PARISH OF DESERTCREAT, DERRYLORAN & COOKSTOWN.

5th July, Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Recently Deceased:

Tony Maguire, Coolnafranky Park Cookstown
Eternal Rest Grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Re-opening of the Churches for public worship

As you will be aware the reopening of Churches for public worship begins from Monday 29th June.
In this parish it has been decided that we will initially begin with daily and weekend Masses in Holy Trinity Church. As the Summer progresses, we hope to initiate the return of Masses in Sacred Heart Church, Rock and St John’s Church, Slatequarry.

Beginning on Monday 29th June, daily Mass will be at 10 am. The weekend Masses will take place in Holy Trinity Church as follows:
Saturday Vigil: 6pm Sunday: 9.30am & 12noon.

To facilitate this welcome return of public worship we ask for your co-operation as we strive to follow the new guidelines. Below, we have outlined the new measures we hope to implement:

Arrival at the Church & Seating:
There will be a number of stewards at each entrance to the Church who will provide you with sanitiser and guide you to a seat. Due to social distancing, seating capacity will be reduced. You are asked to arrive at Church no more than 30 minutes before Mass. Families are encouraged to arrive and sit together. Outside speakers will allow a possible overflow of parishioners to listen to the Mass from the Church carpark or nearby vicinity.

The Liturgy of the Word:
There will only be one reader per Mass. Missalettes and bulletins will be available at the entrances to the Church. You are asked to take your bulletin home rather than leave it behind.

The Distribution of Holy Communion:
Eucharistic ministers will distribute Holy Communion by going around the Church and standing between vacant pews. This will reduce movement and make it easier to maintain social distancing. Holy Communion should continue to be received in the hand at this time.

Collection Baskets:
If you wish to make a donation a basket will be placed at the entrances to the Church before Mass begins. There will be no passing around of the baskets during Mass.

Some additional notes:
We look forward to welcoming our parishioners back to Mass but we hope that this can be done in a safe way. We would like to make you aware that dispensation from Sunday and Holy Day obligation is extended for the time being. Therefore, anyone who is continuing to shield can watch Mass online. During this time the Vigil Mass will be streamed online as well as Sunday Mass at 9.30am.
At this time, it is important that we ensure a high standard of hygiene is maintained in the Church. We envisage at least 3 cleaners after every Mass to ensure we meet these standards. We urgently require more parishioners to get involved. We express our gratitude for those who have so willingly committed to this already and over the years.

Baptisms:
Baptisms will commence from Saturday 4th July. Due to the backlog of baptisms we will be providing additional options. Baptisms are limited at this time to one family per Baptism. We advise that only the parents and godparents attend with the child for christening. The Baptisms will take place at 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm on a Saturday and 1pm on a Sunday. The Sunday time is subject to change if there is a funeral and would be moved to 2.30pm in such an event. You are asked to contact the secretaries during office hours to enquire about a booking.

Funerals:
The following information has been received from the Department of Health regarding funerals.
The size and circumstances of the Church will determine the maximum number that can attend the Funeral Mass safely whilst facilitating social distancing.
It is recommended that Funeral Directors liaise with the Priest to determine the number that can be accommodated at requiem Mass.
It is also recommended that face coverings are used for indoor services presently.
Mourners should ensure that they remain at least 2 meters away from others.
It is recommended that coffin “lifts” should not take place unless all reside in the same house.