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.