Holy Week Masses online and Chrism Mass postponed
Sawston parish delves deeper into Scripture
April 1, 2020
Bishops’ Conference offers spiritual food for lockdown
April 4, 2020
Holy Week Masses will all be online only this Easter because of Covid-19 restrictions and the Chrism Mass, when priests and people from across the Diocese of East Anglia gather together in St John’s Cathedral, will not be celebrated next week but at a later date.
Bishop Alan Hopes said: “The Chrism Mass will not now take place on Tuesday April 7, after a decision of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales to stand in solidarity with the Holy Father’s decision to also not celebrate it. It will be celebrated at a later date when the restrictions are lifted and people can come together again.”
Daily Masses will be live streamed from St John’s Cathedral every day at 10am plus the following Easter Masses, which will all be celebrated by Bishop Alan.
April 5 – Palm Sunday: Mass, 10am
April 9 – Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 8pm
April 10 – Good Friday: Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, 3pm
April 11 – Holy Saturday: Mass of the Paschal Vigil, 8pm
April 12 – Easter Day: Mass at 10am
You can watch all of these Masses at: www.sjbcathedral.org.uk
Cardinal Vincent Nichols will be celebrating a short Easter Sunday Service on BBC Radio 4 (FM 92 – 95 FM, 103-105 FM. LW 198 Long Wave) and BBC local radio stations at 8am, including Radio Norfolk, Radio Suffolk and Radio Cambridgeshire.
Easter Duty
The bishops of all the dioceses in England and Wales have formally dispensed the “Easter Duties,” that is, the obligation placed upon Roman Catholics to receive Holy Communion during the period between Ash Wednesday and Trinity Sunday, and, therefore, the implicit obligation to make a sacramental confession in preparation for this obligatory reception of Holy Communion.
Click here or watch below to see Cardinal Vincent Nichols talk about this.
Therefore, a Roman Catholic who does not receive Holy Communion, and who does not make a sacramental confession at this time remains a Catholic in good standing, anything else notwithstanding. This dispensation lasts for the whole of the calendar year 2020.
Bishop Alan asks us that, while we cannot easily go to confession, we should all still make a Perfect Act of Contrition at this time. A Perfect Act of Contrition is an expression of true and real sorrow for sins, having realised the immense love of God for us. We express this contrition when we realise how we have offended God by our sinful words, deeds and omissions in contrast to his immeasurable love and mercy that he continually shows us.
A suggested Act of Contrition:
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Saviour Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
