Collection for Priest's Training Fund & Other News From APF & SVP

At this time of the year it is customary to hold a collection for the Priest’s Training Fund. You can find out about this year’s appeal by picking up a leaflet at the entrance to the hall. The Archbishop has distributed these together with envelopes for you contribution. The envelopes can be used to Gift Aid you donation by simply completing the simple form provided. Thank you for your help.

Barbara Mullin has sent some information about the APF Red Box collections. It reads: In 2020 our parish of St Clare and St Francis raised £1,126.00 through our Red Boxes and donations to Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries. Thank you! Communities around the world are so grateful that people here in Cardiff are supporting them through prayer and generous donations. The missionaries, and the communities they serve, are living in such difficult circumstances, made even harder by COVID-19. They have asked us to pass on their thanks, and tell us that they pray for us all. Find out more at mission.org.uk.

Finally I have received the following message from Deacon Maurice Scanlon concerning the SVP and the renovation of the building of St. Clare’s. As you may be aware we have obtained funding from the SVP (London - £50k) and the Welsh Government (£25k) to refurbish the former St Clare’s Church on Mill Road in Ely as a Vincentian Community Centre to provide help to those in need in our communities. This will form an important link between the SVP groups and all our volunteers in St Mary’s, Holy Family and St Francis’ Parishes. The work is due to start in the next week or so and the projected time scale to completion is around 4 – 5 months. Our food distribution/food bank programme, which forms part of our ‘Reaching Out’ service, will move from Holy Family parish hall to this new community centre when refurbishment is complete and in addition we plan to open a charity shop for good quality clothing, a café/meeting room and facilities for counselling/support. This is an exciting and important development and we will need volunteers to help bring it to fruition. So please, please let me know if you would be willing/able to give a few hours of your time to take this important and exciting charitable project forward, remembering that more hands make light work. (mfscanlon@hotmail.co.uk or 07747038274). Our food distribution work continues really well, so many thanks to all who have made donations so far and to all our volunteers who are enabling us to provide food boxes to 60-70 families on a weekly basis across Ely, Caerau, Canton, Fairwater and Pontcanna. We need ongoing funding of around £500 monthly so please continue to help if you can with money or food donations or both. Perhaps you may be able to make a regular weekly or monthly donation of £5, £10 or £20 - or more or less, by Standing Order? If you are willing and able to contribute with a one-off donation or on a more regular basis please contact me on 07747038274 or email: mfscanlon@hotmail.co.uk or Neil O’Toole on 07860647367 or email: neilgot@me.com Thanks for your ongoing generosity in these troubled but improving times. God bless you all and keep safe and patient for just a little longer (hopefully).

Update: Church Repairs and Collections

I have received a date (21st April) for what is known as a site meeting. It is when the architect, the property manager of the Archdiocese, the contractor and myself get together to plan out how the work is to be organised and carried out. This is good news as it confirms the work on the church is to go ahead, that a contractor has been engaged to do the work and at the meeting a start date should be agreed. More news when things get moving.

There are two collections being taken up at the moment. One is the regular weekly collection and the other is the Easter Offerings for you Parish Priest. There are two baskets at the entrance to the hall. The one for the Easter Offerings is clearly labelled so you can see which is which.

Speaking of collections; those of you who used the numbered envelopes for your collection will be pleased to know that new boxes of these envelopes are now available at the entrance to the hall. You should be able to pick up a box with you name on it. This is particularly important for those of you who have signed a Gift Aid declaration. If you can’t find your envelopes please let us know. If you do not already use these envelopes but think you might like to, please speak to Fr. David so that we can arrange for you to have some. Also if you do not currently Gift Aid your contributions and would like to know more about that scheme, again speak to Fr. David. Once again thank you for your ongoing support especially during these difficult times.

Regular Mass to Restart and Work on the Church to Commence

From Wednesday 25th March Masses will begin again at the Parish Centre. We will use the same times and regime as before, so hopefully you can remember what day you signed up for which will save us going through that process again. Mass will be celebrated each day at 9.30 a.m. unless otherwise stated here. Check the Mass times page for further information and remember that we still have to comply with the limits we have for attendance and social distancing rules will still apply.

Also, more good news! Following various meetings it has been decided to go ahead with the necessary repairs to the church which means we will be able to use it again. I don’t have any firm dates or times but I am hopeful it won’t be too long. More information when I have it.

The estimated cost of the repairs in approximately £140,000.00. Although we have just about enough to cover this cost it will just about leave us wiped out as far as parish funds are concerned. That, together with the drastic reduction in income at the moment it not a good situation to be in. Can I first thank those of you who have kept up you collection contributions in the difficult circumstances of the past year. As I’m sure you realise, even when there has been no Mass, the various bills keep coming in and have to be paid. Can I ask the rest of you to consider making up you collections. You can put your collection envelopes through the letterbox at the presbytery. If you don’t have collection envelopes, a plain envelope will suffice. You can write your name etc. on the front if you want you contributions recorded, especially for Gift Aid purposes. We will need all the funds we can get in the coming weeks and months.

Now for the bad news. During the stormy weather last week the large crucifix up on the bank above the car park blew down. I suppose we should be grateful that no further damage was done like other sections of the roof and ceiling crashing down. The wooden cross itself is rotten and won’t be able to be used again. However the figure being made of some kind of plastic survived the fall and is now being stored in the church for the time being.

I look forward to seeing you again next week. Don’t forget to check the Mass times before turning up.

Happy New Year and Thanks

Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Well let’s be honest, after last year things have to get better? Right?

Many thanks for you kindness. I really appreciate you gifts, cards and Christmas Offerings. You had better duck under your desk as I am blowing kisses at the screen NOW.

Well the holiday (if we can call it that) is almost over. I managed to make my usual pilgrimage to Merthyr on Christmas Day to have Christmas Dinner with some members of my family. It was possible, if I remember correctly, for two households to join together and for someone who lives alone to join them. I was designated ‘billy no mates’. Big deal! I got a day out, lunch and prezzies out of it. It was good fun.

Now that things are slowly returning back to ‘normal’, - forget normal and substitute ‘weirder and weirder’ - next weekend I will have a quick chat with you all about the consultation we have been having about the future of the church and parish. So you still have time to let me know what you think during the coming week. Next Saturday will be the deadline.

Christmas Greeting

With sincere wishes for a blessed and peaceful Christmastide from Deacon John and Fr. David

Please note that the collection currently being taken up is the Christmas Offering Collection for you Parish Priest. Envelopes are available if you require one.

SVP Questionnaire - can you please make sure you have handed in your completed form by the weekend. Thanks.

Mass Attendance - Thankfully Places of Worship are allowed to remain open during the current lockdown. Should this situation change I will inform you as soon as I know here on this News Page. As you cannot all attend on a Sunday, you are allowed to fulfil your Sunday obligation on any day of the week. This will be the case for as long as the rules concerning social distancing remain in force.

As far as the consultation concerning the repairs to the church or other possible plans, I will inform you about those next weekend. Thank you to those of you who have shared your ideas thus far.

If you are interested in cleaning and decorating the hall in preparation for the Christmas celebrations, then you can help out on Wednesday morning after Mass. Thanks in anticipation of your positive response.

Thanks to Craig for the great job he did over the weekend varnishing the altar. And thanks to St. Francis School for loaning the altar to us.

SVP Questionnaire and Parish Consultation

The Saint Vincent de Paul Society is hoping to refurbish St. Clare’s Church as a community support centre and would love your input. Please complete a questionnaire form (available from the Parish Centre) and return it to the Centre when you are next at Mass or else you can return it directly to Maurice, (117, Pencisely Road, Cardiff, CF5 1DL.

Your contributions towards the Parish Consultation should be handed to Fr. David by next weekend, 4th Sunday of Advent, 20th December.

Christmas, Current Collections and Church News

Christmas will soon be with us and I would imagine there there will be more people wanting to attend Mass than has been the case up to now. However, it looks as if the same restrictions are going to apply at Christmas as we have to comply with now. It is possible (as well as my intention) to have four Masses celebrated for Christmas: (Christmas Vigil, Midnight Mass, Dawn Mass and Mass during the Day). This would mean Mass in the Parish Centre at 6.00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass and then two further Masses at 9.00 a.m. & 10.00 a.m. There are four lists (one for each Mass) now available at the Parish Centre for you to sign up to the Mass of your choosing (depending on numbers of course). Please only sign up for one Mass, at least for the time being. If the situation changes nearer Christmas it may be possible to attend more than one, but more about that if and when the time comes. Finally, please note the fields that say ‘3 people’ and ‘2 people’. These are for families, couples who are able to sit next to each other, i.e. live in the same house. By arranging the seats this way it means we can get a few more people in. To book just one place, please just sign a blank box.

There are two collections being taken up at the moment. One is the ongoing collection for the parish, what would usually be the offertory collection at Mass. Thanks to all of you who have continued to support the parish during these difficult times. The second collection at the moment is for ‘Peter’s Pence’. This collection will remain open until next Sunday (6th December).

I have been invited to a meeting at Archbishop’s House on Tuesday 1st December. The meeting will be with the Archbishop, the Diocesan Treasurer and the Property Manager. I am expecting to have some news for you following this meeting. I know we are not supposed to be preaching sermons at the moment, but perhaps some kind of announcement would be appropriate when the time comes, maybe at the end of Mass so that anyone who doesn’t want to stay won’t have to. I know you don’t all attend the same Mass, so I will repeat it for a few days to make sure as many as possible can hear it.

Mass Again This Week

Following the lifting of the current lockdown restrictions Mass will be celebrated each day at 9.30 a.m. in the Parish Centre beginning on Monday.

I hope, but I very much doubt, that these past two weeks of ‘house arrest’ will have been worth the harm and destruction caused in people’s lives as they loose their jobs, their homes and indeed their sanity and suffer from other health problems. Why do I have my doubts? Well as of this weekend the worst place in the UK for Covid 19 cases is Merthyr Tydfil. Rhondda Cynon Taf is fifth on the list. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny. As usual some politicians are trying to pass the blame for this on to the local people even though they were warned beforehand that it was unlikely to work. What are the odds now, I wonder, of another lockdown.

So the Trustees of the Archdiocese are meeting again next week. I am told we will have a clearer picture of what is going to happen with the church and the parish here. I hope so, for following their previous meeting I have been left completely in the dark concerning any plans. No communication at all except for being told there will be another meeting. I will let you know when I have any news.

The Great Barrington Declaration

This is a petition started by three scientists on 4th October calling for governments to adopt a policy of ‘focused protection’ when it comes to Covid-19. They believe those most at risk should be offered protection — although it shouldn’t be mandatory — and those not at risk, which is pretty much everyone under sixty five without an underlying health condition, should be encouraged to return to normal. In this way, the majority will get infected and then recover, gradually building up herd immunity, and that in turn will mean the elderly and the vulnerable no longer have to hide themselves away. According to these experts, this is the tried and tested way of managing the risk posed by a new infectious disease, dating back thousands of years.

You can read the petition statement and sign the declaration by visiting The Great Barrington Declaration at https://gbdeclaration.org.

There is no news on a final decision concerning the work to be done on the church. There is to be a further meeting of the trustees on 11th November. Myself and Deacon John are keeping an eye on things and will update you soon on the situation.

If you haven’t managed to contribute to the World Mission Collection yet, then don’t worry. I will keep this open for another week or so after we get back together.

Collection News - but no news about the Church

Thanks to all of you who contributed to the CAFOD Fast Day Collection. That collection is closed now and the proceeds will be sent to CAFOD. In its place there is now a collection for World Mission (the Association for the Propagation of the Faith) or APF. You will be most familiar I’m sure with their red collection boxes that many of you have. This collection will remain open for the next couple of weeks.

If you were expecting news about the church repairs then I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you. I know there was a meeting of the trustees this week and that our situation was due to be discussed, but I have received no information. I’m guessing someone knows what is going to happen - but apparently that does not include the people in the parish! I will try and get some information for you as soon as possible.

Some of you have expressed concerns about current restrictions on our movements and behaviour as well as possible future tightening of regulations next week - as in the threatened full lockdown. How is this going to impact on our ability to have daily Mass? Honestly I don’t know at the moment. All I can say is that I will continue to provide Mass each day in the Parish Centre at 9.30 a.m. for as long as I can. I do not want to go back to the situation earlier in the year when you were unable to attend Mass. I know how much the Mass means to you and how difficult is was for you to be denied what was most important to you. Lets hope and pray we don’t get back to that situation again.

News Update for 10th October

The work on the church roof and ceiling is on hold at the moment. The site meeting that should have been held about a week ago was cancelled. Apparently there is a Trustees meeting this coming week and our situation is to be discussed. That is all the information I have.

The Sunday morning Mass is now almost fully booked - one empty seat if I remember correctly. Please be aware that should you decide to come along on a Sunday morning you might not be able to get in unless you have already booked a place. Remember, due to our current circumstances you can fulfil your Sunday obligation by attending Mass on any day of the week. I know many of you would prefer to attend on a Sunday - but it doesn’t have to be a Sunday for the time being.

The CAFOD Fast Day Collection is currently being taken up. I will keep it open for you to contribute until next Sunday. Don’t forget to use the CAFOD envelopes available as you enter the hall.

Following the CAFOD Collection the annual World Mission Collection for the APF will be taken up. Again, there are collection envelopes available. Thank you.

New COVID Restrictions for Cardiff

You will all be aware that from this evening (Sunday 6.00 p.m.) Cardiff is back under lockdown restrictions. At the moment I am unaware of any way that this is going to interfere with our daily Mass. However I did receive an email on Friday saying this advice could be updated this coming week. So I may have to make some changes - who knows! Anyway, check back regularly to make sure that Mass will be celebrated so that you don’t arrive to be greeted by a locked door.

Repairs to the Church - Update

Good news amid all the gloom and doom we seem to be getting just about every day. Following various meetings and discussions this week we seem to be making progress. On Wednesday 30th September I will be meeting with a contractor to plan the work to be done to the church roof (outside) and ceiling (inside). The work should begin about two weeks after that, so I’m told. Not much idea yet as to how long this will take. I am told it won’t be a quick job as this will make up the first phase of the original plan for restoring the church and restoration work takes longer than simple repairs.

On the same day (Wednesday 30th September) in the evening I will be meeting with the parish finance board followed by the parish council to discuss the follow up or second phase of the project. So more news about that after those meetings.

Mass attendance is good and increasing slowly so it might be a good idea to book a day when you will be guaranteed a seat. It hasn’t happened yet but the way things are going someone will be turned away some day. Don’t let it be you. Remember you cannot all attend Mass on Sunday, as much as you would like to. We only have a capacity of just over twenty for each Mass. All parishes are in the same situation having severe restrictions on numbers. So attending Mass any day of the week is good enough to fulfil your obligations. No one, not even God, is going to expect you to do the impossible. So come on Thursday or Monday or Saturday or whatever day. Its all good at the moment.

Ooopppssss.....!

Not too much to report this week. The most noticeable thing is that I have managed to delete the weekly reflections I had posted on this site. At least I’m assuming it was my fault. However I have no idea how I managed to do it. Anyway it looks like they are gone for good. I will do a few more checks and then try and put up another reflection in the next day or two. Hopefully that will be OK and it won’t happen again.

As far as the church is concerned there is nothing new to report except that inspections have been done on the floor and to the building generally concerning the presence of asbestos. I suppose that is something and shows that things are moving - however slowly. There is another site meeting on Wednesday of this week. If there is any significant news as a result of that I will let you know here as soon as possible.

You may have heard on the news that some areas are going into lockdown again while Scotland and England are putting tighter restrictions upon numbers allowed to gather. As far as I am aware at the moment none of this changes our current conditions and Mass will continue as normal for now. Should there be any change I will let you know here as soon as I can, so keep coming back to check, especially if you are in any doubt.

Thank you for your continued financial support of the parish and thanks to those of you who have responded so positively to the reintroduction of Mass. It is good to have a congregation again and thanks to your cooperation, everything is going well at the moment with no issues reported.

First Mass and a Little Inspiration

Well it is Friday morning (28th August), the Feast of St. Augustine and our first Mass since the lockdown was celebrated in the Parish Centre at 9.30 a.m. From now until further notice there will be Mass each day of the week at the Parish Centre at 9.30 a.m. You can of course come along any day you like. However if you wish to attend on a particular day of the week then give Fr. David a call (02920 591503) and reserve a seat. Family bookings (people with children) can also be accommodated. The reason for booking is because of very limited seating and I don’t want to be turning people away.

Sister Anne has asked me to remind you that the sisters will officially be leaving the parish by the end of September. Since current circumstances would conspire against us holding any kind of celebration to mark this occasion, such an event will have to be put off until a later date.

Finally for now a little bit of inspiration. Yesterday evening I was watching a video on YouTube by a lady called Delores Cahill. You can see it here. (Let me know if you have any problem with this link as people’s videos tend to disappear from YouTube these days including past posts by Dr. Cahill). In case you are in any doubt it is called censorship! She was speaking to a large crowd of people in front of some public building in Dublin. The woman’s qualifications are amazing. However what is more noteworthy is the moral courage she has to speak out in the way she does. Take a look at the good Doctor. I’m sure you will be inspired. In the meantime I will look for some other links in case this one goes down. Keep coming back and I will introduce you to another Doctor and more stimulating content.

Daily Mass Beginning Next Week

From Friday of next week, 28th August, daily Mass will be celebrated at the Parish Centre at 9.30 a.m. each day. By then I’m sure that all the preparations and precautions that need to be in place will have been taken care of. Please note that ALL Masses will be at the Parish Centre until further notice.

Now as we can only accommodate 21 people in the hall at one time it will be necessary for parishioners to book a seat for a particular day of the week. That will then be your day for each week for the foreseeable future. I am trying to reserve the weekend Masses for those who work and who would not be able to attend Monday to Friday. I hope the rest of you can understand this and do what you can to accommodate each other. You can ring the Presbytery (02920 591503) to make your booking. Please be patient if you don’t get through right away as I cannot be there all the time.

As I’m sure you can imagine, Mass will be a little different from what you are used to. The idea is to keep people together in the hall for as short a time as possible - for hopefully obvious reasons. So there will be no homilies (you can always check the ‘Sunday Reflection’ page for a weekly homily), no intercessions, no collection, no singing, no offertory procession, no sign of peace and Holy Communion only on the hand right at the end of Mass. Once you have entered the hall and taken your seat there will be no moving about during the ceremony. Unfortunately altar servers will not be able to assist at Mass at least for the time being.

Collection baskets will be placed at the entrance to the hall where you can leave your contributions when you arrive.

For those of you with children, you can bring them along but you must be able to guarantee that they can stay with you in their seat for the whole of the Mass. No one can move about in the hall. An extra seat can be arranged right next to yours to accommodate children. Also there will be no Mass leaflets and for the time being no newsletters. I will put all the important information here on this website. Can you all please do your best to pass on any important news to those who do not have internet access. I may make a few brief announcements before each Mass to keep you all up to date with any important matters.

Here are some guidelines to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible.

  • Please arrive no sooner that 10 minutes before Mass begins (approx 9.20 a.m.).

  • Please maintain social distancing (6 ft) from each other at all times.

  • Do not stand in the lobby or the doorway talking. Move inside as soon as you can.

  • You will be given the opportunity to clean your hands upon entry.

  • After this you can note you name, address and telephone number for contact tracing if you wish.

  • Then go straight to your seat which will be pointed out to you.

  • For Holy Communion, after the prayer ‘Lord I am not worthy…’ the priest will say, ‘may the Body and Blood of Christ bring us to everlasting life.’ All answer ‘Amen’.

  • The priest will then receive Holy Communion after which he will say the Concluding Prayer of the Mass and give the Final Blessing.

  • Those who are not receiving Holy Communion will now be invited to leave. Please go straight out of the building, not onto the pathway but onto the pavement outside.

  • Those who remain will receive Holy Communion on the hand in silence. Remain in your place and the priest will come to you. As soon as you put the host in your mouth, you too should then leave the hall immediately and make your way out onto the pavement.

I know this might be a lot to take in but I think we will get used to the regime pretty quickly. It might be a good idea to come back and read this again before attending. Again, please help those who do not have internet access by letting them know about these restrictions. Maybe you could print them off and give them a copy.

One last point to note in answer to a question I have been asked, the question being; ‘Can I attend Mass more that once a week?’ To answer this I must first emphasise that you can only book Mass for one day. With the limited number we can admit, I need to ensure that you all have an equal chance of attending. However, should you wish to come along on any other day in the hope that there might be spare seats, then you can take your chances. Once 9.30 a.m. comes around, if there is room anyone waiting will be admitted. So don’t be late as even if you have booked a place for that day you could find it has be given to someone else who has been waiting outside.

Finally any questions you can ask when you call to book your place. Thank you for your co-operation and let’s hope that these arrangements won’t have to be in place for too long.

God Bless. Fr. David.

We Need Your Help

It has been close to five months now since we were able to get together for Mass. A lot has happened in that time although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. I suppose the biggest disappointment came just as we were awaiting news that our churches could re-open with the collapse of part of the ceiling in the church. (See other News items for more information).

Something else that has happened and I know some of you have thought of this, is that our regular income from the Sunday collection has all but disappeared. However you won’t be surprised to learn that the bills keep coming in. So my message to you today is quite simple. Please can you help by supporting the parish financially even though Mass is not available at the moment.

How can you do this? Well if you have collection envelopes you can drop them into the presbytery - just pop them through the letter box. Other cash collections/donations can also be brought to the presbytery in the same way. Just use you own envelope. Cheques also can be used; just make them payable to St. Francis Parish, Cardiff. Thank you to those who already use Standing Orders. These, as you would expect, have been paid regularly during the lockdown.

You are now also able to donate online, either with one off payments or by regular giving. The Archdiocese has set up an account that allows parishioners to donate to their own parishes. It is pretty simple to use and allows you to use your credit/debit card. If you have ever shopped online you will have no problem. You can find the information you need plus the payment page here. One word of caution about using this method. I have read the information and I think I am correct in saying that if you normally Gift Aid your collection you cannot Gift Aid using this method of giving. If I discover otherwise I will let you know. If this is the case please use one of the other methods mentioned above if you want your donation to be Gift Aided.

Many thanks for your support. It is greatly appreciated.