WORSHIPPERS in an Oxfordshire parish are taking their prayers online in a bid to tackle coronavirus.

The Catholic Parish of Kidlington and Woodstock has stopped holding mass in public and moved onto the internet.

The move followed orders from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that places of worship were to close to help minimise the spread of Covid-19.

Rev Fr Prem Jayalath Fernando described his interactive online mass for parishioners as "maybe the first of its kind in the world".

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It is hoped that by taking services online, believers can continue to worship safely while keeping in touch with the church, its priests and each other.

Rev Fernando joined St Thomas More church in Oxford Road, Kidlington in 2013. The priest is no stranger to the digital world, having obtained a PhD in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence Systems from the University of Cambridge in 2004.