The vulnerable should carefully consider the wisdom of returning to Mass too soon. They are not obliged to do so. Those who are able are encouraged to gather on a weekday rather than a Saturday evening or Sunday, to release the pressure on weekend Masses.

OPENING TIMES: The church will be open 30 minutes before the scheduled mass time. The church will close at the end of mass with the distribution of Holy Communion

At the end of each mass the stewards/welcomers will wipe down all the surfaces.

FACE COVERINGS

Face coverings are now mandatory in ALL Places of Worship

All those who are attending churches must wear a face covering unless they are exempt from doing so. This is for the good of all who gather in the Church for Mass as it is an enclosed public space where there are people from differing households who they do not normally meet. Priests in the sanctuary providing they are sufficiently distant (2m or more) from the congregation do not need to wear a face covering except when distributing Holy Communion.

HOLY COMMUNION:

will be given silently in the hand only, with the communicant standing, and avoiding any physical contact. When you approach the priest or minister of Holy Communion please have your arms at “full stretch” so that there is a good distance between the priest and the communicant. Your hands, palms upwards, one of top of the other, should be extended as flatly as possible. The communicant should unloop their face covering and consume the Sacred Host and then replace the face covering before leaving the church, remembering to place your offering in the collection basket and sanitise your hands. Thank you for your co-operation

Anointing of the sick

If you know you are going into hospital, please ensure that you are anointed before you go in, as visits to hospitals have been severely restricted.

ANY and ALL requests for visits within the hospital at this time must go through the Chaplaincy office at the hospital (and not directly to your parish priest)

In an emergency

It is important that on admission to hospital, a patient (or his/her carers) inform the admission staff that they are Catholic. The hospital will not ask for this information, it is up to the patient to make it known and to make sure that a note is made. As of September 2018, Gloucester NHS no longer employ a catholic chaplain. In an emergency, please ask the nursing staff to contact the Chaplaincy Office at the hospital

or

Please ring 03004 222 222 and ask for the on-call Catholic Chaplain.

If you need a priest, other than for the hospital, and you can’t contact the parish priest at Sacred Hearts please contact the Cheltenham Dean at St Gregory the Great, 10 St James Square, Cheltenham, GL50 3PR, on 01242 523737