I wanted to write to you and let you know that from 6 pm on Saturday, October 31st (the Vigil of All Saints) the Masses from our Parish Church will be live streamed through YOUTUBE. This has become possible thanks to the expertise and hard work of Patrick Hunt, assisted by Andrew his brother. Patrick carried through the whole project himself and on behalf of the whole Parish, I thank and congratulate him.

This initiative will help those who are housebound for whatever reason to feel part of our worshipping community; and those who live far away and may have lost touch with us will be enabled to feel included. Our hope is that this will be of pastoral service to very many.

However, we must try to ensure that, where possible, our actual presence at Mass will remain a non-negotiable part of our lives. No matter what else may have changed in the life of the Church, no matter what restrictions are placed on us during these present difficult days, the Mass remains at the centre of our Faith. Nothing can ever replace it.  

At present, we have three Masses which fulfil the Sunday precept; SATURDAY 6 pm, SUNDAY at 11 am and 6 pm in Kidderminster, and 9 am in Tenbury on Sundays. We ask people to attach themselves in a regular way to one of these Masses to ensure that we do not exceed the number we can safely accommodate. The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays does not apply at present, and those who, for whatever reason, feel unable to come to a week-end Mass are strongly recommended, and warmly invited, to attend Mass on a weekday (times of Masses are published on the Parish website).

All our Masses are COVID-safe, the Church is thoroughly sanitised after each Mass, Funeral, Baptism; and seating has been arranged to help us to observe appropriate social distancing. Only the very gravest reason should prevent us from attending a weekly Mass, and I am very grateful indeed to all those who work before and after all our ceremonies to clean and prepare the churches in accordance with current guidelines. This is a wonderful service that enables us to offer public Mass each day. Our cleaning teams will certainly welcome additional help and further information is available from Christine Vass (01562 630949).

I offer the following extracts from the Sunday homily of October 25th (the Thirtieth Sunday of the Year):

'We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, that we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.' (Eucharistic Prayer II).
.....most of us would accept that watching a livestream Mass is no real compensation for not attending Mass in person. In a similar way, few of us would choose to watch a televised sporting occasion or a broadcast concert in preference to actually being on the sports ground or in the concert hall, experiencing the atmosphere, the sense of occasion, being part of a group gathered for a single purpose... it is the work of the Holy Spirit to gather us as ONE, in communion with God and with each other . . all of us, united in heart, mind and soul; concentrating on the presence of Christ at the altar, gazing upon and adoring Him when He is elevated above the altar after the Consecration... we are united with Our Lady, St Joseph, the Apostles, the Martyrs, all the Saints... the Mass is where Heaven and earth come together... our opportunity to offer our whole lives, everything about us to the Father in union with Our Lord... our gifts and ourselves are transformed!'

Please let us renew our love for, and our commitment to the Mass; and perhaps try to attend an extra Mass on behalf of those who cannot, or do not, or will not attend themselves. That would be a great charity and would bring many blessings.

May God bless this new feature of Parish life, that we may use it responsibly as one of the ways in which we seek to build up the Kingdom of God in Kidderminster and Tenbury.

Fr. Douglas Lamb. October 2020.

Please follow the link below to the St. Ambrose's 'YouTube' channel to view our live-streamed Masses.