St Catharine of Alexandria, Frome

So many people have commented on how wonderful it was to be able to join in our parish Mass from the confinement of their own homes last Sunday. Of course, we would all rather be able to be there in person, but that is not possible at this time so, for many people, this has been a real uplift in such testing times. For people on their own right now, this has reduced their sense of being isolated and alone. We want to continue this and be able to continue the provision when the present crisis has passed; for the benefit of all, but especially for those who cannot make it to church. We hope to be able to purchase a system that we can have permanently installed in St. Catharine’s to make this a reality. This will not be cheap, and we need to exercise financial wisdom by not putting our parish finances in peril, and to maintain our ability to continue keeping up with the costs of sustaining the parish. I know many of our parish are going to have real financial hardships at this time, particularly those not able to work. We know many people will not be able assist us at this time, however some of us will not be quite so financially disadvantaged and may actually be spending less by not socialising etc. It would be wonderful if we could find ways of supporting our parish in this wonderful project and maintaining our parish through these unprecedented times. I wonder, might it be possible if more of us could pay by standing order whilst it is not possible to add to the plate at mass, or could we use internet banking to make payments into our parish funds? There is also the “Donate” tab on the front page of our parish website for those who wish to use it at this time. Please be sure, we are not asking anybody to put themselves at further risk of hardship, but if this possibility is not raised, it could be easily overlooked in the current circumstances. You will also understand that Fr. Richard would not wish to make such an appeal at Mass, especially at this trying point of our lives, as he would not wish to make any viewer to feel hurt by broaching such a topic at what should be a spiritual moment. As a committee, we have agreed to purchase the equipment from parish funds and feel this is the right thing to do. We are then committed to the licence fee and running costs of ongoing broadcasts. Any donations or regular contributions will help us to replenish the Church finances and meet the ongoing costs of enabling St. Catharine’s to serve our parish and the wider community we are now reaching. Thank you for whatever you can offer. Please keep safe and well. It will be great to be able to meet each other again when we can all return to Mass in person. Kind regards Paul Godwin Chair of Finance