You will find that the text of the Act of Consecration is the post immediately before this one. God bless!
Month: December 2020
Act of Consecration to Our Blessed Lady for the New Year – 2021
O Blessed Mother Mary, on this Solemnity in which we have celebrated your Motherhood of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we come before your image in praise of your faith and trust in Almighty God. The Heavenly Father chose you before time to bear His Son, and to be the worthy Mother of the Redeemer. Today we entrust ourselves to you completely, and we offer you this parish of St. James (or) St. Matthew. We ask you to pray for, and protect, in the name of your Divine Son, every individual, every family, home and place of work within it. Through your prayers and motherly guidance may we live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus with love and enthusiasm, seeking always to praise and magnify God’s Holy Name in all that we do. Inspire within us a deeper faith, an ardent hope and a more selfless love, so that we may serve the Church your Son has founded and work with Him for the salvation of all. O Mother of Divine Love, O Cause of our Joy, O Help of Christians, hear the prayer we offer you, and make of us a fitting gift to your Most Holy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
At Home Medical Abortion Consultation
Please, as Pro-Life Catholics, defenders of the sanctity and dignity of human life, respond to the consultation by the Scottish Government encouraging the government to defend the sanctity of human life and not further relax provision for medical abortion. The lives of the most vulnerable hang in the balance. Please visit the below link for further information. Time for the consultation is rapidly running out.
Mass Provision/Bookings from Monday 28th December to Sunday 3rd January…
Mass Bookings for Monday 28th December to Sunday 3rd January inclusive:
Monday 28th December – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 10.00a.m.
Tuesday 29th December – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 10.00a.m.
Wednesday 30th December – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 10.00a.m.
Thursday 31st December – Holy Mass in St. James’ at Midnight
Friday 1st January – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 10.00a.m.
Saturday 2nd January – Holy Mass in St. Matthew’s at 3.00p.m. (restricted to parishioners from that area)
Sunday 3rd January – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 9.00a.m. (restricted to parishioners from that area)
Sunday 3rd January – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 11.00a.m. (restricted to parishioners from that area)
Sunday 3rd January – Holy Mass in St. James’ at 3.00p.m. (restricted to parishioners from that area)
Significant Changes as of 02/01/21…
Recent adaptations to the government restrictions concerning places of worship have caused me to reflect on our current approach to times and locations of Masses between Auchtermuchty and Kinross. Masses will be strictly limited to an attendance per church of twenty people at any given time from December 26th.
The average Mass going population in St. James’ throughout any weekend prior to the current health crisis was five or six times greater than that of St. Matthew’s. This was reflected in the fact that St. James’ had two Masses: a Vigil Mass and a morning Mass and St. Matthew’s had just the one Sunday morning Mass. Since lockdown, considering that St. Matthew’s has the greater physical capacity, I thought it prudent to encourage people to attend there by offering a Vigil Mass and a 9.00a.m. Mass on Sunday. Overwhelmingly attendance has been consistently better at the 3.00p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass in Auchtermuchty, though Mass attendances have still remained relatively poor.
Current restrictions mean that travel should not be taking place between Kinross and Auchtermuchty, in terms of people coming to Holy Mass (given that there is a church in their own area). Common sense dictates then that whilst St. Matthew’s could more than adequately deal with the current Mass attenders with one Mass only, St. James’ will struggle to offer adequate provision with only two Masses to the far greater numbers of people who seek to worship there.
Bearing all of this in mind I now feel it necessary and pastorally prudent to make the following changes to ensure that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to come to Holy Mass over the weekend. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, and subject to further change should circumstances merit it, Sunday Mass provision for St. James’ and St. Matthew’s will be as follows, and these changes will begin next weekend, the weekend of Saturday 2nd January and Sunday 3rd January 2021.
In St. Matthew’s there will now only be a 3.00p.m. Vigil Mass at the weekend (beginning Saturday 2nd January) and no longer a 9.00a.m. Sunday Mass.
In St. James’ there will now be a 9.00a.m. Sunday Mass (beginning Sunday 3rd January), an 11.00a.m. Sunday Mass, and a 3.00p.m. Sunday Mass.
Effectively this means that from the weekend of 2nd/3rd January 2021 Auchtermuchty will lose the 9.00a.m. Sunday Mass and St. James’ will gain a 9.00a.m. Sunday Mass.
I know that this is unfortunately a little more change for people, but it is necessary change in order to guarantee as much Mass provision for as many people as possible, and with flexibility and co-operation on our part this will hopefully cater better to the needs of all parishioners concerned.
Like you all, I look forward to a time when we can return to a normal pattern of worship and a normal way of living, and put behind us the added pressures of trying to navigate the current health crisis. Let me express, once again, my gratitude to all who have helped me in the two churches to ensure that we can have people back to Mass and do so in a way that safeguards the well-being of those in attendance.
With every prayer and blessing for this holy Christmas season, Fr. Martin Pletts
A reminder for Mass bookings…
All Masses for St. James’ on Sunday 27th December are now fully booked.
I have received only four bookings to date for the 3.00p.m. Mass in St. Matthew’s on Saturday 26th December (remembering that there will ne no 9.00a.m. Mass on the 27th there). Can I kindly ask those intending to come to Mass in St. Matthew’s on Saturday 26th at 3.00p.m. to make their bookings as soon as possible.
For all Masses from the 26th onwards we must remember that the government has now restricted numbers to a maximum attendance of 20 people. To avoid be denied access to Mass please make sure you book well in advance.
Parishioners now should stick to making bookings for Mass in their own church only and not be travelling between Kinross and Auchtermuchty.
Thank you for your kind cooperation in these difficult times,
God bless you, Fr. Martin Pletts
New restrictions – Mass bookings…
Today the priests of the diocese have received a letter from Bishop Robson updating us on the situation regarding places of worship under the current Covid restrictions.
You will be aware that the Scottish Government will introduce new regulations as of December 26th. This means that capacity at any Mass will be strictly limited to 20 people. This highlights further the importance of booking for Holy Mass in advance and timeously. Unfortunately no exceptions will be able to be made to these requirements, and if people turn up for Mass, not having booked, when our churches already are seating 20 people, they will sadly have to be denied access.
I suggest also that to adhere to government advice people should now only request Mass in their own local church, i.e. no travelling between the two main centres of Kinross and Auchtermuchty but sticking to our own church for Mass. This should not be a problem in Auchtermuchty but may mean that it will be more difficult to find a regular place at Mass in Kinross if we try to give everyone an equal opportunity for attendance. This also highlights, for the moment, making the most of the opportunity for weekday Mass in Kinross when we might not be able to come on Sunday.
Cooperation with regulations and parish guidelines is essential to safeguard parishioners and to make sure that things run smoothly so that we can continue to make provision for Holy Mass in these strange times. Everyone is required to abide by the parish guidelines in terms of making bookings for Mass, and observing the practices of distancing, mask-wearing (unless with exemption), hygiene precautions, dispersal from the church property after Holy Mass, etc.
Bookings must be made explicitly for every Mass you wish to attend and you must provide your name and your contact details – this has already been made clear several times, so thank you for keeping to these requirements. No one should return to the church after having left the building, nor should they enter the sanctuary of the church or the sacristy unless specifically authorised to do so by the Parish Priest.
Parishioners should also present themselves at church at least 15 minutes before Mass begins in order to allow the stewards to escort them to their designated seat. Parishioners should observe social-distancing inside the church building and outside whilst on church property. Random inspections are being made by members of the local authorities and failure to comply with the authorities’ regulations could potentially result in the closure of churches.
Thank you & God bless, Fr. Martin Pletts
A very special ‘thank you’ – Loch Leven’s Larder
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, as you know, has been working hard to support those in need throughout these trying times, and has been focussing especially on assisting people in this Christmas Season. As part of their plans they have been looking into providing Christmas food for families, and with this in mind they approached Emma Niven of Loch Leven’s Larder. Loch Leven’s Larder have been incredibly generous in response to this contact and are donating hampers and Christmas meals (including vegetables, meat, Christmas puddings, etc.) for a good number of families in our area. This is a significant and much appreciated donation and for this reason I wanted to express my sincere thanks to them on behalf of the Parish and to convey the thanks of Bob Corrieri, President of the SSVP Conference, and the brothers and sisters in the Conference for this gift that will brighten the Christmas of people in our locality. Best wishes and assurance of prayers for Emma and all at Loch Leven’s Larder.
A full report of the generosity of all our contributors and a fuller message of thanks will be offered by Bob Corrieri on behalf of the SSVP in the near future – as there have been many and very generous donations from you all.
God bless,
Fr. Martin Pletts
Mass bookings & Confessions from 17th December until 27th December inclusive…
Please find the dates and times of Holy Mass and Confessions marked below. As a wee “retreat” and time of preparation for Christmas I will be taking Monday to Wednesday (this week) as a short break, so I apologise in advance that public Mass will begin from Thursday 17th – please note some changes in times, etc. Mass bookings will not be confirmed until some time on Tuesday of this week, so please don’t worry if you don’t hear back from me immediately. God bless, Fr. Martin
Thursday 17th December Holy Mass at 10.00a.m. in St. James’
Thursday 17th December Holy Mass at 7.00p.m. in St. James’
Friday 18th December Holy Mass at 10.00a.m. in St. James’
Saturday 19th December Confessions in St. Matthew’s from 1.40p.m. to 2.40p.m.
Saturday 19th December Holy Mass at 3.00p.m. in St. Matthew’s
Sunday 20th December Holy Mass at 9.00a.m. in St. Matthew’s
Sunday 20th December Holy Mass at 11.00a.m. in St. James’
Sunday 20th December Holy Mass at 3.00p.m. in St. James’
Sunday 20th December Confessions and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 7.00p.m. to 8.00p.m. in St. James’.
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Monday 21st December Holy Mass at 10.00a.m. in St. James’
Monday 21st December Holy Mass at 7.00p.m. in St. James’
Monday 21st December Confessions and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 7.45p.m. to 9.00p.m. in St. James’.
Tuesday 22nd December Holy Mass at 10.00a.m. in St. James’
Wednesday 23rd December Holy Mass at 10.00a.m. in St. James’
Thursday 24th December Christmas Vigil Mass at 4.00p.m. in St. Matthew’s (FULLY BOOKED)*
Thursday 24th December Christmas Vigil Mass at 6.00p.m. in St. James’ (FULLY BOOKED)*
Thursday 24th December Christmas Midnight Mass in St. James’ (FULLY BOOKED)*
Friday 25th December Christmas Day Mass at 8.00a.m. in St. James’ (FULLY BOOKED)*
Friday 25th December Christmas Day Mass at 10.00a.m. in St. James’ (FULLY BOOKED)*
(*please do not attempt to attend these Masses if you have not already booked for them and received confirmation from Fr. Martin, social-distancing regulations will mean that anyone who has not booked in advance will unfortunately not gain admittance to these Masses).
Saturday 26th December Holy Mass at 3.00p.m. in St. Matthew’s
(Please note that there will be no 9.00a.m. Mass in St. Matthew’s on Sunday 27th December)
Sunday 27th December Holy Mass at 11.00a.m. in St. James’
Sunday 27th December Holy Mass at 3.00p.m. in St. James’
Please note that the Sacrament of Confession will also be available before and after Holy Mass during weekdays throughout this period in St. James’ church hall.
Livestreamed Mass for 3rd Sunday of Advent – Gaudete Sunday
11.00a.m. Mass tomorrow from St. James’ will be livestreamed, you can join us virtually, if you are unable to get to Holy Mass, by clicking on the link below. Please subscribe to the channel to be kept up-to-date.
God bless you, Fr. Martin
St. James', Kinross 