2020
March 23.The Government announces the "Stay at Home Lockdown".
March 24. Services in St. Katharine's are suspended, as per Church of England guidance. Initially the church remains open during the day for individuals to visit.
The PCC's flyer, circa March 25-26, 2020
April: Services for the Oak Hill Parishes move online. In her retrospective report on the year the Vicar, Revd. Julia Hook, writes "after journeying though Easter 2020, it was decided to broadcast our weekly act of worship through Zoom."
"This has been very valuable and much appreciated," she writes, "enabling many of the Oak Hill Parishes to stay connected", but "Inevitably the focus on online worship has meant those who are unable to use these resources have not had the same level of involvement". (So when the churches were able to re-open, it "was a time of great joy").
April 23, 2020:
Banner of thanks to NHS Staff, Front-line Services, Support Services & Key Workers.
May 14, 2020.
Banner and bunting: The Village celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday, May 8th.
May: Restrictions begin gradually to be lifted.
Mid to late June (?): There are no in-person services yet, but the Parish Bulletin for July notes "Our church is now open during the day for private prayer. Please observe the guidelines provided by the PCC."
Sunday, July 19th: The first in-person service in St. Katharine's since the onset of Lockdown takes place. It is a Book of Common Prayer Communion; "It was lovely to be able to share the communion", says the Parish Bulletin for August, and adds "We'll be holding two services a month from August until further notice. The 2nd (9am) and 4th (6pm) Sundays of the month."
"Guidelines are in place in accordance with the The Diocesan advice which are displayed on the door and also on the font inside the church". With social distancing and the consequent limit on the number who can take part, people are asked to get in touch with the Churchwarden "to ensure we have capacity in the church."
September 14, 2020.
The font, the hand gel, and the notice (text below).
October 16th. The first Wormington Takeaway, the proceeds from which go to the Parochial Church Council for St. Katharine's. For more detail see the special Pandemic page on the Wormington Takeaway.
November 14, 2020. |
November 14, 2020. The Church Notice Board: |
[The PCC's Notice on the door and in the church] Welcome to St. Katharine's here in Wormington.
We are delighted to be able to re-open our church and hope you enjoy your visit. Given the ongoing climate of COVID-19, we would appreciate your help to limit risk to yourself and others who enter the church.
1) On entry, please use the hand sanitiser, which is placed on the font. 2) On exit, please also use the hand sanitiser. 3) In the event that your visit coincides with a visit from another person/household, please observe the social distancing and contact guidelines in force at the time. We have placed a 2m long strip on the church floor to remind us all of the distance expected. 4) We would really appreciate if you would note your visit details on the register, also on the font. This is simply to help us understand how many people are visiting which might influence what we do to keep everyone as safe as possible. It may also be important in the context of 'Track and Trace'. There is one register for visitors and one for our volunteers. 5) The toilet adjoining the church is currently closed. If you have an urgent need to use it please call one of the numbers below and we will do what we can to help. 6) Following guidance, our usual leaflets have been removed for the time being. If you would like any information about the church please call one of the numbers above or leave your contact details on the register and we will get back to you.
We very much hope you will enjoy your visit and thank you for your support.
September 14, 2020. |
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2021
Thursday January 14th at 8pm. The church bell is rung for heroes by the Churchwarden, Angela Piercy, who rings it again each Thursday through to February 25th.
July 19th. The final stage of COVID restrictions are lifted in England.
WORMINGTON IN THE PANDEMIC SPECIAL PAGES:
Made in Wormington: Sewing for neighbours and the nation
Pandemic and Food: The PCC-WVS Takeaways
Litterpicking and The Pandemic
Coming out of the Pandemic: The Vaccine Thermometer