We're Moving Masses Indoors!

I am excited to say that we were moving our Masses back indoors next week.  On Saturday, Oct.3, we will have Mass at the usual 5 PM.  I am sorry to say we cannot yet offer reconciliation as that would put us closer than 6 feet.  On Sunday, Oct. 4, we will have the usual 8:30 and 10:30 Mass times.  Seating is going to be limited so you will need to go on line to register for a specific seat.  When you arrive someone will help you find where you need to go to find that seat.  We are doing it this way for a couple of weekends to see how many people attend on a typical time.  We will also be having daily Mass in the church beginning Monday, Sept. 28.  There is no need to sign up for a seat for daily Mass.  The Pope and the Archbishop have already said that any obligation to attend Mass is lifted during the pandemic.  But we want to give you an opportunity to attend when it works best for you.  In the past 6 months we have now obtained equipment to broadcast Mass into the parking lot from the inside of the church.  So if you want to attend but feel unsafe in the building you are welcome to do so.  For those who want to still receive communion we will be distributing communion by the Faith Formation doors.  You are then asked to depart by the south parking lot, the one closest to the playing fields.  We want to work to prevent you from leaving and folks for exiting the building. We have also invested in an ionization process for our air handling system.  This is a system that puts ions into the air that attract several particles together.  This will make those particles too big to be airborne.  It will also put new air into the building every 15 minutes.  We are using a spray system on all surfaces in the church and other public spaces that kills any virus or bacteria.  So our space is doubly protected.  We have been able to do this because of your commitment to parish life through your weekly contributions.

We have also put in new carpeting in the gathering space.  A parishioner saw how the carpet had deteriorated and paid for new carpeting to be installed.  We have finished putting in LED lights in the worship space.  You will notice that they change colors for the liturgical season.  And we have installed two cameras for recording our Masses.  We will continue to record and show our Sunday Mass on our web site for those who do not want to enter the building yet.  If anyone is in this category and would like communion brought to your house, please contact the office.  Several parishioners have said they will bring communion to homes in a safe manner for you and for them. 

Finally, thank you for your willingness to be creative along with the staff.  By doing Mass in the parking lot we have been able to make these changes and keep folks safe at the same time.  Although the numbers of people being detected each day have gone up, we have been proactive in trying to keep you and the building safe.  Thank you for your help in these matters.  Fr. Mike