Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif
Late last week, the Archbishop sent an email to the pastors informing us that public celebration of Masses will resume beginning on Monday, May 25th. While we will be resuming Masses where the faithful may attend, the Archbishop also reminded all of us that this is not a return to normal. There is an expectation that we will follow the social distancing guidelines that have been set forth by the CDC, the governor’s office, and by the Archdiocese. There will be a cap on the number of people who can be in the church at any one Mass. The number of entrances will be curtailed. Pews and chairs will be roped off to keep people spread out. There will be no physical contact at the Our Father, no sign of peace, no Communion from the chalice, and no greeting after Mass at the door. Holy water fonts will be empty. Hymnals and Missalettes will be removed from the pews and chairs. Communion in the hand is strongly encouraged, and Communion on the tongue is very strongly discouraged. The use of facial coverings or masks by the faithful is highly encouraged, even though the use of a mask by the priest is discouraged. Ministers in the sanctuary will be spaced out for the purpose of social distancing. The Sunday obligation is still dispensed for all Catholics for the time being, and the elderly and at-risk groups are highly encouraged to continue to stay home. If you are sick or have symptoms of any illness, stay home! People who are sick who show up for Mass will be asked to leave for the protection of everyone else in the church. Please, if you are sick, do not come and potentially expose others. If you are fearful of contracting the virus, or are uncomfortable coming to Mass, you are encouraged to stay home. If you want to attend and receive Communion, but are not comfortable with a larger crowd on the weekend, you may come any day of the week. We will have daily Mass according to the normal schedule as well. Also, we hope to continue the live stream for those who are not comfortable or unable to come to Mass on Facebook Live (please understand that the live stream is not perfect but it is the best we can do with what we have available to us). Fr. John and I have discussed this, and I have also spoken with other priest friends about this, and we are going to carry forward with our normal Mass schedule for now, and see how it goes, and evaluate how it’s going week by week. If circumstances change, the weekend schedule may have to change. We also can expect there might be fewer lay ministers available during this time as well, which could affect things. We do intend to enforce the guidelines we have been given for the safety of all of us, and we ask your cooperation and understanding. I look forward to seeing many of you at Mass in church again very soon. The Mass schedule, starting Monday, May 25th is as follows:
Monday 8 AM St. Simon, 7-7:30 PM Confessions St. Simon
Tuesday 8 AM St. Al’s
Wednesday – No Mass
Thursday 8 AM St. Al’s
Friday 8 AM St. Simon
Saturday 3:30-4:30 Confessions St. Al’s
5 PM Mass St. Al’s
7:30 PM Mass St. Simon
Sunday 8:30 AM St. Al’s
9 AM St, Simon
10:30 AM St. Al’s
11 AM St. Simon
Take Good Care,
Fr. Bryan T. Reif