Part of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark

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The parish of St Simon Stock, South Ashford is a parish of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark. We offer pastoral care for those in and around the South Ashford area. Our parish school is St Simon of England Catholic School.

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Announcements

Compulsory use of face masks

Following a recent Government announcement as from Friday 24th July, the wearing of a face mask is now compulsory at ALL masses at St. Simon’s. Thank you for continuing to support the measures that have been put in place to ensure the safety of all our parishioners.

Re-commencement of Mass

We welcome the Government’s announcement that from 4^th July communal acts of worship will be allowed at our Catholic Churches, and are pleased to let you know that from
the 5^th July Mass times at St. Simon Stock will be as follows:

• Sunday 10.00am and 6.30pm. There will be no Adoration.
• Wednesday 10.00am – only for those 70+, those vulnerable to infection, and their carers.
• Saturday 10.00am

Please be aware that there will be a limit on the number of people who can attend Mass in our church which has been determined in accordance with the Government’s social distancing requirements. On Sunday, the limit will be 70; at all other Masses it will be 24.

Entrance to Mass will therefore be on a first come, first served basis and once the limit for each Mass has been reached the volunteer stewards have been instructed by Fr. Hans not to admit anyone else to that Mass.

To enable as many as possible to attend Mass on a Sunday we are implementing the 1m plus social distance requirements allowed by the Government which means that the wearing of a face mask at Mass is compulsory Please bring one with you as they will not be provided by the church, and anyone without one will not be admitted.

At all weekday Masses, the 2 meter social distancing requirement will be applied so masks are not required but you may wear one if you wish.

The government and the NHS have asked for us to keep a record of those coming to Mass to help with their contact tracing in the event of a COVID infection. As you enter the Church you will be asked to give your name and contact number / house address. This is simply for the purpose of track and trace and will not be used in any other way.

Given there is no Sunday obligation, please consider the possibility of attending a Mass on a weekday. This will allow a gradual return to the Eucharist for more people.

At Mass, please follow the guidance given by Fr. Hans, and the volunteer Stewards that has been put in place for your health and well-being.

You should sanitise your hands on entering and exiting the church using the pump provided. Please follow the one-way system has been put in place in church and only enter and exit using the prescribed doors. There will be a basket by the exit door for your weekly offering.

We have been instructed by the Diocese to keep the toilet facilities closed to mitigate the risk of infection.

We look forward to welcoming you back.

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CHURCH OPENING FOR PRIVATE PRAYER

Following the Government’s announcement that churches may open for private prayer, arrangements have been made for our church to be open on the following day and times.

Sundays – 4pm To 7pm – From Sunday 21^ST June

If you are able to take this opportunity to visit church it is important that we adhere to the Government’s ‘Covid-19 Secure’ guidelines which will allow people to remain safe and avoid transmission of the virus whilst outside of their homes. It is recommended that people who have serious underlying health conditions or who have a temperature or cold or flu-like symptoms should not visit church at the present time.

Our church will be reopened in a suitable, safe, and secure manner as follows –

• Two Stewards will facilitate the opening of church on each day to direct and assist visitors to maintain the ‘social distancing’ rules.
• The doors into and out of church will be kept open for ventilation and to avoid the need to constantly sanitise the handles.

Visitors should:

• enter church by the front double door and leave by the rear double door following the one-way system which is in place.
• use the hand sanitiser provided, as they enter and leave church.
• avoid touching any items/surfaces un-necessarily.
• adhere to the social distancing rules and only sit in the allocated seating as marked or as directed by stewards.
• limit their time in church if the maximum agreed number of visitors has been reached; if this occurs stewards will ask further visitors to wait outside church whilst maintaining social distancing.
• the toilet facilities will NOT be available.

We thank you for your patience at this time of change in our parish
and look forward to seeing you.

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Church Events

 

View Events

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Live Streamed Masses

Fr. Hans will continue to celebrate Mass, without the faithful, on a daily basis. The continuing celebration of Mass ensures that the faithful can join in spiritual communion with the priests of the Church.

Additional Live Masses

• Masses online broadcast by Southwark Churches. Please check times of Masses.
• Live Mass at St. Teresa’s, Ashford.

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Mass Intentions

You can email your intentions to using the Mass Intentions Form

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Church News

• A Message from the Metropolitan Archbishops of the Catholic Church in England Wed, Jul 1, 2020 -
• Re-commencement of Mass Wed, Jul 1, 2020 - Re-commencement of Mass We welcome the Government’s announcement that from 4th July communal acts of worship will be allowed at our Catholic Churches, and are pleased to let you know that from the 5th July Mass times at St. Simon Stock will be as follows: Sunday 10.00am and 6.30pm. There will be no Adoration. Wednesday…
• Re-opening of the church for private prayer Tue, Jun 16, 2020 - RE-OPENING OF THE CHURCH FOR PRIVATE PRAYER We are sure that you all know from the news that churches may open from Monday 15th June for private prayer. To be able to open, a risk assessment must be completed and submitted to the Archdiocese of Southwark for approval. Only once approval has been given, and…
• Concerning the Reopening of Catholic Churches for Individual Prayer Sat, Jun 13, 2020 - The Most Reverend John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark has sent us his pastoral letter concerning the reopening of Catholic Churches for individual prayer. As you all know, churches were closed by the Government to control the spread of the Coronavirus infection and save lives. Now that restirctions are easing somewhat, permission has now been given…
• Bishops proclaim hope in the Risen Lord as they recognise pain of Catholics who cannot pray in Church or receive Sacraments Mon, May 25, 2020 - Writing on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, the five Metropolitan Archbishops have addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and, specifically, the measures taken and restrictions imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus. Read full article
• Anniversaries of Maria Dolores Batch and Teresa Boyle Mon, May 11, 2020 - Pray this week Maria Dolores Batch and Teresa Boyle whose anniversaries are this week. May they rejoice in the glory of God’s presence.

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Priest in Charge – Fr Hans Puthiakulangara

Telephone: 01233 622 399

Email: ashfordsouth@rcaos.org.uk

 

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Reviews

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