Resuming of Mass at St. Mary

May 18, 2020

Dear Friends,

            I am pleased to announce that we will resume the public celebration of Holy Mass, beginning Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Masses will be celebrated under the normal schedule:

            Tuesday           5:30pm            St. Mary of the Snows

            Wednesday      9am                 Resurrection

            Thursday         5:30pm            Resurrection

            Friday              9am                 St. Mary of the Snows

            Saturday          4pm                 St. Mary of the Snows

                                    6pm                 Resurrection

            Sunday            9am                 Resurrection

                                    11am               St. Mary of the Snows

            As we return to public worship, we will continue to respect state and diocesan directives for social distancing. The staff of both parishes and I will do everything we possibly can to reduce the risks associated with public gatherings. Bishop Daniel Thomas has extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until further notice. Individuals who are at greater risk—the elderly, sick, those with pre-existing conditions—are encouraged to refrain from returning to public liturgies until such time as they feel comfortable and confident to do so. Mass will continue to be recorded and uploaded on YouTube for Sunday morning participation.

            For those who would like to attend Mass in person, the following policies and procedures will be in effect at Resurrection Parish and St. Mary of the Snows Catholic Church:

• Bishop Thomas has dispensed all Catholic from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until further notice.

• If you are at greater risk (elderly, sick, have pre-existing conditions), please refrain from coming to Mass.

• By entering the church, you are acknowledging the potential risk for you to be in a public location.

• We will have limited capacity in seating: 150 people at each parish. Once the limited capacity in the church is full, there is limited seating in Fellowship Hall at Resurrection and in the cafeteria at St. Mary’s.

• Seats will be marked either by tape or by a bulletin; greeters will help you find an appropriate seat. Know that you may not be able to sit “in your seat” or where generally sit.

• You are asked to keep a 6 ft. distance from anyone who is not from your immediate household.

• Bishop Thomas has encouraged (but not required) that Holy Communion be received from your hand. Please make sure your hand is flat to avoid contact. Holy Communion cannot be received with gloves on.

• For those attending Mass at the church but uncomfortable about receiving Holy Communion, know that you may make a Spiritual Communion. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus Liguori both have written that a Spiritual Communion is as efficacious and grace-filled as receiving Holy Communion sacramentally.

• Wearing masks is encouraged.

• Hymnals have been removed from the pews. The bulletin will contain readings and Mass parts.

• The entrance/recessional processions, offertory procession, Sign of Peace, holding hands during the Our Father, reception of the Precious Blood are all suspended until further notice.

• There will be no holy water by entrances of the church.

• The collection basket will not be passed. At Resurrection, you will find the collection baskets in the two main aisles of the church; at St. Mary of the Snows, you will find the collection basket on the table where the offertory gifts of bread and wine are usually placed. Please place your contribution in the basket as you enter or leave the church. This may be a good time to consider signing up for electronic giving, which you can find on the parishes’ websites.

• The churches will be sanitized between Masses.

• You are encouraged to bring your own hand sanitizer and/or sanitizing wipes, especially since our supply is limited.

• We ask for your ongoing patience and flexibility. It is possible that we may not be able to safely accommodate everyone who desires to come to Mass you’re accustomed to attend, so we ask for you to consider other options for  Mass, such as by the recorded Mass found on YouTube, at other Mass times (maybe Saturday evening), or at a public weekday Mass.

            Furthermore, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will continue to be offered. Confessions will go back to being heard in the confessionals, but confessions will be heard from behind the screen only. There will not be any face-to-face confessions in the confessionals. If you cannot kneel behind the screen, you may stand. The original times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation will resume, plus new times during the week.

Times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation:

            Tuesday           4:45-5:15pm               St. Mary of the Snows

            Thursday         4:45-5:15pm               Resurrection

            Saturday          3-3:45pm                    St. Mary of the Snows

            Sunday            8-8:45am                     Resurrection

            I have said this a few times, but I again want to emphasize and reiterate my gratitude to you for your generosity in supporting our parishes during this time. As we look forward to returning to Mass, I ask for continued generosity but in additional new ways: generosity in flexibility, cooperation, and care for each other. We will return to Sunday Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost, celebrating the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. Like them, may we spend these days in prayer in order to prepare for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Please go to this website from the Diocese of Toledo to help prepare for Pentecost: https://reconnecttoledo.squarespace.com/pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit!

Sincerely yours in Christ,