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- SUNDAY MASS
This gathering is the ‘source and summit’ of our Life in Christ as a Catholic
Community. Without our celebration of the Eucharist together any other activity or interest will only be peripheral to the
work of the parish. Due to the limited size of the church building we have three Sunday Masses and for the foreseeable future
the pattern will remain as it is. However, the bishop has asked us to work towards having just two, or possibly even only
one Mass on Sunday so that the priest could be free to cover other parishes if a priest is away or sick and thus the feasibility
of building a new church is being studied. The characteristics (and times) of the Masses are as follows:
- 9.30 am
This is a mass normally celebrated
with music, and the parts of the Mass and hymns are sung with organ accompaniment and a small group of singers who gather
near to the organ. There is every opportunity to participate in this Mass by volunteering for the ministry of welcome or of
reader or as a lay minister of Holy Communion. Although there is currently a set rota that runs on a four-week basis, more
volunteers are always welcome, particularly if you have fulfilled any of these ministries in a previous parish. In this Diocese
of East Anglia all lay ministers of Holy Communion (n.b. Bishop Michael discourages the term ‘Eucharistic Ministers’)
are commissioned initially by the bishop himself at a special training day. These are run on a quarterly basis and build upon
theoretical and practical training already given in the parish. At this Mass there is also the opportunity for children to
have their own Liturgy of the Word on the first Sunday of every month.
- 10.30 am
This Mass is celebrated at the Carmelite
Convent at Quidenham, normally by the resident chaplain Fr. Richard Zang CSC. The community at Quidenham dates from the 1940’s
and is now some twenty strong, contemplative nuns of all ages with a healthy novitiate. There is also a regular community
of local Catholics who attend this Mass and participate in the ministries and enjoy the musical traditions of the Sisters.
Their life of prayer is deeply entwined with the singing of the Liturgy of the Hours and of the Eucharist, and we are fortunate
to be able to participate in this community of prayerful devotion.
- 11.30 am
This is a Mass without music (except
at Christmas and Easter when the parish priest can’t restrain himself from bursting into song…) and again there
are opportunities to serve in all the ministries.
- 6.00 pm
This also is a Mass without music and
has a lower than average attendance (25-40), however it serves an important need for those who work at weekends and volunteers
for all ministries are always welcome.
- WEEKDAY MASSES
There is a policy of celebrating Mass
every day in the parish when this is possible, but when it is not possible we do not, at the moment, have Services of the
Word and Holy Communion (again Bishop Michael discourages the term ‘Eucharistic Services’). There is always a
quiet Mass at 8.00 am at Quidenham each weekday if you are an early riser! Fr. Simon nearly always gives a brief homily at
all weekday Masses and there is a daily schedule of regular volunteers for the two main ministries, i.e. reader and lay minister
of Holy Communion, but this is not set in stone. The normal schedule is as follows:
- Monday
10.00 am Morning Prayer before at 9.40
- Tuesday
8.00 am*
- Wednesday
10.00 am Morning Prayer before at 9.40
- Thursday
7.00pm. Exposition until 8.00pm.
- Friday
10.00 am
- Saturday 10.00 am The
Rosary is said at 9.40
3:00pm CONFESSIONS until 4:00pm
* These Masses are at different times due to the fact that Fr. Simon, in addition to
his duties as parish priest, goes on these two days to Poringland near Norwich to work on the Matrimonial Tribunal in the
Diocesan Offices and has to keep ‘Office Hours’. (These duties also mean that he is occasionally absent at conventions
or conferences that are not ‘holidays’ even though they may be pleasant!)
- HOW TO HAVE A MASS SAID
If you would like to have a Mass offered for a particular intention, e.g. for someone’s anniversary
or for a birthday or if someone is seriously ill, then please speak to Fr. Simon. It is enormously helpful if you fill in
a ‘green form’ with all the relevant details rather than hoping that the priest will remember. Please drop the
form into the Presbytery (or post it….). There are Mass cards on the table at the back of the church if you would like
to send one.
Ministries at Mass
Everyone has something to offer, but we are all of us naturally reticent and we
say with St. Peter “Away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man…” but all of this notwithstanding we do need
volunteers to help in a variety of ways. If you would like to help in any way, then please speak to Fr. Simon or leave a message
on the parish answer-phone.
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