Dear Parishioners,

Happy Easter! Today we celebrate Our Lord’s resurrection. Today He triumphs over sin and death and brings new life into the world. Everything humanity longs for can be found in Him and so we are moved to worship Him this day.

This year is especially joyful as we are able to actually worship together this Easter. Last year at this time all the Churches were shut down due to concerns about spreading Covid-19. This action was prudent and may have saved lives. However, it was sad that so many were unable to worship Our Lord in church like they are used to. So, I am very glad to see that many are returning to Church as more people become vaccinated.

We at Holy Innocents have taken many precautions in order to keep people as safe as possible while in Church. First, we require all people in the Church to wear masks. Second, we clean the Church after every Mass. Third, we enforce social distancing by taping off pews. Fourth, we clean the air in our system with UV-filters. Fifth, we limit the number of ministers of communion to just what is necessary to distribute communion. Lastly, ministers of communion sanitize their hands during the distribution if they come in contact with anyone. I hope these efforts are appreciated by the congregation, and people feel as safe as possible to return to regular Mass.

Though the Bishop does not require anyone who is concerned about getting Covid-19 to come to Mass, that does not mean that the sacraments are not necessary. The sacraments are the ordinary means of grace and grace is the very life of God given to us for our salvation. Furthermore, we have to build habits to receive those graces most fruitfully. So, we should all strive to shorten the amount of time it takes to return to the sacraments as much as possible. We all have a responsibility to take precautions like wearing masks and keeping social distance in order to not discourage anyone from coming to Church. We all also have the responsibility to keep ourselves safe. I’m sure with a little charity and fortitude, we can get through all of this and be back to worshiping together again.

Our help is in the name of the Lord and it is in Him that we trust. Christ save us.

God bless!

Fr. Carter