LATEST UPDATE (18th June, 2021)
As announced on the website last weekend and in the Diocesan eNews this week, Fr Andrew will be retiring in September. Fr Andrew is grateful for all the support he has received during his happy tenure here at Our Lady Immaculate and, in particular, for the patience, understanding and cooperation during the difficult period of the pandemic. The name of a successor parish priest will be announced in due course.
It is good to see more people are feeling confident enough to return to mass. However, with the continuing restrictions it is not easy to accommodate everyone who might like to come as often as they might like to come. Sunday masses are now FULLY BOOKED through to the end of July and it will not be possible to take any further reservations. Weekday mass (Tuesday – Friday at 10.00 a.m.), however, does not require booking and there is good capacity. Our neighbouring, much larger churches may have much greater flexibility.
A word of explanation about the restrictions that apply to us and why things are not as easy as some might suppose:
At Our Lady Immaculate we have only one entrance/ exit, there is no possibility of uni-directional movement within the church and ventilation, particularly, in hot weather, is far from ideal. Moreover, the requirements for social distancing significantly restrict numbers. The capacity depends very much on the configuration of those attending. If there were only single people attending, the maximum is 20, that number can increase if there are couples, and with family groups / bubbles the number can increase further but even then the maximum capacity we are working on is about 40. (Pre-pandemic capacity was 120 – 150.) Working out how best to manage equitably and fairly the allocation of places on Sunday is not an easy task and we owe a big debt of gratitude to Denise Atkins, our volunteer ‘Bookings Clerk’, who has done such sterling work. She will now be taking a well-earned short break. Towards the end of July it should be much clearer how things may go forward, though it is to be expected that some restrictions will still apply at Our Lady Immaculate.
Please be advised that the Sunday obligation remains suspended and so, for some, it might be beneficial to attend during the week.
On Sundays the church will remain open after the 9.30 mass until 10.30 for those who may wish to make short individual visits but will then be closed for cleaning before the 11.00 a.m. mass. During the week, the church will remain open after the 10.00 a.m. mass until 11.00 a.m.
As long as social distancing measures remain in place and, given the particular constraints of our building and other factors, the numbers we are able to accommodate will continue to be severely restricted.
Parishioners attending mass (n.b. confirmed reservations required for Sunday masses) should queue outside the Church in a socially distanced manner. The door will be unlocked promptly ten minutes before mass and will be closed five minutes before mass starts after which there will be no entry, so please be punctual. Hands must be sanitised on entry and face masks must be worn at all times, except when receiving communion or for children under the age of eleven. Names & addresses will be kept for 21 days and if necessary, may be passed to NHS Test & Trace. The QR code is posted on the main notice board for those who have the NHS contact tracing App. Please note: There will be no access to the Hall, the lift or to the toilets.
A directory of online masses has been provided by the Bishops’ Conference and can be found at: www.cbcew.org.uk
The link below is a useful directory for finding a mass online:
Live Catholic Mass Online
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A ‘Thank you’ to those who are using the ‘Donate’ button on the website. The ‘Donate’ button has the facility of adding a reference (in the ‘Leave a message’ box) and also the option to Gift Aid any donation. Any donation with no specific reference will be treated as ordinary offertory. The donate button can therefore be used for a mass intention (mark the reference ‘re: xxx but also email or phone the office to request an intention). The parish’s bank details are set out below for those who may wish to take out a standing order.
- Bank: Lloyds
- Account Name: PRCDTR Bournemouth Our Lady Immaculate
- Sort Code: 30-93-04
- Account Number: 00875075
The Parish Office is physically closed but will remain operational.
Tel: 01202 760640
Email: oliadmin@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
Fr Andrew may be contacted directly by email at:
andrewmoore@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
We remember in our prayers all Health workers, those who have been directly affected, remembering especially those who have died.
