Message  from Fr. Cyriacus

The Opening of our Church for Sunday and Weekday Masses

As you may well know by now, we have been given permission to open our churches for Mass from 4th July. This is a very good news indeed and I want to thank you especially for your endurance and patience all these while. We are happy to inform you that our Parish Church will be open for Mass from Monday, the 6^th of July, 2020.

The Coronavirus Pandemic has changed our lives and the way we go about our daily tasks. The celebration of the Eucharist is no less affected. In line with the Government Guidance on the safe opening of places of Worship for Individual prayer, The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has published the guidance for the celebration of Mass. Please take note of the following points below:

• At present, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended.

• There will be Masses on Sundays and Weekdays

• The times for Sunday and weekday Masses are as follows:
• Saturday Vigil Mass: 6pm
• Sunday Morning Masses: 9am and 11am
• Monday, Thursday and Friday: 9.30am
• Wednesday Evening Mass: 7.30pm

• In line with the stipulated social distancing, the maximum number that can be accommodated for each Mass is 79 people.

• Any overflow of people in the Church, will be accommodated in the Parish hall following the social distancing rule.

• At the moment, the criteria for admission into the Church will be on the basis of ‘first come first serve’. A few seats will be reserved for disabled parishioners.

• The Mass will be without congregational singing, Prayers of the Faithful, the Offertory procession and the Sign of Peace.

• There will be collection/offering baskets at the entrance and exits of the Church.

• Use of facial mask/face covering is mandatory in the Church. Please come with your own face covering as the Parish has got supply only to cater for the needs of the Parish stewards.

• Please listen to the directives of the Parish stewards and follow their guidance for the safe conduct of activities during Mass. The stewards will be properly dressed with High Visibility Safety vest for easy recognition.

• The stewards may request that you give them your name and contact details. Please do oblige them this request. This is to enable us keep record of those who enter the Church and for possible ‘track and trace’ incident should they arise.

• At the end of each Mass, parishioners will be guided by the stewards to exit the Church and are encouraged to return home and avoid gathering/congregating in groups outside the Church. There will be no activities in the hall like tea and coffee at the moment.

• We will need more stewards and cleaners. The church and the hall will need to be cleaned after every Mass. If we don’t get the required number of people to help in these areas, I’m afraid the church will not open for Mass. If you would like to volunteer please contact Philip O’Halloran on 07806611960 or philip.ohalloran@ntlworld.com or email crayvalley@rcaos.org.uk

Feel free to ring or email me if you have any concerns. You can also email

Philip O’ Halloran who is the coordinator of the Committee for the safe reopening of the Church.

I eagerly look forward to welcoming you back to the Church and most importantly, celebrating the Eucharist with you as a Parish family.

Continue to stay safe and God bless you all!

Fr. Cyriacus

Parish Support

For everyone, the COVID-19 lockdown has a significant economic implication, as it unveils a period of uncertainty and financial instability. As a Parish family, we are not immune to its negative economic impact. The` inability of parishioners to join in the physical celebration of Mass means that Mass offerings, which are the major source of weekly income for the Parish, are completely non-existent. We still have to meet the bills of the Parish, for even though the Church is closed, the day-to-day running and maintenance of the infrastructure still remains. I thank parishioners who have continued to support the Church via their standing orders and cash donations.
I equally ask for more of your continued financial support for those of you who can still afford it, given that we are sensitive to the fact that some of you are not presently working and some have been furloughed by your employers.

There are several ways in which you can give this support to the Church:

1. Set up a standing order whereby the money is transferred from your bank account to that of the Parish on a weekly or monthly basis.

2. Send me a cheque made out to Our Lady of the Crays Catholic Church.

3. Those of you who use the gift aid envelopes on a weekly basis: If you do not have envelopes for the new tax year (since they are in lockdown in the Church) then in this situation please retain the cash you would usually give and put it in an envelope with your gift aid number on the front. You can then bring this to the Church when we reopen.

4. You can make one-off transfers to the Parish bank account from your own bank account.

5. Donate through the just-giving page whereby you will be able to make donations online to the parish.

6. Scan QR code, using your mobile device, available at various locations within the church and on the newsletter. The QR scanner app is free to download and use which available for both Apple and Anroid devices.

For more information please contact me  Or any of the named persons below:

David Philip    Email:  david.philip@btinternet.com   Phone:  01689 839683

B. Selvan  Email: b.selvan@ph2h.com   Phone:  07811296716

Thank you and God bless you all.

With every good wishes,
Fr. Cyriacus