for other venues … you should assist this service [NHS Test and Trace] by keeping an accurate temporary record of visitors for 21 days, in a way that is manageable for your place of worship, and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed for contact tracing and the investigation of local outbreaks.’
• Two ways in which this will be done in our church: Print a Track and Trace Card out and bring it filled in every time you come for Mass and leave it in the box provided at the entrance to the church. Our stewards will ask you to show them your completed card. If you have not got a card with you, our stewards will ask you to provide your full name and a way of contacting you, (i.e.: Phone number, or email, or postal address). This information will be kept by the parish for 21 days and destroyed afterwards. This information has to be completed for you to enter the church. Thank you for your co-operation with our stewards.
• PLEASE, CONTACT US IN ADVANCE OF THE HOLY MASS YOU WISH TO ATTEND. We can accommodate ONLY 34 PERSONS / HOUSEHOLDS at one time at present.
• The first Holy Mass with a congregation will be celebrated in church on Friday 10^th July at 9.30 am and thereafter on Sundays from the 12^th July to begin with at 8.30am. 
• Masses will also be celebrated at 9.30 am weekdays on Thursday 16^th and Friday 17^th July 2020, and Thursdays and Fridays thereafter.
• Eventually,it would be good to be able to offer a 09:30 Holy Mass every day of the week, and, if there is an evident need for it,  two Holy Masses on Saturday evening, and in addition to the two proposed on Sunday, i.e.: 8:30am and 10:00am via ZOOM a Third Holy Mass on Sundays.
• The SUNDAY OBLIGATION / PRECEPT IS STILL SUSPENDED at this time and the Archbishops are encouraging those who can attend Holy Mass on a weekday.
• Please Enter the church through the MAIN HALL DOORS only and exit the Church through the doors as indicated by the stewards.
• There will always be a steward at the entrance and near the exit to remind you to sanitise your hands on entry and before exiting. They will also direct you to your seats once inside the church and during the time for Holy Communion.
• Please always maintain 2 metres social distancing from others.
• It is not yet compulsory for you to wear a face covering whilst in church but, if you would like to wear one, please bring your own.
• As there is no Sunday obligation, to help us with the possible numbers of people at Mass, if you can attend Mass during the week please do so. Allow the space on the weekend for those who are working and cannot attend Mass on a weekday. If there is a need, we will look into the possibility of celebrating more Masses on a Sunday.
• Toilet facilities will not be available.
• There will be no access to the sacristy.
• Please refrain from touching images and statues.
• There will be NO Parish Mass Books, nor Mass Card, nor Hymn Books,
• Single us sheets for responses will be available. Please take them home with you.
• please bring your own Missals, Prayer Books, or use Universalis.com App on your “SILENCED” mobile phone.
• There will be NO singing during Holy Mass, nor Prayer of the Faithful, nor Procession of the Gifts, and no Sign of Peace.
• Holy Communion will be distributed “on the hand”, with hands open and flat, and arms outstretched, and you are asked to please maintain social distancing as you join the Communion Procession. Please follow the directions of the stewards.
• Please, always follow the directions of the stewards.
• For your weekly offering use the box/plates provided at the back of the church on your way into the church.
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available by appointment only.
• We will continue to have our 10.00am Mass by Zoom for the time being for those who cannot yet join us in church.
• Also, the Children’s Liturgy will continue to be held by Zoom at 11.00am.

The church will be cleaned immediately after the opening time finishes.

To open the Church more often we will need more Stewards / Cleaners: If you can assist as a  steward, or a cleaner, please write an Email to the Parish Office,  or phone, stating your name, contact details, and which day(s) and times that you are available to be a steward or to help clean the church.

Thank you for your support for our Parish Family of St Mary’s, Crayford, as we make these “small steps” to returning to the full worship of God Our Father, His Son Jesus Christ, in the power and love of the Holy Spirit, and pray for the Well-being and Salvation of the world, our nations, and Crayford.  May:  St Joseph – Pray for us!  And:  St Mary of the Crays – Pray for us!

God bless, Fr David.

Please Email: crayford@rcaos.or.uk  or phone: 01322 523 492 or 07485 151159

Our Church will be open for individual prayer on:
Thur/Fri/Sat, 25^th – 27^th June 2020 from 09:30 – 10:30

We need to adhere to strict guidelines, and I would appreciate you taking the time to familiarise yourself with those here:

• Church is open for individual prayer only – no group prayer allowed.
• Enter the church through the main hall doors only and exit through the fire exit doors near the organ, leading to the front lawn.
• There will always be a steward at the entrance and near the exit to remind you to sanitise your hands on entry and before exiting.
• Use the pews that have been marked out as safe spaces available and maintain social distancing of 2m from others.
• Our church has a capacity for 23 individuals or household groups at one time – stewards will ensure that people will have to wait until it is safe for them to enter once others leave. Please be patient.
• Toilet facilities will not be available.
• There will be no access to other areas of the church centre.
• Please refrain from touching images and statues.

The church will be cleaned on a daily basis immediately after the opening time finishes.

We hope to be able to open the church at other times eventually so, if you would like to volunteer as a steward/cleaner, please write an email to the parish office or phone, stating your name, contact details, and which day and times that you are available to be a steward.  Thank you for your support for our Parish Family of St Mary’s, Crayford.

God bless, Fr David

Please email: crayford@rcaos.org.uk or phone: 01322 523 492, or: 074785 151 159

Sacrament of Reconciliation will only be available at the moment by appointment only.  Please email or ‘phone.

Mass is coming to St Mary of the Crays in the church via Zoom this Sunday at 10.00 am and it would be great if parishioners could join us.

In order to join a Zoom meeting you can do an internet search to find the website zoom.us,  then from the home page you select “join a meeting”, click in to Zoom then click Join, then enter the meeting ID number then the passcode when prompted to do so. You can also download the zoom app to access meetings on smartphones or tablets.

To obtain the meeting ID number and the passcode, please contact Anusha Foy at: anusha_bala@hotmail.co.uk or Tina Saunders at: tinapsaunders@hotmail.com.

Fr. David is looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Pope Francis is encouraging Catholics to pray the Rosary in their homes during the month of May, especially when the Pandemic is making us aware of the value of our families and making it possible for us to pray together in lockdown at home. He encourages simple Rosaries and joining online Rosary initiatives to pray to Our Lady for deliverance from Covid-19 and he has composed two prayers for this intention.

We are invited to join in an initiative that follows on the Pope’s request, the Pentecost Sunday National Rosary Rally, from 9.00am to 9.00pm across Scotland, England and Wales. Our Diocese has been asked to pray a Rosary Hour at 3pm and Archbishop John warmly invites us to take part.

More details can be found at www.rcsouthwark.org.uk, along with a link to Mass from St George’s at 10am.

The Children’s Liturgy of the Word is taking place each Sunday at 11am via Zoom. If you wish to enroll your child and family, please contact:

anusha_bala@hotmail.co.uk,
or tinapsaunders@hotmail.com.

… You will need to Download the Zoom App on your e-Device: Computer / Tablet / Smart ‘phone / &c. …

to all Parishioners who have been making your usual and regular donations to St Mary’s Church. Thank you for all your continued generosity and financial support.  Fr David.

Parish Giving

We are very conscious that the announcement that Churches are now closed has an impact on parish income. If you can still afford to and wish to make a weekly donation to the Church you can post your donation in a sealed envelope through the letterbox of the Presbytery: 111 Old Road, or you can make an online donation as a ‘one-off’ payment, or to setup a standing order to make regular donations.

Pledge Forms, from the Diocesan Finance Office, for Parish Giving are available from the Parish Office: crayford@rcaos.org.uk, and on the Parish Website.

Our bank details are as follows:

NatWest Bank: Sort Code: 60 15 28; Account No: 10368787
Cheques can be made payable to: RCAS ST MARY OF THE CRAYS – PARISH ACCOUNT – CRAYFORD

Please use your name as a reference (gift aid givers can add their envelope number). Any donations you able to make will be greatly appreciated during this time. Thank you. Fr David

Holy Innocents’ Church in Orpington has kindly invited interested parishioners to join an online Alpha Course starting this Friday, 1st May.  Full details can be found here.

Further to the earlier article, the diocese has produced a form which can be used to enable a standing order to be set up by the parish, or the diocese.  The form can be downloaded here: Crayford Pledge Form.  You can also post a cheque through the presbytery letterbox; please make it payable to RCAS St Mary of the Crays – Parish Account – Crayford.

Fr David has kindly positioned the statue of Our Lady and a crucifix in the windows of the sacristy next to the main entrance door.  Parishioners taking their daily exercise can stop by for some quiet reflection and prayer.

Please remember to maintain social distancing if more than one person is there, and also please don’t linger for too long. We don’t want to grab the attention of other passers by or the police.

Fr David has kindly provided some files that you can download with the traditional Holy Week poster to print at home.  Three versions are available (PNG, JPEG and PDF). Click for the PDF version