All non-essential meetings, gatherings, and parish events are still cancelled
in response to the corona virus pandemic.

The parish office is open by appointment and for phone calls and delieveries Mon-Fri from 9:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00-3:00 pm

You may reach members of the parish staff by email 

May Jesus, the Divine Physician, send his healing grace upon the people he has redeemed. Let us hold one another close in prayer and Christian love.

  

Dear Friends,

The diocese has put together a short 6 minute video on what to expect when you resume coming to mass this weekend on its website.  Please take a few moments to go over it so there will be lessened confusion on procedures.  Additionally, realize we have an added step before entering the church in that we will have someone check your name off for the mass you signed up to attend.  Please call into the office to get signed up to the mass you prefer.  We will be looking in the months ahead to enhance our usher bench with lefties and righties and may even have a few of you also switch hit and be cleaners after each mass.  If you foresee yourself willing to do either usher or clean in the future, though not necessarily this weekend, please try to attend the training meeting this evening in the church at 6:00 PM.  Be sure to wear your mask.

As of this morning, halfway through the workweek and sign up period for this weekend's masses, the mass with the largest number of people signed up is the 5 PM on Saturday with around 20 people.  I have the church designed so that we can safely handle 60-65 people, so again, if you are planning on attending please call in and sign up.  If you are on the fence about whether or not to attend please remember Bishop Brennan is continuing to dispense with the obligation to attend.  We are making plans to make available in a couple of weeks the parish center for overflow seating.  A large screen tv will be set up to show the livestream mass and a eucharistic minister would bring communion down to you at the appropriate time.  We aren't quite there yet and based on the numbers of those who have called in so far, neither are you, but I'm hopeful that if there is negligible health impacts from this reopening that people will feel more comfortable to return to mass in larger numbers and we will be prepared down in the parish center.

If you sign up for a mass and something comes up where you won't be able to attend and you know this before close of office hours on Friday, please call in and have Marge or Charity remove your name from the list so we can keep a good idea of the numbers.  Charity will send out an email later this afternoon letting you know how many spaces are available at each mass and Marge will do the same on Friday.  It is possible and maybe even probable that we will have a decent number of seats available for walk-ups at certain masses, so if that is a risk you're willing to take please feel free to do so.  Again, please don't plan on showing up before mass until 25 minutes before it starts since there will be people cleaning from the previous mass.  As the video states, don't plan on staying in the church after mass is over for private prayer.  If you want that private prayer time come those 25 minutes before mass begins.

This is a learning experience for all of us on what are best practices and some of these guidelines may need to be refined based upon lived reality.  Please bear with us as we figure out the best path forward.

In Christ,

Fr. John