Mass & confession times

When you want to know when Mass is — at your own parish, or a church you'll be near — just ask Gianna. She keeps the times current by reading them from each parish's own website, so you get the same answer you would by visiting the site yourself, with the date she last checked, so you can trust it.

Your own parish

Tell her where you worship, with the town:

"We attend Our Lady & the English Martyrs in Cambridge."

She remembers it as your parish, and from then on keeps its Mass and confession times to hand — sourced from the parish's website, not something you have to type in or keep updated. Then just ask:

"When is Mass at my parish?"

"Is there confession this week?"

Any church, anywhere

You don't have to have set it as your parish. Name a church with its town:

"What are the Mass times at Blackfriars in Cambridge?"

"When can I go to confession at the Brompton Oratory?"

If she doesn't have it yet, she starts looking it up from the parish's website and tells you she's checking — ask again in a moment and she'll have it.

Near you

If you've shared where you are, you can ask for what's nearby:

"Where can I go to Mass near me?"

"Is there a church near here with confession this evening?"

She lists nearby churches with their times and how recently each was checked.

What she'll tell you — and won't

• Real times, from the parish. Every time comes from the church's own site, shown with when it was last checked. She never invents a Mass time.
• Confession as it really is. Many parishes don't have set confession slots — "by appointment", or "ring the doorbell". She'll tell you that honestly rather than make up a time.
• A church she doesn't have yet. She'll say she's checking and look it up; give her a moment. If a church has no website, she may not be able to find its times — she'll say so rather than guess.

A good habit: include the town. "St John's" could be anywhere — "St John's in Bath" lets her find the right one.