Dear Friends,
The celebration of Holy Week and Easter which we concluded last weekend was uplifting even as we continue to contend with the limitations imposed by the pandemic. Our celebration of Christ crucified, dead, buried, and raised to life echoed well with what we have been facing in the past year. Even though our celebration of Holy Week was not what it would normally be, both in terms of the scope of the liturgy and the attendance, nevertheless, unlike last year, we were here in church celebrating these holiest of days in our liturgical calendar. The attendance was significantly higher in numbers and most everyone cooperated with COVID19 measures, especially the wearing of masks and social distancing.
Going forward, we expect that even more of our people will be returning to church in person, especially as more and more receive their vaccinations. All of the parish clergy are now fully vaccinated and as the weeks ahead unfold, we expect that we will return, even if in a gradual manner, to a normalcy akin to that which we had prepandemic. If you are fully vaccinated, which by definition of the CDC means two full weeks after your second vaccine injection of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two full weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you should feel safer in returning to church. Of course, we will continue to wear masks and practice social distancing until it is safe to do so no longer.
This, the Second Sunday of Easter, also referred to as the Octave (or eighth day) of Easter is also designated at Divine Mercy Sunday. While we will not be offering Divine Mercy devotions this year, there will be such devotions offered at Divine Mercy Parish in Hamden (at St. Rita Church on Whitney Avenue) at 3:00 PM as well as at St. Stanislaus Church (on State Street in New Haven), also at 3:00 PM. For those unable to participate in those celebrations, our own churches will be open at 3:00 PM for private prayer and devotions as usual.
Finally, an important announcement is in order. Beginning January 3, 2022 and going forward, the daily Mass schedule for St. Mary’s Church will be changing. Beginning in January, weekday Masses at St. Mary’s Church will be celebrated at 8:00 AM Monday through Saturday. Please make a note of this in your calendars. We will be issuing periodic reminders as we move through the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
Have a pleasant week!