Public Masses Resume on Wednesday the 15th of July
After months of waiting, we are finally permitted to resume Public Masses again – but obviously with restrictions and no more than 50 people in any one congregation. We are very happy to welcome you back again, but please keep the following in mind:
1. Everyone except the priest must wear a face covering during Mass.
2. 2m physical distancing must be observed at all times.
3. There will be no congregational singing.
4. Sunday Masses will be shorter than usual, to minimize the time an extended group spend together.
5. Everyone attending Mass must leave their contact details, which will be shared with the Scottish Government’s contact tracers upon request.
6. For Sunday Masses, it will be mandatory to reserve a place online (please see below). Those who do not have internet access, please phone the Parish Office at 0131 556 1798.
New Online System to Reserve Places for Sunday Mass
Due to the Government’s restrictions no more than 50 people may attend any one Mass and we need to keep a record of contact details of all who attend Mass. We have therefore introduced an online booking system to facilitate this. From Monday at 8am – Saturday at 5pm you can reserve a seat for Sunday Mass in both the Cathedral and Ravelston. Simply choose the Mass you would like to attend and reserve seats for the members of your household who wish to attend Mass. After you have filled in your details, you will receive a confirmation by email. If you have any problems, or do not have access to the internet, please phone the Parish Office at 0131 556 1798 and we will be happy to help you. Please note that registration is mandatory for Sunday Mass. No registration is required for weekday Masses.
Extended Opening Times for the Cathedral
From Wednesday the 15th of July, the Cathedral will be open for personal prayer all day. As previously, we will open in time for the 8am Mass, and then close after the Polish Mass in the evening.
Daily Confessions in the Cathedral
Confessions in English are Monday-Friday at after the 12.45 pm Mass and on Saturdays from 10.30-12noon. There are also confessions in Polish from 5pm-6pm every weekday. To provide better ventilation, the Sacristy has been set up as a confessional with a screen to ensure anonymity
Cathedral Fabric Update
As you will see, this week was busy at the Cathedral! The floor in the Café was replaced following the flooding earlier in the year, and the joiners at the same time repaired the main doors between the Café and the porch, which have not been able to be opened for a while. In addition, they also replaced the floor between the Café and the toilets. The scaffolding has been moved from the front of Cathedral House to the back so that the windows can be renovated at the back of the house. Some roof leaks in 65 York Place were repaired and the renovation of the stained glass window in Sacristy 2 is also underway and is looking very good! Thank you so much to all who have contributed financially to enable these repairs!
Daily Evening Masses in Ravelston
From Wednesday the 15th of July, we will introduce evening Masses in Ravelston Monday-Friday at 6pm.
Changes to the Opening Times of the St Andrew’s, Ravelston
As a consequence of the new evening Masses, we will also stop having the church open during the day in order to free up the volunteers. Thank you so much to all of you who have so generously volunteered during these past weeks!
Young Adults Group’s Midnight Mass
The Young Adults’ Group will have a Mass of Thanksgiving for the resumption of Public Masses in Scotland at midnight between the 14th/15th July. We are also trying out our new ticket reservation for this Mass, so if you would like to attend, please register www.tickettailor.com/events/stmaryscathedraledinburgh/393997/.
“Rediscovering Catholicism” – A Short Course in Theology on Zoom - Wednesdays at 7pm
Our very successful theology course over Zoom continues. If you would like to join in next Wednesday contact Fr. Jamie as soon as possible on frjamie@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
Cathedral Podcasts
You can now listen to sermons, talks and messages from the Cathedral as you jog, drive or do the dishes with our new podcast. You can download mp3 files here. You can also subscribe to receive updates automatically on Apple podcasts. Do you get your podcasts from another source? Let us know and we'll try to make ours available there too.
Sea Sunday, 12th July
In a normal year this would have been Sea Sunday when the parish has given generously to the Apostleship of the Sea. It is important that parishioners should know what their generosity achieves. Around Britain seafarers are confined to their ships, unable to travel home at the end of their contracts and even worse some have been abandoned. The Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) is delivering welfare parcels of food and toiletries to ships and importantly providing phone top ups so that seafarers can contact their families. In Scotland there is particular concern for the Philippino crews of fishing boats. Please pray for the seafarers and for AoS chaplains. For more information, and to donate please see the Apostleship of the Sea website: www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk.
Lockdown Research Project
A research team at Edinburgh University is investigating the impact the COVID-19 lockdown has had on people in the city and across the Lothians. Participants are asked to express their views in the form of audio/video diaries, using their smartphone, and also to complete a short survey. Each participant is given £15 which they can request to be paid to a charity (you may wish to donate it to the upkeep of our Cathedral!). To find out more about the project, visit: www.lothianlockdown.org.
4 O’clock Prayer for Vocations
Priests for Scotland is promoting a new initiative to pray for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, called the 4 O’clock Prayer, with inspiration from the hour when Jesus called St Andrew in the Gospel:
“Lord Jesus, at this hour, you called Andrew, our patron, and his companion to be your disciples. We pray that the men and women of our country may hear your call to discipleship at this same hour. May they respond to your call with generosity, confidence and enthusiasm. Inspired by the example of Mary Immaculate may they say ‘yes’ to service in the priesthood, the consecrated life and the diaconate.”