Holy Mass and Other Services

Please note the change in public worship days and times in our parish.

Mildenhall, St John's - Tues. & Thurs., 10 am

                                        Sun., 9 am.

Brandon, St Thomas - Wed. & Fri., 10 am

                                        Sun., 11am

Remember! To attend Mass in person on Sunday you must book from 1pm on Wednesday for the following weekend.

Fr Luke writes: 

Our churches are now open for Mass, although heavily restricted. Mass times are on page 4 of the weekly newsletter. Masses will still be available each weekday (except Monday) online.

If you can attend at least one of the masses on Sunday or through the week, it will be a delight and a blessing to welcome you.

Please remember! To attend Mass in person on Sunday you must book from 1pm on Wednesday for the following weekend. Phone Fr Luke (01842 812200) or email

• Social distancing allows for “1m Plus” meaning that individuals and households will need to be a minimum of 1m away from other people and households at all times.

• The number of people who can attend Mass at any one time is restricted by our buildings and the need for social distancing. This means that currently up to 29 people can attend St Thomas’ at any one time. St John’s is larger building and at time of writing I have not measured and re-arranged the seating but it will be around 30-40 who safely attend St John’s. (Please see booking system below.)

• To ensure that there is adequate space people will need to book a seat for Mass, if you just turn up you will only be allowed to enter if there is space.

• Face Masks will need to be worn by the congregation at all times (removed at the moment of Communion) Please bring your own if possible. (A small number will be available on the door.)

• Holy Communion will only be given under one kind and in the hand.

• No singing, no bidding prayers, no offertory, and only a brief homily will take place to enable the time that people are gathered to be as reverent but as brief as possible.

• For Mildenhall: Apart from Fr Luke, all people, without exception, are to use the front door of the Church (not the sacristy door).

• The churches are to be disinfected after every celebration of Mass. (Volunteers needed please; PPE provided.)

• People will need to arrive for Mass just before it starts and leave immediately afterwards, no teas and coffee or social gatherings.

These are compulsory national guidelines, I know they are not easy (believe me I have spent along time trying to get my head around them!) so please be patient, and help each other stay safe as we strive to move forward together as a worshipping community.”

To comply with social distancing guidelines only a restricted amount of people will be able to attend Mass at any one time. Masses will continue to be streamed from our churches during this time to enable those who cannot come to still participate. The obligation to attend Mass on a Sunday continues to be dispensed with so please consider making a Weekday Mass your ‘weekly Mass instead. For the time being attending Mass will look like this:

From 1pm on Wednesday afternoon you will be able to reserve a seat for you and your household at any of the Masses for the upcoming weekend or week. Masses will be celebrated: Sun 9 am Mildenhall, Sun 11 am Brandon, and then 10 am Tuesday-Friday. Tues and Thurs at Mildenhall and Wed and Fri at Brandon. Masses at Mildenhall will take place in the main Church only so that a safe distance can be ensured, this will also enable more people to attend during the week.

To book for you and your household please phone Fr Luke at the presbytery from 1pm on Wednesdays (and no later than 7pm please) or email the parish email. (Phone is best.) 

Please do not leave a message to book a Mass. You must either speak to me or have an email from me to confirm your seat at Mass.

Up to three families of four can be accommodated to sit together at any one Mass. I will try and place couples together, but in some cases, you may need to sit separately. I will make myself available each Wednesday afternoon to take bookings, of course you can try and book after Wednesday but for now I will be allocating seats on a first come – first served basis. Please note that I will not take bookings before 1pm on Wednesday each week. You will be allowed to book attendance at one Sunday Mass (and possibly one weekday Mass, depending on numbers) If I cannot give you the Mass you would like you will be offered a space at the next available Mass.  As we have not been inundated with numbers for weekday Masses at the moment I will only take bookings for Sunday Masses, if you would like to come in the week, just turn up. (Face coverings are still required.) I will review this each week and this is subject to change as numbers and circumstances require.

I know this all sounds very draconian, but it’s the fairest way I can think of doing this – I hate this as much as anyone, but at least, please God we can come together, pray, worship and receive the Eucharist.

Please continue to pray for each other and pray for me as we continue to navigate this strange time as parish – Fr Luke. (01842 812200 bmrcparishpriest@outlook.com)

Fr Luke writes:
There has been much excitement in recent news about the possibility of opening churches for private prayer. (See Tom’s article below.)  Churches in England and Wales were recently allowed to open for people to come in, alone, and pray. The regulations governing this are extremely prescriptive: private prayer excludes any form of liturgy, prayers in groups or anything that I as a priest might lead – including Adoration and Benediction. The regulations are comprehensive including the stipulation that one (but ideally two people) are on site all the time monitoring who is in the church. They also demand a rigorous cleaning of the building before and after each person enters. In larger parishes were the buildings are located centrally in towns and where there are teams of volunteers to help with this, the opening of churches makes sense. In our parish, however, it does not. We have two smallish church buildings one on the edge of town and the other on a housing estate which are usually locked between Masses and services.

In our parish context the work that would need to be done to open our Churches is unmanageable and so I have taken the decision that our church buildings will remain locked except for Mass times or by exception when someone contacts me.

Mass will continue to be streamed daily and I will continue to bring the Blessed Sacrament to you for Adoration and Benediction should you wish. If you do want to pray in a church both Newmarket and Thetford are open at various points. Please see their website for full details.

It seems that the government is willing to allow places of worship to open for “private prayer”. it also seems reluctant to indicate when this may be extended to allow services, such as Mass, to be celebrated. The opportunity to be back in church, even for ‘private’ prayer, will be welcomed by many, especially Catholics. However, prayer can be made in almost any context you can think of, not just in a church. One wonders if the government understands that churches, by definition, are places for people to congregate, to come together in friendship to celebrate their faith as a community, not just as random individuals who happen to share the same space. As a place, a church comes to life when a congregation has gathered there and shares in worship.

‘Private’ prayer is somewhat different. It is individuals talking with God, whether in praise, supplication or thanksgiving, or even, as a friend of mine used to say “having a bit of a craic with Jesus.”

There are some things to remember when you are saying a private prayer.

Privacy is about being somewhere where you can relax and concentrate. You need not be alone, but you must be assured you’ll not be distracted by others. You also need to be somewhere where you can be comfortable.

Prayer is not a competition. You don’t have to say it in a given time. It is more like floating on water than paddling stridently to get somewhere. Prayer is more “Letting Go’ than “Holding On”. It is important to pray at a pace that helps you focus on the meaning of what you are saying. There is a risk with certain repetitive prayers, such as litanies or the Rosary, that you get to a stage when the repetition speeds up and what you offer to God is an unthinking gabble, rather than a thoughtful word. It is better to take fifteen minutes to say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully, than to rush through it in three minutes.

Do try not to say too many prayers. That too can lead to loss of concentration. Finally, very often you will find that the best prayer is silence. Give God a chance to talk to you. Even if you don’t hear anything there and then, the message will come through eventually. And the sound of silence can be a most spiritually uplifting experience when you pray.    
                                                                                                               TC

Fr Luke writes: Would you like a personal visit from the Risen Lord? Although restrictions prevent people receiving Holy Communion and gathering in Church. As a ‘religious worker’ I am key worker and so can come to you and assist you. I can bring the Blessed Sacrament to your home, expose the Host in small monstrance at your door or window (keeping 6ft away) lead prayers with you (and any members of your household) and then give you Benediction. So how about it? Are you missing Jesus? Want to pray together in person? Contact me now and we’ll book in time for a visit from the Risen Lord! I will remain at your door/front window with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I will not come in, social distancing will be observed at all times. 

During our transition back to normal service, please contact Fr Luke directly at 01842 812200.

Fr Luke will hold confessions by appointment only until further notice.

Confession are now held at regular slots on Sunday before Mass at Mildenhall and after Mass at Brandon. If this is inconvenient for you please contact me to arrange an appointment – I will come to your house if that is easier for you or you can come to me! 

Mildenhall: From 8:30 – 8:55 

- Confessions are held in the confessional in the right- hand corner of our church.

Brandon: 12:10 

- After Mass I will great people as they leave at the door of the church, if you require confession sit and que in the front rows by the sacristy and confessional (at the front of our Church on the left-hand side.) I will return to the sacristy at 12:10 to begin hearing confessions.   If no one is queuing and you would like confession, please come and find me and ask!