Having carefully followed directives and suggestions for church openings over the past year, and especially leading to the recent lockdown, I am pleased to say that St Edmunds will be re-opening this coming Sunday ( 28th February) for the 11am Mass with Fr John Oakes as Celebrant.
Our last service was on the 10th January, so it will have been 7 Sundays since we have been able to receive the Blessed Sacrament.
The social distancing, masks, hand cleansing policies will be back in place – and the church will probably be safer than supermarkets!
Our thanks go to the priests who have supported us during many good and sometimes difficult times, and we will keep you updated on the news as it happens, especially for services.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, but only if you feel confident enough and are not isolating because of a medical condition.
Wednesday 17th February 2021 (Ash Wednesday) will mark the first day of Lent. Please read the Bishop of Ebbslfeet’s pastoral letter for Lent. The letter contains the Gospel reading for every day in Lent, along with the Rosary Meditations “of Holy Week”. You can download the letter here:
Bishop Jonathan has also made a Lent video, which can be watched here:
The Society, in conjunction with the See of Fulham and supported by Forward in Faith, is delighted to release A Covenant With God: A Journey through Lent 2021. Through this devotional booklet, Fr Philip Barnes reflects on the Old Testament readings from the Lenten Sunday Masses, exploring the story of God’s relationship with His people and preparing the way for the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, which are marked by the Church’s principal liturgies of the year over Holy Week and Easter.
The booklet can be used either on its own or in conversation with others in your parish community. There is a reflection for each Sunday in Lent with some questions to ponder in each case. A video introduction to the themes of the booklet will be provided by the Bishop of Fulham in due course and will be shared via The Society’s Facebook page and also made available via this page (https://www.sswsh.com/).
If you are looking for further study material, we recommend The Society in the Diocese of Leeds’s course on Communion and Catholicity. It is available here.
Lent is also a time during which we meditate upon the Stations of the Cross, often on the Fridays in Lent. For those looking to pray using the Stations at home, please think about using this booklet.
The Society fervently hopes that you may have a prayerful Lent in this time of national emergency and as we prepare to celebration Our Lord’s victory over death.
For further devotions, the Benefice is running a Lent course via Zoom on Tuesday nights. Please contact Rev Hugh Burton for the log in details.
It is traditional at St. Edmund’s that we raise money for the Additional Curates Society though Lent. We will not be able to collect our collection boxes from St. Edmund’s this year, however donations can still be made online. You can donate here: https://additionalcurates.co.uk/support-us/
A decision has been made that St. Edmund’s will remain closed throughout February. This decision is due to be reviewed at the end of the month.
Mass is still available to watch live every Sunday at 9 AM from the Shrine website: https://vimeo.com/shrineolw. The Benefice Zoom Service is also available at 11 AM.
This does mean that St. Edmund’s will be closed for Ash Wednesday. However please remember to download The Society Lent booklet.
St Edmund's Church, Dudley 