Attending Mass during the current pandemic
Entry to Mass is contingent on the following:
- All attendees must have a verified booking.
- All attendees must sign in and provide their name, address & phone number at a minimum. It is helpful but not required to provide an email address where possible.
- All attendees must sanitise their hands when entering and leaving the church with sanitiser provided.
- All attendees must sit in the designated seating. Seats may not be moved in any way.
- If you are not feeling well please do not attend the Mass.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How many spaces can I reserve at a Mass?
A: Online you can only book four tickets however you can call the Parish Office and we can facilitate larger bookings where space is available. Please note you will need to supply the full contact information of all people attending the Mass when you reserve the tickets. We cannot reserve spaces without a name provided.
Q: Why do I have to provide so many contact details?
A: We are legally obligated to record the contact information of all people who enter our churches at this time and are following the template provided by the Archdiocese of Sydney in regard to collection of data. By receiving the contact information at the point of booking we are seeking to receive this information at the point of booking to reduce the administration on the day. If you are concerned about providing specific details please speak to the Parish Office when you reserve your Mass space.
Q: What will you do with the registration sheets containing my personal information after the Mass has concluded?
A: These will be kept securely in the Parish Office for four weeks. After four weeks has passed these sheets will be destroyed. Note: We will NOT add personal information received in this way to our own database or mailing lists. If you want to join our mailing list and stay up to date please click here.
Q: Can I come on the day and see if there free spaces at a weekend Mass Time?
A: No, we ask you please register in advance.
Q: Mass times are now back to normal – why is there no Mass in the Double Bay Chapel?
A: Due to the size of the chapel and the fact we don’t control the building (and the cleaning) it was not possible to resume Mass there straight away. We are hopeful to resume Mass soon at Double Bay as more restrictions are lifted.
Q: I heard we can have fifty people per Mass – why aren’t fifty tickets available?
A: The fifty people is still beholden to the four square metre rule. At Edgecliff the size of St Joseph means that we can have a maximum of forty in the space and still adhere to the restrictions. At Paddington we are able to have the fifty in St Francis. However, please note – this numbers include volunteers (including choir, cantor, organist etc) so we have to restrict numbers a little further with this in mind to ensure we are compliant.
Q: Can I book for more than one Weekend Mass?
A: No. Duplicate bookings will be deleted. Please only register for one Mass.
Q: What should I do if I can’t attend the Mass?
A: If you become aware you cannot attend the Mass prior to the 3pm on Friday please email administration@stfrancis-stjoseph.com or call the Parish Office on 9331 4043 and let us know. After 3pm please call Ruth on 0410 470 678. Please let us know as soon as you are able so we can offer the space to another parishioner.
Q: What about weekday Masses? I can only see reference to weekend Mass times on your website.
A: Our intention at this point is to run Weekday Mass to the usual schedule at both St Joseph & St Francis and we are currently working through the best way to do this in line with the government regulations and the resources of our community. We will advise you via email through our mailing list and via this website when we have more information. To join our mailing list please click here.
Q: Will you be continuing the live-stream?
A: Our plan at the moment is to continue with the live-streams on Wednesday & Saturday nights while restrictions continue.
Q: Can I attend the live-streamed Masses in person?
A: You can book a space at the Saturday Vigil Mass at St Francis. Please note if you choose to attend this Mass time you may be photographed and recorded and these images may be shared on the social media, website and bulletin of our community. Please do not attend this Mass time if you are not comfortable with this.
Q: Why did I receive an email from Eventbrite?
A: We are using a third party provider called Eventbrite to run our online booking system. Using this system helps us ensure that Masses are not overbooked and ensures that we can manage bookings in an efficient way. Without this system 100% of bookings would need to be taken manually over the phone and via email which we cannot do in a cost-effective way as this increases the time taken to manage each booking substantially.
