Dear Parishioners:
Archbishop Blair has announced that weekend Masses may resume the weekend of July 45. On that weekend, we will be celebrating Masses according to our regular schedule, namely:
at St. Mary Church at 4:30 PM Saturday, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 AM, and 4:30 PM Sunday and
at St. Agnes Church at 5:00 PM Saturday, 7:30 and 10:30 AM Sunday.
Please note that we are limited to no more than 100 persons at any one Mass in either church. If you are elderly, infirm in any way, or if you care for someone who is elderly or infirm, you should refrain from returning to Mass at this time. If you are nervous or frightened in any way, you should also refrain from coming. Please note that the Archbishop has extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass to every Catholic in the Archdiocese through September 6.
All who attend Masses must wear cloth facial coverings (masks). If you cannot wear a face covering, it is advisable to refrain from attending Mass at this time. The pews will be marked off by tape to assist in maintaining social distancing, but members of the same family who live together may sit in the same pew.
At the first Masses when we return, we will be providing guidance regarding how to receive Communion, and for the near future only the priests and deacons will be distributing Holy Communion. Gloves should not be worn at all. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) discourages the use of gloves by anyone but medical personnel. The church will be cleaned and sanitized appropriately after each Mass.
While we can not be sure how many of you may want to return, we nevertheless cannot allow either church to have more than the regulated capacity of 100 persons. We suggest that some may wish to consider, for now, coming every other weekend. This is new to all of us, and we must all cooperate to make it work. Daily Mass is available at 7:00 AM on Monday through Friday (and at 7:30 AM on Saturday) at St. Mary and at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday at St. Agnes. Neither of these has proven to be overcrowded and may be an option for some to consider.
Know that we are grateful to all of you for your prayers and for the very generous ongoing financial support of the parish during the months we have been out of church through now. At weekend Masses, there will be no formal collection, but baskets will be available for you to drop your envelopes or donations into on your way out of church.
We ask God’s blessings on all of us as we return to weekend Mass!