We are now able once again to celebrate Mass with greatly reduced seating capacity, starting Wednesday 17 June. While this pandemic persists the usual obligation to attend Sunday Mass does not apply. If you are feeling at all unwell please stay home. If you are particularly vulnerable, you may want to postpone your return to Church for several more weeks.
The current guidelines assume that everyone entering the Church is potentially infected with the Wuhan virus. For this reason we are advised to keep six feet apart at all times. Families can sit together — i.e., those who live in the same household or who are otherwise not maintaining social distancing outside the Church. If you come to Church in the same car, or if you will be sitting together at the same table for brunch afterward, there is no logic in sitting six feet apart in the pew. Common sense should prevail.
For those who are attending Mass, we ask that you sanitize your hands when you enter the Church and when you leave. Avoid touching anything. The doors will remain open so there is no need to touch door handles. The hymnals have been removed from the pews. The health experts are greatly concerned about respiration ‘droplets.’ In essence, Don’t breath on anything! We are advised that there should be no congregational singing. Even the Mass responses should be said quietly, soto voce, to avoid projecting. Although we normally encourage an enthusiastic ‘And with your spirit!’, we shall now be happy with a quiet murmur. The same applies to the Gloria, the Creed, etc. There is no strict requirement to wear a mask, but use your own judgement.
When coming for Communion, please maintain distance between families. The usual words ‘The Body of Christ’ and ‘Amen’ will be spoken quietly while still six feet distant from the Minister of Communion. After receiving the Blessed Sacrament in your hand, please step aside six feet before consuming the Host. It is still necessary that you be seen to consume the Host by the Minister of Communion. If you are wearing a mask, only remove the mask to consume the Host.
The number of people that we can accommodate in the Church is strictly limited. The ushers will direct you to your seat. Keep in mind that a single individual occupies the same space as a family of five. The ushers will try to optimize the seating. If you are a single person or a couple, please consider coming to the early Mass or come to Mass on a weekday evening rather than on Sunday. Expect that everything will take longer. Especially leaving the Church after Mass will take time since we need to maintain social distancing and sanitize our hands as we leave. We will need several volunteers to help sanitize the pews after Mass.
Because of the limited seating, we will be adding an extra Mass on Sunday, allowing two hours between Masses. There will also be extra evening Masses during the week. The weekday evening Mass will be the Mass of the previous Sunday (with the exception of Feasts and Solemnities) so you can use your Sunday missal. Morning Mass will be the Mass of the day. For now the following schedule applies:
Saturday 5:00 pm
Sunday 8:30 am — 10:30 am — 12:30 pm
Monday no mass
Tuesday 8:00 am — 7:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am — 7:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am — 7:00 pm
Friday 12:10 pm
Saturday 9:00 am
Please note that all Masses are at St. Paul’s Church. Because of social distancing requirements we are not yet able to celebrate Mass at Immaculate Conception Church.
