Registration System for Sunday Masses in Alert Level 2
Registration System for Sunday Masses in Alert Level 2
12 October 2021
In Alert Level 2 the capacity of churches with social distancing and the 100-person limit restricts the number of people who can attend a Mass.
Connolly Hall chapel will accommodate 22 people sitting on their own or up to a maximum of 40 people allowing for family bubbles, and St Thomas More church will accommodate approximately 50 people, dependent on bubble sizes, with seating available in the choir loft.
To help manage numbers for Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses, and to make it easier for parishioners to know where there are spaces at their parish Masses or in nearby parishes, you must register for Mass. Mass timetables are parish’s normal Saturday Vigil/Sunday timetables.
During Alert Level 2 the dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass is in place for people who are cautious or concerned, who are vulnerable or at risk because of age or health issues, or who cannot find a place at a Mass.
There is a Mass registration period each week, from 9am Wednesday to 12 noon Friday. The first registration period will be on Wednesday 13 October to Friday 15 October for the weekend of 16-17 October.
To register:
1. Go to “Mass Registration” on the Archdiocesan website’s homepage www.wn.catholic.org.nz
2. Choose your parish from the drop-down menu, and then the Mass you wish to attend.
3. You will see how many spaces are available for the Mass you have selected. You will see a red error message if no spaces are available.
4. If space is available, provide your name and contact details. You can register for an individual, a couple or a group.
5. Click Submit. You will receive a confirmation email.
If space is not available for the Mass you have chosen, you can check numbers for other Masses in your parish or other parishes to find a place.
If it is not possible for you to register via the internet, or you know people who need assistance registering please phone Frank in the parish office on 04 496 1700. If you need assistance, you can email cathedral.parish@wn.catholic.org.nz with your name(s), phone number, and the time and place of the Mass you wish to attend you will be booked in subject to availability.
Please note:
- Do NOT register for more than one Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass per week.
- If you register for a Mass and find you cannot attend, you do not need to let the parish office know as there is no waiting list system.
- Please do not contact the parish office to change to another Mass once you have registered. The office does not have the capacity to handle changes.
Ministry rosters:
Each week everyone who is rostered for a ministry is asked to please confirm with the parish office by midday Tuesday that you will be fulfilling your weekend ministry. Frank will then register your that Mass. Please only advise Frank during the relevant week.
The safety and welfare of all is our primary concern. A Mass leader has been designated at each Mass to assist you in gathering safely and help us to adhere with Government gathering requirements. Please assist the Mass leaders by following their guidance in a respectful, considerate, and understanding manner.
Before attending Mass, please familiarise yourself with the guidelines and requirements below:
- As you are moving around, please be respectful of bubbles and keep a respectful distance as much as possible.
- Scan the QR Code that is posted both inside and outside our Mass venues or manually sign in on the sheet provided. Registration for Mass is not a substitute.
- Sanitise your hands using the sanitiser provided.
- Wear your face mask, ensuring it is covering your mouth and nose. Please continue to wear it throughout the Mass, only removing it to receive Communion once you have received the Eucharist. If you have an exemption from Mask Wearing, please make this fact known to the Mass leader and you will be guiding to seating at the front of the church.
- Please stand in place to receive Communion, Eucharistic ministers will come to you.
- As per Cardinal John’s instructions, Communion is to only be received in the hand and there is to be no physical contact especially during the sign of peace.
- In Connolly Hall chapel chairs have been set up to comply with the social distancing requirements. It is important that they are not moved and that no additional chairs are added to the area. Please choose seating appropriate to your bubble size.
- At St Thomas More Church seating is provided in every alternate row only and rows are marked up. Please ensure that there is a 2meter space between bubbles.
- In Alert level 2 there is no congregational singing or hospitality.
Access to Connolly Hall chapel is only available via the Guildford Terrace entrance. Walking access to the chapel from the Catholic Centre is via the steps to the school playground.
We appreciate that you may find this situation confronting or overwhelming and we understand that finding the right balance between your desire to return to Mass and yours and our personal and collective safety is difficult. However, please be assured that we are doing everything we can within the frameworks we are given to respond with care and sensitivity.
Debbie, Fr Ron, Frank
You and your parish working together.
