Welcome to the official website of the
Roman Catholic Church on the Isle of Man.

 The Isle of Man is one of the 18 pastoral areas which make up the Archdiocese of Liverpool,
and on the Island there are 7 Roman Catholic churches

Our Lady Star of the Sea
and St Maughold, Ramsey
St Patrick’s, Peel
Parish Priest
Father Brian O Mahony CSSp
T: (01624) 813181
E: ourladystarofthesea@rcaol.org.uk

St Mary of the Isle, Douglas
St Anthony’s, Onchan
St Joseph’s, Willaston
Parish Priest and Area Dean:
Monsignor John Devine
T: (01624) 675509
E: saintmaryiom@rcaolp.co.uk

St Mary’s, Castletown
St Columba’s, Port Erin
Parish Priest
Fr Leo Cooper
T: (01624) 822272
E: saintmarycastletown@rcaolp.co.uk

Greetings
from Monsignor John

Writing on 5th July  – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year A for Sundays – Cycle II for Weekdays

Dear Parishioners

“As an old person living alone who is shielding, I have hugely appreciated the daily masses online……  Can I beg you not to stop them when public masses can be said again? Please remember people shielding have to stay in until 1 August.  Even then, some of us…. are scared…. Please do not abandon us.”

These words are taken from an email received by one of our bishops. They are typical of the many messages I have also received regarding our live-streamed masses. Guidance this week from Archbishop Malcolm states the following: ‘People who are vulnerable or who feel unsure about returning to Mass need to consider the wisdom of doing so. Remember the Sunday obligation has not been reinstated and livestreaming of Masses will continue’.
We are fortunate at St Mary’s that our live streaming facility has been running since the end of 2018.

We have been instructed to open just one church in each area with a reduced number of Masses. We face the almost impossible dilemma of safely accommodating a greater number of people at fewer Masses whilst observing social distancing. As a first cautious step, this week has seen a return to public celebration of weekday Mass at St Mary’s. We are grateful for the team of volunteer stewards who have made this possible. Without them we would not be able to resume public celebration of Mass. There has been a substantially different congregation each day. It is good to see people taking the Archbishop’s advice by choosing to attend weekday Mass.
Since weekday public Mass has gone well this week, next Sunday, 12th July, the 11.00am live streamed Mass from St Mary’s will be open to parishioners, given the following conditions:
• If too many people come to Sunday Mass we face the difficult task of turning them away. This must be avoided at all costs.
• We cannot accommodate the numbers of all those accustomed to attending Sunday Mass in normal times. A maximum number of 100 will be admitted.
• Please consider attending Mass on a weekday as an alternative to Sunday Mass. If you attend Mass during the week, you might choose to stay away on Sunday.
• Parishioners who work and are unable to attend weekday Mass might consider attending the 12.10 Mass on Bank Holiday Monday 6th July.    
All of us long for the day when things will be back to normal. It is impossible to meet everybody’s expectations. Younger parishioners in robust good health may be impatient with these restrictions. Our priority throughout must be to take care of the weakest and most vulnerable. Thank you for your patience

Please CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEWSLETTER for the rest of this week’s parish information, and a timely story of Jesuit Priest Father Walter Ciszek

With every good wish
Fr John

Monsignor John Devine OBE MA VF
Saint Mary of the Isle   Hill Street       Douglas      Isle of Man     IM1 1EG

THE SUNDAY SMILE

This is genuine – not photoshopped! At the end of a busy day, a weary commuter couldn’t believe his eyes as he stood on the platform of the tube station close to Tottenham Hotspurs’ ground in north London. Seven Sisters at Seven Sisters tube station is a great title, but actually there are eight sisters – the eighth is sitting down, but is almost completely obscured by her companion, who is standing by the pillar. (Just a little of her left arm is visible) It’s not known where they were from, or going to – they weren’t members of a local order.