Welcome to Our Lady & 

St Joseph Church

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Welcome to the website of Our Lady and St Joseph, Stanford-Le-Hope. Whether you are a parishioner, a visitor,  or perhaps someone looking for specific information, we hope that you enjoy finding out about the life of our parish and that the information on this website is of help to you.  If you have just moved into the parish or have decided to join us at Mass on a regular basis, a very warm welcome awaits you. Please help us to help you settle into parish life by filling in the form below and handing it to Father Anthony.

For those of you who would like to find out more about becoming a Catholic  please click the second link below.

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Letter from Father Anthony 6th November 2020

Dear Friends,

 As we begin the second lockdown in England all Public Masses are suspended from 5th November.  I, however, will be celebrating Masses privately.  Please continue to participate in live stream Masses as you have already been doing.

 Similar to the first lockdown during the spring our parish churches will be open for individual private prayer.

 Please see below the times when our churches will be open.

Stanford-le-Hope  

Sunday 11.00 a.m. to 12 Noon (from 8^th November)

Monday and Tuesday 9.30 to 11.30 a.m. (from 9^th November)

Tilbury                 

Sunday 2.30 to 3.30 p.m. (from 15^th November )

Thursday and Friday 9.30 to 11.30 a.m. (from12th November)

 During this time, communal prayers are strictly not allowed.  Lighting of candles is allowed but you must not pray before and touch any of the statues and you must return to your allocated seat.  Please refrain from moving from one seat to another as this would risk the spread of the Coronavirus.

Before you enter the church and if you have the NHS Covid-19 App on your smartphone I strongly encourage you to scan the QR code on the door at the entrance of the church (this is for track and trace purposes recommended by the Government).  As you enter the church please remember to sanitise your hands and register your presence with the Steward on duty.  You must also wear a face covering during your time in the church. 

After your private prayer, kindly ensure that you clean and sanitise the area you have occupied during your time in the church before leaving.  (Cleaning cloths and sanitiser are available at the back of the church.)

Resumption of Booking for Public Masses

As the Government mentioned in their briefing, this lockdown will automatically be lifted on Wednesday 2nd December, therefore we can resume gathering for Public weekend Masses from Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th December.  Do not forget to book your weekend Masses as we did before the lockdown.  Please refer to the website for the closing dates of the bookings as late bookings will not be entertained.

I would like to remind you that the Sunday evening 5.30 p.m. Mass in Stanford-le-Hope will resume from 5th December  during the Advent and Christmas seasons and you must also book for this Mass.

Booking for Christmas Masses

Please remember that if you are attending weekend Masses you must book and wait for the confirmation but for weekday Masses (Mass times in italics) it is not necessary to book, come as you wish.

 Persons booking for any of these Masses must include the following:-

          Number of people attending the Mass

          Number of people receiving Holy Communion

          Your postcode

          Check and confirm which Covid Tier you are in

IF THIS INFORMATION IS MISSING FROM THE BOOKING THE BOOKING WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.  (All this information is for Track and Trace stipulations as per the Government Guidelines)

The Children’s Masses this year will be:-

 Thursday 24th December

4.30 p.m.    Our Lady and St. Joseph, Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

6.30 p.m.    Our Lady Star of the Sea, Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

The whole family are welcome to dress up as any of the nativity characters (shepherds, Mary and Joseph, angels, etc.)

Thursday 24^th December

9.30 p.m.    Christmas Vigil in Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

Friday 25^th December Christmas Day

9.00 a.m.     Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

11.00 a.m.   Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

No evening Mass on Christmas Day

Mass attendance will be on a first come first served basis and you will receive confirmation if you have been successful or not.  Bookings will open on Monday 7^th December and close on Friday 18^th December.  These bookings will be for Christmas Masses only.  Please do not attend any of the Christmas Masses if you have not received confirmation of your booking as we are restricted to adhere to the limited spaces for the well-being and safety of parishioners.  I am saddened and hope you understand my dilemma in limiting the number of people attending the celebration of the Solemnity of the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^th December, Feast of The Holy Family

6.30 p.m.    Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

9.00 a.m.     Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

11.00 a.m.   Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

5.30 p.m.    Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

If you are not successful with your Christmas Mass Bookings the good news is that Christmas is celebrated for an OCTAVE until Friday 1^st January (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God).  If you are not travelling or are on holiday you can still celebrate Christmas during the Christmas Octave week;

Monday 28^th and Tuesday 29^th December in Stanford-le-Hope 10.00 a.m. and Thursday 31^st December and Friday 1^st January in Tilbury 10.00 a.m.

Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3^rd January Second Sunday after Christmas

6.30 p.m.    Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

9.00 a.m.     Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

11.00 a.m.   Stanford-le-Hope (limited to50 spaces)

5.30 p.m.    Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

Tuesday 5^th January Vigil Mass of The Epiphany (Holyday of Obligation)

7.00 p.m.     Tilbury

Wednesday 6^th January Solemnity of The Epiphany (Holyday of Obligation)

9.15 a.m.     Tilbury

11.15 a.m.   Stanford-le-Hope

Saturday 9^th and Sunday 10^th January The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

6.30 p.m.    Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

9.00 a.m.     Tilbury (limited to 55 spaces)

11.00 a.m.   Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

5.30 p.m.    Stanford-le-Hope (limited to 50 spaces)

Till we meet again, I wish everyone Blessings of Peace.  Stay safe, be Covid-19 smart and remain healthy.  Please continue to pray for the development of a safe and effective vaccine for this dreadful virus.

God be with you and your families,   

Fr. Anthony

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Welcome Form

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