OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL CHURCH
280 Nottingham Road,
Eastwood, NG16 2AQ
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reopening of Churches in England
On 15th June 2020 some churches will re-open for private prayer and we know that many of our parishioners will want to visit Our Lady of Good Counsel.
In order to re-open churches safely procedures have been issued by the Diocese, which apply to visitors coming into church and cleaning the church afterwards. Churches must demonstrate that they can fully comply with these procedures, which need to be coordinated and managed by a Parish Priest who is on site.
Unfortunately we don’t yet have a resident Parish Priest but Fr Paul and the PPC will continue to review the situation with advice from the Diocese. This means that for now, we are not able to re-open our church.
We have been advised by the Dean that there are three churches in our Deanery which are open for private prayer. These are:
St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham (details below taken from their website):
St Barnabas Cathedral is now open for private, individual prayer Monday to Friday from 10am – 12noon and Saturday and Sunday 11am – 1pm. You are very welcome to come in and spend a few moments in prayer, maybe light a candle and enjoy the peace and quiet. Please keep the 2m social distance when coming and going and once you are in the Cathedral. When entering and leaving please use the hand sanitiser provided. Some seats will be taped to help keep the required social distance. If you visit with someone from your household, you do not need to observe the social distance. There will no be toilet facilities available. A maximum number of people are allowed in at any one time, so you may have to wait outside for a while – a bit like queuing to get into a shop. Once in, please do not touch any statues, crucifixes or other devotional objects. Stewards will be there to make sure you are kept safe and follow the regulations. They, and your Parish Priest, have put a lot of time and work into enabling us to open, so please, say ‘Thank you’! If you are in the vulnerable category please heed Government advice and stay safe at home!
The Church of the Good Shepherd, Thackerys Lane, Arnold (see website for more details)
Open Monday to Friday from 10am – 1.00pm and 4.00pm – 7.00pm
Saturday and Sunday 9.00am – 1pm and 3.00pm – 7.00pm
The same instructions will apply as stated above.
Our Lady & St Thomas of Hereford, Ilkeston
Unfortunately, there isn’t any information on their website so you would need to contact the church directly.
Parish Priest: Fr. Andrew Harding
Administrative Assistant: Mrs Anna Archer
Office Hours: 10am to 2pm, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
Tel:(0115) 932 5642
email:ik.ourladystth.ilkeston@dioceseofnottingham.uk
New Parish Priest
Please see the attached letter from Bishop Patrick who has asked Fr Paul Newman at Our Lady & St Edward's, Nottingham to take up an appointment as Parish Priest of Our Lady Of Good Counsel, Eastwood. Fr Paul will continue to have responsibility for Vocations and the House of Discernment in the coming year, but will gradually hand over responsibility to a successor. Fr Paul will live in Eastwood, spend some time each week at the House of Discernment and will also take over as Chaplain to the Briars.
We welcome Fr Paul to Our Lady of Good Counsel as our new Parish Priest.
Services in church
Following the suspension of all public worship in Catholic churches to support the country, civil and NHS authorities in keeping people safe, and managing the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Government advice is that everyone should stay at home and only leave home for the reasons outlined in the guidance.
This means Our Lady of Good Counsel Church is closed until further notice.
All parish Masses, prayer groups, meetings and activities are suspended. Further information will be posted on the parish website and social media as and when it becomes available. Catholics are dispensed from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for the duration of these measures, however, the bishops are encouraging people to watch live-streaming of Mass and make a spiritual communion.
Please let others know who may not have access to social media or the website.
Sadly our Parish Priest Cannon John Berry, went to the Lord on Wednesday 25th March 2020. Once life returns to normal, a Mass will be held to celebrate the life of our Parish Priest who will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace.
If you require a Priest or need to arrange a funeral or have any enquiry relating to Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, please contact Fr Philipp Ziomek, Parish Priest, Church of the Good Shepherd.
Tel: 0115 926 8288