30 May 2020
Dear Parishioners of St Kevin’s
Following the further relaxation of restrictions on public gatherings in NSW from 1st June 2020, churches and places of worship, subject to distancing requirements, may have up to 50 people inside, at a time, for private prayer, Confessions, Masses, Baptisms, Funerals, Eucharistic Adoration, etc.; Weddings will be permitted with 20 attendees.
We are pleased to let you know that our Church will be open for weekday Masses starting on Monday, 1st June. Usual weekday Mass times will apply, Monday–Thursday at 7:30am. Eucharistic Adoration will resume on Friday, 5th June from 4pm-5pm followed by a Mass.
Weekend Masses will resume on the 6th of June. Usual weekend Mass times will apply. Saturday Vigil at 5.30pm. Sunday Masses at 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am and 6pm. First 50 people are allowed in the church.
Private prayer will continue, Monday-Friday between 8am-9am.
We will still be recording the weekend Mass and upload it on the parish website, YouTube channel and Facebook page every Sunday at 7.30am for those who are still unable to visit the Church at this time..
We ask that you please observe the guidelines outlined below when visiting:
- Spatial distancing must be observed at all times, at least 1½m from each other, especially when queueing to enter or leave the church, for Holy Communion or Confession; Spatial distancing should also be observed by ministers in the sanctuary.
- At-risk parishioners should be exhorted not to attend: authorities have directed that any unwell priest, staff member, volunteer or parishioner to stay home; they recommend that the very elderly, people with compromised immune or respiratory systems, to stay at home. Everyone should exercise caution when attending.
- Upon entering the church, each attendee should record his/her contact details (name, phone number or email address) on a clipboard provided at Church entrance door. This is in accordance to CovidSafe regulations for contact tracing and also for provision of pastoral care.
- We ask that you sanitise your hands when entering the Church. Hand sanitisers will be provided at entrance doors. We use disinfectant spray to clean seating areas.
- Attendees may sit only in marked places.
- There will be no hand-to-hand passing of parish bulletins or collection plates. Printed parish bulletins are for single use only, so please take them home. There will be collection boxes at designated areas.
- The sign of peace should be without any physical contact.
- Holy Communion shall be distributed and received on the hand only; the Chalice is reserved for the clergy.
- Celebrants and people should minimize the time they are gathered together. We discourage long chats outside the Church after Mass. Maintain spatial distancing inside and outside the Church.
- Attendees must observe good hygiene practices especially when coughing or sneezing.
- For private prayer, please sit in the padded seating area near the Blessed Sacrament (right-hand side facing the altar).
As stated in the latest Pastoral Letter of the Archbishop, ‘Permission to reopen churches and to conduct religious gatherings of up to 50 persons from June 1, comes with strict conditions: we must take all reasonable precautions to protect the health of everyone involved and to observe the directives we have received.’
We invite you to regularly use our parish website for updates, weekly bulletin, homilies, and other resources you may find useful. Please stay connected with other parishioners through our Facebook page.
My prayers and blessings to everyone!
Fr Martin R Maunsell B Th
