Coronavirus

Posted on 18th March 2020 by resurgam

Logo of the Church of England Diocese of Newcastle

CORONAVIRUS

In line with instructions from the Archbishops of Canterbury & York we regret to inform you that all public worship must cease for the time being.

The Church continues to be alive and active, but our buildings must close. We are seeing a huge increase in the number of people falling sick with COVID-19. We must distance ourselves from one another and prevent the spread of infection in order to save lives.

Therefore, as well as public worship being suspended, St. Michael’s Church, and all church buildings in the Church of England are now closed.

The Archbishops have written:

‘Being a part of the Church of England is going to look very different in the days ahead.
Our life is going to be less characterised by attendance at church
on Sunday, and more characterised by the prayer and service we offer each day. We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people.
And we can certainly offer practical care and support.’

Even though it is now not possible to meet together for public worship, the prayer life of the church can and must continue.

Church Online

The Church of England has made available virtual and livestreamed services, daily prayer, and other resources at the Church of England website, and you are encouraged to use the ‘Simple Order of Prayer and Praise’ which can be downloaded below at home.  It can be used at any time but is perhaps especially appropriate for use at the time you would normally be attending a service.

Download the Simple Order of Prayer and Praise in pdf or Word .docx format.

If you would like to contact our Vicar, the Rev’d Canon Paul Scott, he can be reached via his email, paulscott1957@btinternet.com, or by telephone on  01665 603078.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . . Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

To protect the vulnerable amongst us, please do not leave your home except for essential trips.

Daily Readings from St Beuno’s Outreach

St Beuno’s Outreach is based in St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in the hills of North Wales, in the Diocese of Wrexham, and the St Beuno’s Outreach team, led by Father Damian Jackson SJ, has been producing a weekly prayer leaflet called PREGO, which offers reflections on the Sunday readings, for group and individual use. We hope these links, which are updated automatically each week, will provide you with ‘food for thought’ during this time. Please note that these links will take you to the St Beuno’s website.

Prayers

A prayer about the Coronavirus outbreak

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

A prayer for community cohesion

Lord Jesus Christ,
you taught us to love our neighbour,
and to care for those in need
as if we were caring for you.
In this time of anxiety, give us strength
to comfort the fearful, to care for the sick,
and to assure the isolated
of our love and your love,
for your name’s sake.
Amen.

Downloads:

Coronavirus Notice in pdf and Word .docx format
Coronavirus Prayers in pdf and Word .docx format

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