Sunday March 22nd 2020

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Regular Mass Times:
Sunday- Parish Mass 10am. Monday- 6.00pm. Wednesday- 12.30pm. Thursday- 10am. Friday- 6.00pm. Saturday 10am.
And at St Peter's Church, Southfield Road, W4 1BB: Sunday- Parish Mass 10am. Tuesday- 10am. Friday- 10am.

Following Fr Kevin's letter earlier this week (which you can read here), thank you to everyone for your support at this difficult time. Please keep in touch with us via the ‘Coping with COVID-19’ page on our website and social media.
            Public worship and events have been suspended; our Noon Mass is being live-streamed each day; the church is open for private prayer; we have started a podcast; we are helping charities and those in need, and providing activities for children at home.

1. On Sunday March 22nd, perhaps for the first time in the 140-year history of St Michael & All Angels, there will be no public worship on a Sunday morning because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
            The Mothering Sunday Mass will be live-streamed from St Michael & All Angels, as our Noon services have been for the past few days. Please click here at 10am to join us from home for this live worship. For those of you who can’t join us live, the recorded service will be available soon afterwards on the St Michael's and St Peter's Facebook pages and on our ‘Coping with COVID-19’ webpage.
We have also produced an eight-minute Mothering Sunday podcast, with music, reading and homily, which you can listen to here: Mothering Sunday, by Music at St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park. It is led by the vicar, Fr Kevin Morris. Reading: Isaiah 66 vv10-14, reader: Helen Dods. Music: Laetare Jerusalem (Gregorian Chant), Jonathan Dods; A grateful heart (Plumstead), Beatrice Bradley of St Michael’s Choristers; Prelude on Rhosymedre 'Lovely' (Vaughan Williams), Jonathan Dods.
The Children’s Church has prepared Mothering Sunday worship material for children to read, discuss and create at home. See ‘Jesus heals a blind man and Mothering Sunday card’ on our Children’s Church pages.

2. The Archbishops have designated this Sunday a National Day of Prayer. At 8.10am on BBC Radio 4 and 8am on 39 BBC Local Radio stations (BBC London, in our case), the Archbishop of Canterbury will lead a Virtual Sunday service.
            The Archbishops invite everyone to join in prayer at home for the country, for the world and all who are sick or anxious at this time, by placing a lit candle in a window at 7pm. Read more on the Church of England website.

3. With no Sunday collection in church, please contribute to the work of St Michael’s via our website. You can donate here, and we encourage you to add Gift Aid if you are able.
            During Lent, we are inviting people to join our Planned Giving scheme; this is our preferred way of giving because it allows us to budget effectively and reduces administrative costs. You can read more about Planned Giving and how to arrange it here.

4. With no Green Jar in church, you may also donate online to our Lent Charities Appeal, in aid of St Michael’s three charities for 2020, The Upper Room, WaterHarvest and West London Welcome. Please click on the links to see what they are saying about the current crisis.
            The Lent Appeal has so far raised £987.75 (incl. Gift Aid), through donations and support for the Lent lunches. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Our charities need our continued support throughout the current crisis – two are on the front line in helping the most vulnerable, and WaterHarvest’s income is likely to be badly hit by the current situation.

5. We are already helping charities and local people at this difficult time. As Father Kevin wrote in his letter earlier this week “not just the clergy, but all the congregation, should be engaged in actively phoning - or contacting in other ways - vulnerable members of the congregation and others, to keep in touch and to offer practical help if need be.”
         If you have self-isolated and/or you need any pastoral or other support, please get in touch with us via the Parish Office: 020 8994 1380 or parishoffice@smaaa.org.uk.
            Fr Thomas is co-ordinating volunteers to help vulnerable people with food deliveries, picking up prescriptions and so on. More volunteers would be welcome – please contact the parish office.

6. We are stepping up our support for Ealing Foodbank. David Kiely, who co-ordinates our collections, will accept your donations from 10am till 1pm this Wednesday March 25th in St Michael & All Angels Church (in the porch from 12 noon to 12.30, while our Noon Mass takes place). See the March shopping list on the Ealing Foodbank website.

7. In the absence of our usual Lent worship, you can still buy and read our Lent book - The Lent Factor by the former Bishop of Norwich, Graham James (who was trained by Father Kevin). You can pick up a copy at the back of the church - please sign your name and leave a £10 note in the ‘Magazines and donations’ box in the back wall of the church. Read more about the book on our Lent at St Michael’s page.

8. Our Noon Mass will be live-streamed each day - please click here. And keep in touch with developments and how you can help at St Michael's via our social media and ‘Coping with COVID-19’ page.

For news about what’s happening in Chiswick see The Chiswick Calendar and ChiswickW4.com and Chiswickbuzz.net .