News of worship on Sunday January 24th and our Lenten Programme so far.

We hope to offer our Zoom Coffee time at 11:00AM. Sign in details will be emailed to all ask request them form Fr Paul via this site.

We are also making plans for Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent assuming that the current restrictions are still in place.

Ash Wednesday 2021. The Imposition of Ashes in a time of Pandemic for the Parishes of Holy Trinity in Ramsgate and St Andrew in Deal.

It is proposed to offer a “live streamed” Ash Wednesday Mass on Facebook at 6:00PM for the two parishes which will also be available later on YouTube. This will be filmed at Holy Trinity.

However, Fr Paul will first bless the ashes in Holy Trinity Church at 10:30AM and will then be at the Church door of Holy Trinity from 10:45AM until 11:15AM for outdoor Imposition of Ashes.

Fr Paul will then travel to Deal to be at the door of St Andrew’s from 1:00PM – 1:30PM.

The priest will say “the prayer for blessing the ashes” and then sprinkle “the ashes with holy water, without saying anything.”

Then he will address all those present at the Church door and only once say the formula as it appears in the liturgy, applying it to all people in general: ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel’ or ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.'”

The priest will take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday. To this end – The priest then cleanses his hands, puts on a face mask and distributes the ashes to those who come to him at the door of the Church. The main difference being “The priest takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying anything.”

Sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads, rather than marking foreheads with ashes, is the customary practice at the Vatican and in Italy. Given the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has the advantage of not requiring the priest to touch multiple people.

It is my intention to offer a Zoom Lent course on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm open to all and based on a Lent Course entitled “By His Wounds”. People could order this in advance, but it would not be required as I would publish questions etc. The course would run for 5 weeks.

Life is full of opportunities and Lent is a season of great opportunity. This Lenten study course offers just that: an opportunity to reappraise the meaning of the sacrifice of Calvary. Over the five weeks of Lent, Tony Castle examines the symbols of the cross and crucifix, the concepts of love, of time and of justice, through narrative, scripture, prayer and discussion.

The sessions are:

• Sign of love

• Wounds of love

• Love is the way

• Now is the kingdom

• The healing wounds of love

By His Wounds: Lenten Study Guide

Lenten Study Guide

by Tony Castle