What did you do during lock-down daddy?

As much for myself as for anyone else, I wanted to jot down the main things that I actually did during the nine months of lockdown in 2020. I'll do another post of what I subsequently did during the lock-down of 2021.

So, here goes for 2020:

• I formed and established a team of parish stewards.
• I formed and established a Parish Support Team - parishioners who could offer support within the community.
• I established a daily Mass and adoration schedule for myself.
• I conducted the Re-consecration of England as the Dowry of Our Lady on 29.3.20.
• I completely re-jigged and updated (in so far as I could) the parish data base.
• I began a twice-weekly email to those parishioners whose emails were on the data base.
• I began taking two walks each day. At lunchtime a 4 to 5 mile walk, and in the evening a 2 mile walk.
• I led a weekly Webinar on Zoom about the Holy Spirit in the nine weeks leading up to Pentecost.
• I began taking part, with three other priests, in a weekly Gospel sharing, every Thursday lunchtime.
• I privately made the 30 day Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola.
• I began weekly Zoom calls with parish groups.
• I took part in around 10 Webinars hosted by the Divine Renovation team, approximately one each month. These were particularly helpful.
• I encouraged a weekly parish Quiz Night to happen via Zoom.
• I began reading John Paul II's Theology of the Body again. I had read it once before, 1998/99.
• I took part in my monthly SJMV priests' fraternity, which meant being on Zoom for the best part of one Wednesday each month with a group of priests.
• I gave two live 'performances' via Zoom of a talk about how we could draw inspiration from the example of our martyrs during Penal times.
• When public Masses were allowed again, together with the stewards, we set the church up for the new protocols. Following this we developed a schedule of 4 public Masses and Confession each week. At the same time I established a screen and projector in the church to present notices and announcements.
• I took part in a priestly ordination in Leeds, and in a priest's First Mass in Walsall.
• I had a short break in Norfolk in early September.
• I wrote a sixteen part series on Life in Christ, which I sent by email as PDFs to all the Key Stage Two families in the parish.
• I joined the new Theology of the Body UK network and took part in its fortnightly Zoom seminars.
• I began launching the Choyr.com software in the parish.
• I read a number of books, amongst which these stand out as a particular focus: Transformation in Christ by D von Hildebrand, The Life of the Cure d'Ars by Abbe Trochu (my third and most fruitful reading of this book), The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.
• I developed the regular parish email postings into more attractive PDF mailings.
• I met via Zoom with all the different Key Stage Two parents' groups.
• I logged up quite a bit of wood in the garden for next winter (21/22) for my wood-burning stove.
• Throughout this year I have tuned in to the Youtube Channel, 'Sampson Boat Co', to watch the re-building on 'Tally Ho'.
• I celebrated Christmas with my brother and family.

I'll post on this years activities soon.