Mass Attendance Reminders

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I pray that you are blessed. It has certainly been a busy few weeks. From baptisms, to First Communions, reconciliations, Confirmations, weddings and funerals. Not to mention the ordination that Frs. Tom and Chung attended. As the weather begins to change, we have also begun planning for indoor ministries. We have had bridge classes, pickle ball, and YAH hold their first indoor sessions this past week.

Another effect of colder weather has been the rise in attendance at our masses. While this is a good thing, we do need to keep our guard up with social distancing. As time goes by it is easy to erroneously think that since I haven’t gotten the virus, I won’t get it. But the numbers are once again on the rise across the country. I am also sure we are all tired of wearing masks. Over the last couple of weeks I have had several people speak with me (in person and in writing) expressing their concern in regards to this matter. Some have expressed concern over seeing people remove their masks once they are seated. Others expressed concern over seeing Eucharistic Ministers not sanitize their hands after receiving communion (putting their hands beneath their masks). Eucharistic Ministers (many of whom are seniors) have expressed their concern over a rise in the number of people who remove their mask before receiving Communion. I want to remind people:

You must wear a mask at all times when you are inside the church. When you come up for Communion please leave your mask on until after you have received the Eucharist in your hand. Then please step to the side and remove your mask, consume the Eucharist and then return to your seat. I have asked the Eucharistic Ministers to sanitize their hands after they have received the Eucharist and before they begin distributing Communion to the congregation. We are always looking for ways to improve this and make it safer for all concerned. If you have any ideas please let us know.

Since numbers are rising, it is important that we do all we can to maximize the number of people who can attend mass. I would ask that you begin sitting in accordance with the instructions that will soon be posted in the rear of church. It comes down to family size and the best way to arrange people. When facing the altar the LEFT section will be reserved for singles and couples, so that we can safely seat a person or persons on either end and in the middle. The RIGHT section will be for families from 3-5, and I ask that you sit toward either end and leave six feet of empty space between you. If your family is larger than 5 then I would ask that you sit in the forward side sections and take the whole pew. We may also want to leave the last couple pews in the rear of church for large groups as well.

I want to thank you for your cooperation and willingness to give up sitting in your favorite spot so that we can maximize our seating capacity. I would hate to turn anyone away because we have run out of available seats. I also want to applaud all of you who have stayed after mass and helped us sanitize it for the next mass. This is clearly a demonstration of our Lord’s command to “love one another.” May God bless you.

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick