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"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Romans 12:12
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Dear Parishioners of St. Paul Parish:
May the Peace of Christ be with you!
Yesterday, Archbishop Blair
released guidelines for the beginning of the opening of churches in the Archdiocese of Hartford.
A summary of the pertinent points of the document from the Archdiocese is below. To read the entire document, click here.
Opening of Churches in Archdiocese of Hartford -
On Wednesday, May 27
th
Archbishop Blair released guidelines for the beginning of the opening of churches in the Archdiocese of Hartford. As anticipated, this will be a gradual re-opening. The opening will begin with weekday Masses on Monday, June 8. No date has been announced for the resumption of Sunday Masses at this time though the guidelines say "hopefully in the near future." The Archbishop has extended the suspension of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass through Sunday, September 6. So even if Sunday Masses resume before September 6
th
the obligation to attend will still be suspended. When you do return to church things will not be the same, and now with the guidelines in hand, we will have a complete plan to share with you by next week. What follows is a summary of some of the key elements of the guidelines and where how that will apply here at St. Paul's Parish.
Weekday Masses -
Weekday Masses will resume on Monday, June 8
th
. No more than 50 people can be in attendance at any one Mass. Masks must be worn, and everyone must be six feet apart. Every other pew will be roped off and only 3 people to a pew unless they are in the same family. We will begin with our usual 7am and 5pm Masses and see how that goes. There will be no singing and hymnals will be removed.
Funerals and Weddings -
Both of these can also resume as of June 8, but with the limit of 50 people in place. There will be limited music. After June 8 we will begin contacting the families of those whose burials were conducted over the last 10 weeks and begin making arrangements for the scheduling of Memorial Masses for those who died.
Baptisms -
These can also resume as of June 8 with a limit of 50 people in attendance. Families who already have baptisms scheduled will be contacted to set a date and time. Until further notice Baptisms at St. Paul's can be scheduled on any Sunday of the month and we will do one child's baptism at a time. This may result in two or three separate baptisms on a Sunday.
Confessions -
Individual confessions will also be able to resume on June 8. More on the times and how this will be done will be shared next week.
1st
Communions -
With these directives in hand, including that the limit of 50 people at a Mass, we will begin to look at options for scheduling 1
st
Communions for about 60 children.
When coming to church the following points are to be kept in mind:
- If you or anyone in your household is ill, especially with fever or flu-like symptoms or conjunctivitis, do not come to church.
- The decision regarding whether to attend Mass in person is left to each individual.
- The obligation to attend Mass is suspended through September 6. Therefore, the elderly, those with pre-existing conditions, those who are fearful or anxious, and those who are taking care of a sick or homebound person need not be concerned if they miss Mass. Our live streaming of Masses will continue.
- You must wear a mask or face covering at all times when in the church except at the moment you receive Communion. Specific directions will follow next week.
- Maintain social distancing, keeping six feet apart, at all times to the best you can. Those in the same family are not obliged by this when amongst themselves.
- Bring your own bottle of hand sanitizer if you can and use it before entering the church. We will have some available, but due to limited availability we need your help to bring your own.
- Do not shake hands or otherwise make physical contact with others.
- Do not congregate to socialize before or after Mass.
More specific directions about how to circulate through the church and how to come up for Communion and how to receive Communion in the hand and other such practicalities will be covered next week. We will also put together a short video to go over some of these specifics.
It is so good to be moving in this direction and we will be so glad to have you with us again around the altar of the Lord!!
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Joe
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