Should you feel anxious or distressed you are encouraged to access one of the many support agencies as detailed by clicking here on our website. Alternatively, you may wish to call one of the services below –
- Lifeline – 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636
- Headspace – 1800 650 890
Singing at Mass
Current 3:00 pm, November 19, 2021
Following on from parishioner’s enquiries, singing by the congregation is not advisable at this time as it will create segregation within those wishing to attend Mass.
On November 6, the Vicar General, Very Reverend Dr David Ranson advised the Priests that in support of the Government Guidelines, “Singing and dancing by unvaccinated congregants is not allowed in indoor areas. Although singing and dancing by vaccinated congregants are now allowed, we recommend you continue to discourage congregational singing until the whole congregation can sing.” To read the full email click here.
Return to Public Masses
Current 3:00 pm, November 13, 2021
From Monday, 8th November, we are permitted to have 200 people attend each Mass at St Agatha’s with mandatory QR Code check-in. We have people on hand to assist with electronic check-in if you do not have a smartphone. At this time, you will not be required to pre-register to attend Mass. Please arrive early to adhere to social distancing whilst entering the Church.
It is important to follow all COVID safety requirements with the density 2sqm rule, wearing of masks and no congregational singing although a small choir or cantor may sing if they are fully vaccinated. Those wishing to receive Holy Communion on the tongue should wait until the end of the Communion Procession to go to the priest.
Video live streaming of Mass on our YouTube channel will cease for weekday Masses.
Current 8:00 pm, October 21, 2021
We are delighted to announce that Bishop Anthony has revoked his decree of 26 June 2021 suspending the celebration of public Masses. St Agatha’s will resume public Masses as per our published timetable from the 6pm Vigil Mass this Saturday, 23rd October.
Mass will also be celebrated at –
7:30am, 9am, 10:30am and 6pm on Sunday. 24th October, and
the 6:30am and 9:30am Weekday Masses will resume from Monday, 25th October,
8am Saturday Mass will resume on 30th October as will Reconciliations after Mass on Saturday morning.
Places of Public Worship are exempt from the requirement of vaccination. Given that both vaccinated and unvaccinated may be present at Masses it is important for people to consider what may be in the best interests of their safety and that of their families. Bishop Anthony has continued to suspend the Sunday Obligation until the 1st of December in order to assure people of his respect for the personal choices they may need to make during this initial period of emergence from lockdown.
In resuming Masses, it will be important to follow all those COVID safety requirements around density of gatherings (4sqm rule), QR registration, the wearing of masks and the refraining from congregational singing until we reach the 1st December stage of the government roadmap. The government regulations currently allow for a small choir of up to 10 people.
We are permitted to have 100 people attend each Mass at St Agatha’s and electronic QR Code check in is mandatory. Manual sign in is no longer permitted so for Mass attendees who do not have a smart phone, we will have personnel on hand to assist you with check in. Please arrive early to allow social distancing to be maintained whilst entering the Church and please move away from the Church promptly after the conclusion of Mass as we will not be allowed to gather and socialise in large numbers in the Church grounds.
Those who wish to receive Holy Communion on the tongue should wait until the end of the Communion Procession and then go to the Priest, who has been advised to sanitise his hands between each person given Communion in this way.
Please be aware that parking during the week may be limited due to the construction currently being conducted at the Primary School and extra tradesmen’s vehicles are on site.
We will continue to live-stream the 6pm Saturday Vigil Mass and will now live-stream the 6:30am Masses on Monday to Friday until further notice. These Masses can be viewed at the time or any time afterwards via the link given below.
We look forward to welcoming you back to the Church. May this opportunity for celebrating the Eucharist and Sacraments together in person once again be a blessing to us all.
Raphael Kimaro, AJ
Parish Priest
Update concerning the lifting of the Stay-at-Home orders in October.
Current: 4pm, October 18, 2021
Public Masses will resume at St Agatha’s Church from Saturday 23 October 6pm.
(Preparation time is required to roster volunteers to help at the door and to initiate systems to ensure we stay within our limits for safe distancing.)
Mass Times will be:
Saturday Vigil Mass 6pm
Sunday 7.30am, 9am, 10.30am, 6pm
Mon – Fri 6.30am, 9.30am
Saturday 8am followed by Reconciliation
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Update concerning the lifting of the Stay-at-Home orders in October.
Current: 4pm, October 2, 2021
Bishop Anthony Randazzo wrote to the clergy of the Diocese on Wednesday, 29 September, 2021. The content of his letter outlines implications for Parishes in the Diocese of Broken Bay from the NSW Government’s 3-stage Roadmap out of Covid lock-down.
Considering this roadmap and all its implications for the Faithful of Broken Bay, Bishop Anthony has determined the following to apply to our own diocese:
Stage 1: From Monday, 11 October
Churches are to be reopened for private prayer and devotion only. St Agatha’s will be open for private prayer from 9.30am – 4pm Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm Saturday & Sunday.
- Public Masses remain suspended. St Agatha’s will continue to livestream the 8am weekday Mass, and the Vigil at 6pm Saturday. (link to our YouTube channel)
- Reconciliation is available upon request.
- Baptism are delayed until the next stage.
- Weddings and funerals: up to 50 people may attend. Attendees need to be vaccinated.
- Those who are unvaccinated may only attend weddings with a maximum of 5 people.
- Those who are unvaccinated may only attend funeral with a maximum of 10 people.
- It is essential that anyone visiting our Churches use the QR code to register their visit, sanitize, and always wear a mask.
Stage 2: From the Monday after 80% vaccination rate has been achieved (expected to be mid to late October).
Public Masses will resume for all, regardless of vaccination status of people who attend Church, or who undertake a ministry.
- Other rituals such as Baptisms and other services of prayer and devotion may resume, including Reconciliation.
- The number of people who can attend Mass and other liturgies and services of prayer is based on the 4sqm principle, including for funerals and weddings. Based on this, St Agatha’s can permit 100 people to these services.
- Congregational singing will not be possible, but a musician and cantor are permitted.
- Those who wish to receive Holy Communion on the tongue should wait until the end of the Communion Procession.
Stage 3: (Currently to be from 1 December 2021)
- One person per 2sqm for indoor and outdoor gatherings will apply. Therefore, St Agatha’s can permit 200 people to gather.
- Congregational singing will be permitted.
- Congregational singing will be permitted.
- No restriction on the use of other parish facilities.
Current: 8:00 am, August 17, 2021
Bishop Anthony Randazzo wrote to the clergy of the Diocese on Monday 16 August, 2021.
The Bishop stated that the Public Health Orders are very clear: we must stay at home unless for one of four reasons. Therefore, people cannot come to the Church or to the parish office, just as we cannot pay social visits to each other’s homes. These regulations are aimed at preventing the spread of the virus, people becoming sick, and dying.
Priests, however, are exempt from the stay-at-home order in their exercise of pastoral care. Though it is not possible for people to come to the Church for the Sacrament of Penance or for private prayer, our priests are available to go to people’s homes for Last Rites, Anointing of the Sick, and the Sacrament of Penance.
Please contact the parish office on 9484 1427 to arrange this.
The effect on our Parish.
Current: 5:30 pm, July 9, 2021
The following advice has been received by Bishop Anthony Randazzo concerning the COVID outbreak in Sydney which has necessitated the extension of the current Stay at Home order for the Greater Sydney Area, including Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Wollongong through to at least 11:59pm Friday 16 July 2021, as well as a tightening of the conditions of the order.
Bishop Anthony stressed the importance of adhering to the conditions and the spirit of the Stay at Home order. In particular, with an absolute minimum number of laypeople being involved in Church activities. We are encouraging people to reduce their movements within the community and we hope to model this with our parishioners, volunteers and staff.
With the announcement of the continuation of the Stay at Home Order, it is requested that all our churches in Diocese of Broken Bay remain closed. The obligation for the faithful to participate in Sunday Mass (can.1247) remains lifted for the people of Broken Bay for the duration of this Stay at Home Order. Bishop Anthony will review the situation as we approach 16 July or if the stay at home order is lifted earlier. Weddings are not permitted to take place, and funerals will be limited to 10 people from 11 July.
We will continue livestreaming the Mass where possible. As advised last weekend, the NSW Chief Medical Officer has recommended limited singing. At our discretion, we may have one or two cantors at Masses that may be live-streamed from our parishes during this time of lockdown. The cantors should be spaced 3 meters away from each other, and other people. Cantors may remove their face mask while singing.
Additionally, access to hospitals and aged care facilities has been significantly reduced. In most cases, only Priests are permitted to respond to requests to administer the Sacraments for end-of-life patients. Volunteer Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are not permitted in most facilities at this time.
Our Parish Catechist coordinators have been informed that SRE will not take place in week 1, term 3. The Department has asked the Bishop for our support in that we do not place any requests on schools during the first week of term 3, as they re-establish home schooling systems. CCD is currently working on new Learning from Home lessons in the event that the lockdown goes beyond the first week of school. More on this later.
From Monday 12 July, it is mandatory for all offices in NSW to check-in all visitors and staff using a QR code. Hence, our parish offices must have its own unique QR code that differs from the Church’s QR code.
Bishop Anthony continues to hold you all in his prayers, asking that the Lord may keep us all safe during this troubling and unsettling time.
Current: 6:40 pm, June 28, 2021
Please find below a detailed outline of new interim practices to be employed within the Parish during the current Covid-19 lockdown period. While these are challenging times, we should importantly take encouragement that the community is responding in a careful manner to protect everyone’s welfare. We can also draw upon our faith and prayer life to find God’s comfort at this time. There are a number of new channels we can turn to for prayer and spiritual guidance. Please check in on friends with a telephone call or message.
Please look after one another and your own mental well-being. Reach out if needed. We also recommend services like Lifeline (13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au) and Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 www.beyondblue.org.au).
Detailed outline of Parish practices.
Further to Bishop Anthony’s email on Saturday, you would no doubt be aware of the Premier’s announcement on Saturday regarding a wider strict lockdown for all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong. The lockdown is in place from 6.00pm Saturday, 26 June until midnight Friday, 9 July.
The strict stay-at-home orders for individuals allow only the following reasons for leaving home:
- essential work or education where you cannot work from home
- medical care, including getting a COVID test or vaccine
- care and compassionate grounds
- purchasing essential goods and services
- exercise outdoors
Some staff will be working from home or on leave.
Given the stay-at-home order, only essential, individual staff members are deemed able to work in parish offices for at least the next two weeks. Other staff will be directed to work from home, until Friday, 9 July, providing that meaningful work can be undertaken remotely. Some staff may be required to take leave.
There should be no visitors allowed on parish property during this lockdown period. NO wedding services are permitted, however, a gathering for a funeral or memorial service where the number of persons attending is equivalent to 1 person per 4 square metres of space in the premises and where there are no more than 100 persons, is permitted.
It is important to note that of the 16 exemptions for leaving home at this stage, included is a priest or member of a religious order going to a place of worship or to provide pastoral care. This means that though it is not possible for people to come to the church, a priest is able to leave home to visit a parishioner for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or the Sacrament of Anointing, or for another reason of pastoral care.
Parish office phones – maybe diverted to a designated mobile number or a recording. Please leave a message and someone will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
Essential Workers
Some parish staff members will be required to attend the parish office to work to ensure the continuity of vital functions that cannot be performed off-site. As parish offices should remain open for essential workers only.
Wearing masks inside the parish office and Church is mandatory. Some staff may remove their mask if working alone in their office. Priests may remove their masks during Mass and preaching whilst practising physical distancing in the Church.
All essential workers are required to sign in and sign out to assist with contact tracing.
For any parish office that remains open to essential personnel only, we stress the importance of everyone adhering to Government requirements to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all.
Hospital Chaplaincy
We have been advised that all NSW Public Hospitals are officially on “Red Alert”. Specifically, Sydney Adventist Hospital Wahroonga and Northern Beaches Hospital have reintroduced very strict regulations. Priests are permitted to respond to requests to administer the Sacraments for end-of-life patients. However, volunteer Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are not permitted to attend the hospitals until further notice.
Churches are closed for the interim period.
A reminder that part of Bishop Anthony’s message on Saturday was his request that all our churches in Diocese of Broken Bay be closed from 6.00 pm, 26 June 2021. Bishop Anthony will review the situation as we approach 9 July or if the stay-at-home order is lifted earlier and encouraged liturgical participation via Mass live streaming during this period. At St Agatha’s we will live stream 9:30 am morning Mass, Monday to Friday, and the Saturday 6:00 pm Vigil Mass. The St Agatha’s channel is https://www.youtube.com/c/StAgathasCatholicChurchPennantHillsSydney
Please continue to be aware of COVID-Safe behaviours such as the practice of good hand hygiene, Physical distancing and QR code check-ins which continue to keep our communities safe. Please encourage anyone with symptoms of COVID-19, even mild symptoms, to get tested at a COVID-19 testing clinic and not leave their home until a negative test is received. This includes people who have visited a confirmed COVID-19 case location in NSW or interstate during a specific time period. Please remain vigilant to information from NSW Health, particularly in relation to the locations of current COVID-19 cases.
Current: 3:00 pm, June 26, 2021
Current: June 25, 2021
The four Local Government Area’s (LGA’s) of the City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick and Woollahra have had to enter a period of ‘lockdown’ from midnight tonight to midnight Friday, 2 July. This lockdown also affects those who have worked in those LGAs over the last 2 weeks.
Though the parishes and churches in our Diocese of Broken Bay can all remain open at this stage, a number of people from our parish may be affected if they work in the centre of Sydney or one of the other LGA’s affected. These parishioners, along with all those living and working in a designated LGA, are bound to isolate for the following week and therefore should not attend a parish this weekend.
If you are one of those affected by this latest announcement and have already made a booking to attend Mass, please follow the link on your TryBooking confirmation email and return your tickets.
For those so affected, Bishop Anthony has suspended Sunday Mass obligation for this weekend 26 & 27 June 2021.
However, you are also welcome to join in the live stream of our 6pm Saturday Vigil Mass as it is being celebrated or any time throughout the rest of the weekend at a time suitable to you. Click here to go to our YouTube Channel.
If you are permitted to attend Mass on the coming weekend or the week ahead and wish to do so, you can use the link below to make a booking. Please do not come to the Church if the Mass you wish to attend is shown as ‘sold out’ on the website. Book to come to Mass – https://stagatha.org.au/mass-booking/