Faith is always important, but never more so than when we are faced with difficulties, so we are pleased that both public worship can continue under the latest national lockdown, and that our churches can remain open for private prayer, too. It is our life of prayer and worship that will sustain us and carry us ‘on eagles’ wings.’ We pray earnestly for all those who are anxious at this time.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch over these weeks for pastoral, spiritual or material support. And know that you are being prayed for at the altar every day.
We are determined more than ever to celebrate the best news we have ever been given – the news which made the angels sing, the shepherds venture to Bethlehem, and the magi cross distant lands – the news of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We have tried to keep our Christmas service schedule and services as ‘normal’ as possible, though we have had to make a few changes to keep everyone safe. Sadly there will be no congregational singing at our services this year, however we do hope to include appropriate seasonal music.
To book for the Carol Service and for our Services on Christmas Eve please email : bookings@parishofhemsworth.org.uk or phone: 075330 63733 (Please send details of which service you would like to attend and the name of each person in your group)
Our church is following the law and government guidelines in order to ensure everyone’s safety. We ask that when you come to church, you pay attention to the signs around the buildings which encourage individuals to practise social distancing, hand sanitising etc. Face coverings are mandatory in places of worship except for legal exemptions. Bookings are being taken for our Carol Service and for our Services on Christmas Eve, to enable us to maintain social distancing. Unfortunately that means that individuals without a booking will not be able to be admitted once the maximum capacity has been reached. We are sorry if this causes inconvenience, but we hope that by using this system we can keep everyone safe whilst worshipping together.
We are delighted that we can come together to worship God this Christmas, and we very much look forward to welcoming you to your parish church to celebrate the birth of Christ!
#ComfortAndJoy
The complete schedule of Masses and church opening times throughout Christmas can be found here:
Fr Robert warmly encourages as many as possible to unite at 6pm each day to say the Angelus and offer intercessions for the vulnerable and those charged with their care during this second national lockdown.You could try to listen out for the bell being rung.
Paper copies of the resource will be available in church.
You can download the resources for this initiative here.
Throughout the second lockdown church will remain open
9-11am Sundays, Wednesdays & Saturdays (and also 4-5pm Sundays)
For: – Individual Prayer – For the council and the ministry of a priest (including the sacraments)* – Funeral Services – To receive donations for the foodbank – To receive collections
Unfortunately legislation currently forbid certain types of worship from taking place in public however the Mass and the Offices will still be celebrated privately.
*More information available in due course
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Hemsworth Young People make a world first in eRinging
Sadly this year due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage had to be held at home and done virtually. As part of the programme Hemsworth young people achieved a world first: Live eRinging to call the faithful to Mass.
Throughout the lockdown Hemsworth ringers have been meeting virtually on RiningRoom to practice their art of church bell ringing from the safety of their own PC at home. However young pilgrims, who also happened to all be bell ringers wanted to try something new – coming together to ring online, but artificially amplified, so that their skills can still call the faithful to Mass – even at time when we sadly can’t safely ring the bells in our tower.
Amelia Johnson, one young pilgrim eRingers reflected:
I loved doing eRinging because it is nice to be with people to do bell ringing. It is nice to just do a type of ringing outside the church.
Fr Robert W Hart SSC, Rector of Hemsworth said:
Of course we prefer heavy metal, but we wanted to find a safe way to bring together our young people as we share our faith during the virtual Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage. One of the bells in our tower is from the 15th Century and has the inscription, “Maria Mater Dei: Miserere Mei” (Mary Mother of God Have mercy on me). Doing eRinging during a virtual pilgrimage in honour of Mary, Queen of All Creation seemed like a natural development of this. It was also a safe way of bringing together our young people who have been so badly affected by the social distancing required because of the Pandemic.
More photos of the Pilgrimage which also included Mass, bible studies on the theme of creation, camping, music, baking and discussions can be found here
