Pentecost - Updated Guidelines
For the Feast of Pentecost:
St. Alphonsus Parish will celebate mass at its traditional times:
Saturday at 4:15pm
Sunday at 7:00am, 9:00am, 11:00am, and 5:15pm
- Please plan on arriving 5-10 minutes early, and remember that we are limited to about 150 people per mass. We ask that everyone use the front-center doors. If the steps are an issue, the side door by the circular drive will be open, but only for those who need it.
- You must wear a mask the entire time you are in the church. The only exception to this are those who are 2 years and younger. If you do not have a mask, and are unable to aquire one, we will have some available.
- There will be no missalettes or hymnals, but there will be a worship aid with music, readings and the creed. If you want more than this you can bring your own misal and/or bible. Since there is no choir, we ask that you come ready to sing.
- There will not be a collection taken up during the mass. Dr. Kokx made us a new Collection Box and it is located near the center doors in the rear of church (Carrier St). You can place your Sunday offering in it when you enter or leave church. Thanks again to all of you who have remained so faithful throughout the period of isolation. It has been a true blessing and a great witness to the faith of the parishioners of St. Alphonsus.
- Social Distancing will be in place. You can sit with those you have been in cloister with throughout this period of isolation, but must remain 6 feet apart from others. The pews are marked with blue tape and the ushers will help you find a seat for the number in your party. WARNING: you may not be able to sit in “your” seat, please be cooperative. The ushers are only doing what is required of them.
- There will be no physical greeting, no physical exchange of the sign of peace. To avoid congestion, the priests have been asked to enter and exit directly to and from the sacristy.
- COMMUNION: There will be no Precious Blood shared until further notice from the diocese. This Sunday our seminarians will be our Eucharistic Ministers. I invite our normal Eucharistic Ministers to watch the process and if you feel willing and capable of doing so in the future, please let Carol know. If you do not feel comfortable with it no one will think any less of you. We realize that this is probably the most vulnerable moment in the liturgy. The priest and EM’s will be wearing masks during Communion.
We are asking people to remain in place until it is your rows turn to come forward. As you step into the center isle you are asked to remain 6 feet apart from the person/group in front of you. There are blue lines on the floor to help with this. It is about the length of two pews. when you reach the front of church, you are asked to remain behind the final blue liine. The priest/EM will hold the Host and say, “The Body of Christ” With your MASK STILL ON, you respond, “Amen!” Only then do you step forward to recieve the Eucharist in your hands. Once you receive the Host you step to the side and only then do you remove your mask and consume the Host. Then you replace your mask and return to your seat.
For the safety of everyone, we are urging you to receive the Eucharist in your hands. If you absolutely cannot do so, then the process is as follows: Like the others you must keep your mask on while the priest/EM says, “The Body of Christ” With your MAKS ON, you respond, “Amen!” Only then do you step forward, lower your mask and open your mouth to receive the Host. You will then put your mask back on and return to your pew. The priest/EM will put the ceborium on the table, wash and the sanitize his hands before resuming the distribution of The Eucharist.
- The ushers will prop all the doors of the church open at this point, so that when people leave they can use all the exits, but do not have to touch the door handles. We are asking people to NOT leave all at once, thus abvoiding the congestion at the exits. PLEASE maintain 6 feet between yourself and others.
As you exit: place your worship aid in the baskets marked “Papergater” since they can only be used once. There will be bulletins (but we only received a limited number this week). Again, near the center door (Carrier St.) there is a Collection Box for your Sunday offering.
I realize that some of this might seem troublsome, but we are simply trying our best to keep everyone as safe as possible. Churches were given a special exemption to begin limited public services only because we agreed to do these things. It is a bit of an experiment, and I certainly would hate for anyone to get sick while attending church. So again I urge those of you who are over 65 or in one of the high risk categories, or if you have recently been exposed to the virus or are showing any symptoms to stay at home and continue to watch our livestream, which will continue at 9:00am. I know that some of our seniors are planning on attending one of our 9:00am weekday masses instead of the more crowded Sunday liturgies. Hopefullly, the crowds during the week will be small and they can remain spread out even further. And so, if you are able to come on Sunday, you may want to refrain from coming during the week, so that those who can’t come on Sunday can do so during the week, and vise-sa-versa. At least for now until we get a sense of numbers and how many people are coming to which masses.
May God bless us all, and may The Spirit anoint us and protect us as we seek to once again gather “physically” together as The Church!
In The Redeemer, Fr. Rick