At this time when things move slower we see some rapid changes. You probably heard it by now; today Gov. Walz made public the guidelines for reopening of Churches. We will now reopen on Wednesday the 27th.
Church buildings can only use 25% of their seating capacity, and our Mass outside must not exceed 250 participants.
The weekend plan is to have two (2) Masses on Saturday and three (3) on Sundays. Saturday Masses will be at 5pm and 7pm. Sunday Masses will be at 8am, 10am and 11:45am.
IMPORTANT: 5pm Sat. Mass will be inside the Church
7pm Sat. Mass will be in the parking lot
Sunday, 8am Mass will be inside the Church
Sunday, 10am and 11:45am Mass will be in the parking lot.
Please “bring your own folding chair” to the parking lot Mass.
Some pews will be sectioned off while others will be open, in order to ensure social distancing inside the Church building. I strongly encourage you to bring your own Hand Sanitizer since our supplies are limited due to the high demand in the market, right now. The church will open one hour before Mass and parishioners will be directed to their seats by the ushers. Again, we can only use 25% of the total seating capacity of our Church; thus, come early if you choose to participate in the Mass in person.
At this time of planning and organization, I need ushers to volunteer for the different Masses to direct the traffic and assist me with the attendance. We are not assigning ministries to anyone at this time. It is up to you to decide if you are ready to resume your ministry. However, I will need help if you want to help as an usher or minister of hospitality.
The wearing of masks is encouraged but not mandatory. Please know that I, as a presider of the Mass, cannot wear a mask because it is anti-liturgical. I may use it for the distribution of Holy Communion.
If you are not feeling well, or are concerned that attending Mass poses too great a risk of getting sick, I encourage you to please stay home. The parish will take all reasonable, precautionary measures to keep parishioners safe, but we know that absolute control belongs only to God!
Please be aware that Catholics are still dispensed from the obligation of attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Thus, it is okay if you choose to stay home and watch the Mass online.
Let us prepare ourselves to worship again as a community in the house of The Lord. May God bless us as we enter this new phase of worshiping together.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Fr Omar