Sunday 07th March 2021 : 3rd Sunday of Lent

I hope that you have been cherishing a blessed Season of Lent. Yes, it is a Season to taste and experience God’s self-emptying/scarifying love [Kenosis]. Through the acts of prayer, penance and almsgiving, we can feel the power of His kenotic love. In our parish we have a number of opportunities for us to spiritually prepare ourselves to make this Season a really blessed one. In today’s Gospel reading, we find the cleansing of the Temple. The Jerusalem Temple, that should have been a place of prayer and worship, a place of experiencing and promoting not only God’s mercy and compassion but also His justice and truth, became a place of business and injustice. The cleansing of the Temple invites us to make an introspection of our own intentions and ways of worship. The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy [no 2, Sacrosanctum Concilium] invites us to understand our liturgy and inspires us to outreach to the “scattered children of God”: “For the liturgy, through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church. It is of the essence of the Church that she be both human and divine, visible and yet invisibly equipped, eager to act and yet intent on contemplation, present in this world and yet not at home in it; and she is all these things in such wise that in her the human is directed and subordinated to the divine, the visible likewise to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, which we seek. While the liturgy daily builds up those who are within into a holy temple of the Lord, into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit, to the mature measure of the fullness of Christ, at the same time it marvellously strengthens their power to preach Christ, and thus shows forth the Church to those who are outside as a sign lifted up among the nations under which the scattered children of God may be gathered together, until there is one sheepfold and one shepherd.” May you have a blessed third week of Lent.

• Please note that the Mass times have been reviewed : See below (Mass Times and Intentions)

All the Masses will be live-streamed: https://holy-cross-stream.click2stream.com

Please Note: with the new regulations, we will only be able to hold up to 40 people in the church. We shall follow a “First Come, First Served” rule. Since the obligation to participate the Holy Mass on Sundays is still suspended, please consider attending on weekdays with your family members so that those who cannot make it on weekdays can come during the weekends. Please wear a face mask, sanitise your hands and keep a sufficient distance always in the church. Kindly follow the guidance of Welcome Ministers. Looking forward to seeing you.

* Classes will be via Zoom now

* From 24th April (after the Easter holidays) we hope to have regular classes at Hartley Hall.

* In October, we shall have the celebrations of the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

• According to the guidelines of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales [Vade Mecum for Holy Week 2021], we follow the following at Holy Cross.

This year, the Celebrations for Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum will be in the presence of Christ’s faithful. This differs from the situation faced last year when acts of public worship were suspended because of the covid-19 pandemic.

Please remember that we follow...

1. The wearing of face coverings in church by the faithful (unless the person has a valid exemption from this regulation)
2. Social distancing of people within the church building
3. Frequent hand cleansing with sanitiser
4. Good ventilation of the church building to refresh the air quality within
5. Cleaning of the church building after each act of public worship
6. The timely dispersing of the faithful after the acts of worship avoiding congregating in car parks or on the streets outside the church.
   

Palm Sunday

The Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem will be celebrated within the church buildings and not outside. The ministers should enter into the Church at a suitable place where the palm branches to be blessed are provided. These will be blessed at the appropriate point and the Gospel of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem is proclaimed. After the Gospel, the ministers move to the Sanctuary and the Mass continues with the Collect.

The shorter form of the Passion from the Gospel of St Mark will be read in a dignified yet expeditious manner with multiple readers. The turba parts will not be exclaimed by the congregation. The palm branches blessed during the celebration of the liturgy will be distributed to the faithful as they leave the church after Mass. Those distributing the palm branches will wear single-use gloves when doing so.

Mass of the Lord’s Supper

The Washing of the Feet is omitted and there is no procession to the Altar of Repose. The Reserved Sacrament is kept in the Tabernacle of the church. Those who are not able to celebrate this Mass should pray Vespers from the Liturgy of the Hours [via Zoom – details will be given later]. The altar will not be stripped in the usual manner since the Blessed Sacrament is reserved at that altar. Holy Communion will be given under one kind. For reasons of safety, Watching in lieu of the Altar of Repose is not possible this year

Good Friday

The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord will take place in the church with a congregation. If necessary, additional celebrations may be considered, taking into account the risks associated for the faithful in travelling to and from church.

The proclamation of the Passion according to St John will be read in a dignified yet expeditious manner with multiple readers. The turba parts should not be exclaimed by the congregation.

The Universal Prayer will be carried out without undue delay. Like last year, a special intention (For the afflicted in time of Pandemic) is inserted before the intercession For those in Tribulation (X).

For The Adoration of the Holy Cross, we will use the second form for ease. For the Adoration, the Veneration of the Cross is limited to the priest alone. After I have done 5 this, I will “invite the people present in a few words to adore the Holy Cross and afterwards, hold the Cross elevated higher for a brief time, for the faithful to adore in silence”. This will be expressed by the faithful through a short period of silent prayer, a gesture such as a bow in their places, followed by another short period of silent prayer.

Holy Communion will be given under one kind from the Reserved Sacrament

Other Celebrations on Good Friday

The provision of other devotions on Good Friday may mitigate against the numbers which could congregate in parish churches for the singular celebration of the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion. We will give more information about it later. Celebrations of the Stations of the Cross should not involve the moving of the congregation on pilgrimage around the church. Walks of Witness will not take place. It is recommended that at all acts of worship on Good Friday in the churches of England and Wales, the opportunity for the faithful to contribute to the Holy See collection for the Holy Places of Palestine will be available.

The Easter Vigil

For the celebration of the Easter Vigil, the Paschal candle will be prepared, enthroned and simply lit at the beginning of the celebration.

The Shorter Form the Easter Proclamation (the Exsultet) will be sung. The faithful will not have votive candles for the Easter Vigil.

The Liturgy of the Word follows. In order to expedite the liturgy in a dignified way, two Old Testament readings from both the Law and the Prophets with their respective psalms, in addition to the reading of Exodus 14 and its canticle (which may never be omitted) are used. The homily, after the proclamation of the Gospel, will be brief.

The Baptism of Catechumens, the Reception of other Christians into full Communion with the Catholic Church and the Confirmation is not recommended at the Easter Vigil but will take place at another time. I will bless the baptismal water in the font. The Renewal of Baptismal Promises will be made by those present, but I will not sprinkle the faithful.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist follows. Holy Communion will be given under one kind from the newly consecrated Sacrament. Confessions During Lent: Every Friday - from 6.00pm. During Hol

• The Holy Mass is offered everyday  via Livestream

• : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTBK92cTt8hZCEZ4mruXZNQ

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