Parish of the Holy Child & St Joseph

Midland Road, Bedford

Pastoral Letter from ✠ David J Oakley

Below is Bishop David’s first Pastoral Letter :

24th March 2020

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These words of the Apostle Paul root us firmly where we belong, in the grace and peace of God. Things are not turning out as we may have imagined, even a few weeks ago now, and this is not the letter I had hoped to send you as my first communication with you! It is unfortunate that the episcopal ordination took place as it were, behind closed doors. That very image speaks to us of the Easter Gospels, and the disciples gathered together in fear and anxiety within a locked room. But the coronavirus is certainly affecting every aspect of our society. We have heard so much about what it can do, how it attacks the respiratory system and can cause damage, even fatalities. Those who have political responsibility are obliged to offer sound advice to us in this state of crisis, and we must be prudent in our response to this advice. However, we should not allow this virus to rob us of the breath of the Spirit. The Holy Father encourages us to deal with this viral threat in these encouraging words, ‘with the strength of faith, the certitude of hope and the fervour of charity’ (Pope Francis, March 8, 2020).

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No Sunday & Weekday Masses

As the Coronavirus remains a threat, further precautions are being put in place. By order of the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales, there will be no public Mass until further notice.

Please read the letter from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, explaining the reason behind the decision to temporarily suspend public Masses, and the advice on their website.

Since the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23rd March, we will no longer be able to keep the church open for private prayer. You may, however, wish to join in prayer for God’s Protection against Covid-19 virus.

There will be live streaming of Mass, direct from the Northampton cathedral on the Northampton Diocese website and also on Walsingham Catholic TV.

There will be no newsletters for the foreseeable future, so please refer to our website for updates.