NO PUBLIC MASSES FROM FRIDAY 20TH MARCH

18 Mar 2020

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the advice issued by the Government, the Bishops of England and Wales have decided that there are to be no public Masses or other services from Friday, 20th March until further notice.

Many churches will livestream a Mass celebrated in private, but unfortunately we do not have the facility to do this at Downside. We are currently investigating the feasibility of recording the daily Mass and then uploading it to YouTube. We will let you know if we are able to do this (in the first instance we need to locate or buy a suitable video camera). We will continue to record the Sunday Mass, and will be able to put this on SoundCloud and you can find this by clicking here. We will also continue to use social media to provide spiritual support at this time as best we can. You can find links to our social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) on our website.

Confessions and anointing of the sick are still to be offered on request, but we are asked to take suitable precautions (e.g. distance where possible) in order not to endanger anyone’s health. Please note, too, that no one incurs sin by not attending Mass on Sundays or holydays whilst public Masses are suspended, but everyone is encouraged to participate remotely in the prayer of the Church and Mass as far as possible, and to make a spiritual communion.  

Please keep an eye on our website and social media for further updates, and another useful website is www.universalis.com, where you can find the daily Mass readings and the Psalms and readings for the Divine Office. We will also upload some of our daily Divine Office to SoundCloud for you to use in your prayer if you wish.

Be assured that the monks of Downside Abbey are keeping everyone in our prayers.