Worship and service in the second year of the pandemic

DESPITE THE CONTINUED uncertainty

created by the pandemic, parish and school communities persisted in their efforts to worship, minister, educate, serve those in need, and strive to make the Kingdom of God present on earth. In parishes, schools and offices across the diocese, people adapted to changing hygiene and social distancing rules to resume the day-to-day life of the Church and to serve society. Where 2020 brought a sense of loss and sadness as everything moved online, in 2021 there was a determination to return to some semblance of normal activity, albeit in small steps. Even some larger diocesan celebrations, such as the Mass for Matrimony and the Chrism Mass, could take place once more, even if the numbers who could gather were small.

Hitchin Pantry, a community supermarket that enables member families to do the weekly shop with dignity.

"There are many ways in which the activities of the Charity build the Kingdom: children receive a good education, the homeless are housed, the hungry fed and the lonely consoled."