Dear Parishioners,

If you are able to come back to Church this weekend, Welcome back! Today is the Feast day of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord and I cannot think of a better time to return to Mass after a long time of being away. However, we still need to be mindful that we are living in a time of pandemic and until the state gives society permission to completely reopen, there are certain precautions we have to take. I would hope that as Christians we would want to take these precautions anyway considering that it’s charitable to protect others even if it inconveniences us.

Here are some of the points I made in last week’s bulletin that I think will most affect you. The full bulletin letter can be found on the doors of the Church:

• We are dispensed from the obligation to come to Church until September when the dispensation may be renewed. If you have any symptoms of Coronavirus, feel ill, have underlying health conditions or are in a high-risk category, please avoid all public gatherings, even Church
• When at Church, you must wear a mask and maintain social distance. Every other pew will be marked off to encourage this distance.
• The presentation of the offertory gifts and the sign of peace are suspended.
• Holy Communion will be distributed after Mass in order to assist in social distancing, so that the priest and deacon can wear masks and to make it easier for people to be dismissed in an orderly fashion. Ushers will stand in the center aisle and tell each pew when they can go up. Also, we will distribute all communion from the center. So, people in the side pews need to file through the center to receive communion. Afterward, communicants can leave via the side aisles. (The Church needs to be empty so that the cleaners can sanitize the pews.) Also, if you would not like to receive communion at this time then please either indicate you would like a blessing by crossing your arms or just walk past the priest and deacon.
• We need one person to distribute communion. Also, we need two more people to sanitize the hands of the priest and deacon if someone receives on the tongue.
• Baskets will be placed in the back of church for people to put their collections. We will not be taking up collections during Mass.

Also, this weekend we are making Confession available again. It will be from 2:30 to 3:30 pm on Saturdays under the canopy between the Church and the Rectory (at the end of the sidewalk). If there is someone already confessing, please wait at the sign near the canopy and if there are multiple people, please form a line that extends toward the church and maintains social distance.

Hope that’s all clear! May we all be thankful to the Lord for His gift of Himself in the Blessed Sacrament.

God bless!

Fr. Carter