My dear parishioners, it’s been a great joy to welcome you back in such great numbers already for the celebration of Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Confession. Wonderful to see so many of you again!

Below you will find the timetable for Easter Week up to and including Divine Mercy Sunday. Please note that there is a slight difference to the times when one can book a place by phone, Holy Thursday evening being excluded of course, and an extra half hour of time given for booking opportunities on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings (i.e. 7.00-8.30p.m.). So far the booking system is working smoothly, although a few people have struggled to get through at times, so please have your ‘wishlist’ ready for the times you’d like to book as this will expedite the bookings and allow more people to get through. I will do as I have done this week and publicise (after the bookings have closed on Friday evening) any places that are still available, then you can call me, over the following days on the landline to take one of those places if they are suitable for you. My desire is that as many people as possible, and hopefully all of you, will manage to have access to Holy Mass at some point throughout the week even if everyone cannot be accommodated at the weekend.

Bookings:

Bookings will, for this period, only be taken by phone and must be made exclusively via the landline (01577 863329). Please do not leave a recorded message but only make your booking through direct conversation with me. Bookings will not be accepted by any other means, but you may feel free to book on behalf of others (with their consent) if they are unable to do so themselves. There will be set hours for making bookings and these will be Tuesday 30th & Wednesday 31st, and Friday 2nd from 7.00p.m.-8.30p.m. this week, given that on Holy Thursday I will have Mass during these hours. Please do not phone later than 8.30p.m. for bookings. Please also be aware that others may be trying to contact me at this time, so if you wish to speak to me about other pastoral/personal issues it would be fairer to others trying to book Mass to contact me at a time other than the one allocated for Mass bookings to speak about these things – thank you for your understanding.

The reason for my strictness with this is that I made several double-bookings or omitted bookings the last time these procedures were in place and I do not wish this to happen again for all of our sakes. I would also require that booking be essential, not optional, if you wish to attend Holy Mass, as I do not want to have to ask pass-keepers to turn people away because there is insufficient space to maintain the required social-distancing. All of these measures are necessary for everyone’s well-being and sense of ease whilst in church, not to speak of the smooth running of the booking process.

Numbers & Hygiene:

Numbers will be limited given the smallness of our churches, so that we will be talking only of a few more than 20 places, possibly, at each Mass or liturgical celebration. Hygiene protocols, which must be strictly adhered to, will return as they were previously. Parishioners without an official exemption will be expected to wear face masks… and I imagine that none of this will surprise you.

Timetable (05/04/21 to 11/04/21):

I will not be taking bookings until the evening of Tuesday 30th March (7.00p.m. – 8.30p.m. only) but you might already like to be thinking about when you hope to attend. Please neither be hesitant to book out of concern for preventing others coming , but also be sensitive to the fact that if one books several slots one may be making it difficult for others to attend even once – hopefully we can strike a happy balance.

I am proposing the following timetable from Monday 5th April until Sunday 11th April inclusive:

Monday 5th April – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 7.00p.m.

Confessions in the church hall after the 7.00p.m. Mass

Tuesday 6th April – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 7.00p.m.

Confessions in the church hall after the 7.00p.m. Mass

Wednesday 7th April – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 10.00a.m.

Confessions in the church hall after the 10.00a.m. Mass

Thursday 8th April – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 10.00a.m.

Confessions in the church hall after the 10.00a.m. Mass

Friday 9th April – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 10.00a.m.

Confessions in the church hall after the 10.00a.m. Mass

Saturday 10th April (ANTICIPATED MASS OF DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) – Holy Mass in St. Matthew’s, Auchtermuchty, at 3.00p.m.

Confessions in the sacristy after the 3.00p.m. Mass

Saturday 10th April (ANTICIPATED MASS OF DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 5.00p.m.

Confessions in the church hall after the 5.00p.m. Mass

Sunday 11th April (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 9.00a.m.

Sunday 11th April (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 11.00a.m.

Sunday 11th April (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) – Holy Mass in St. James’, Kinross, at 1.00p.m.

Sunday 11th April – Divine Mercy Devotions with recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and an opportunity for Confession – in St. James’, Kinross, from 3.00-4.00p.m. Holy Communion will be distributed at the end of the devotions for those who have been unable to book a place for Holy Mass this weekend. I will be available to hear Confessions for as long as necessary, even after the 4.00p.m. conclusion of the devotions.

I look forward to the time when we no longer have to make bookings but can come along freely to Holy Mass as we once did. That time may be a distance off at the moment, so for the meantime I am very grateful for your co-operation and understanding. In so many ways we have learnt to accommodate ourselves to the necessary changes brought about by the current situation, whether it be a matter of how we do our shopping, how we interact with our families, etc. Our Church life has been affected in the same way, but this does not mean that we cannot, even with restrictions, have a fruitful and joyful faith-life. Oftentimes periods of struggle and difficulty have engendered great growth and flourishing in the faith lives of individuals and the Church as a whole. Let us pray that the Good Lord will bring spiritual growth and blessings through the struggles we have had to face together.

With every prayer and good wish,

Fr. Martin Pletts