It was so good to finally re-open our parish for weekend and daily Mass. I am grateful to everyone for their patience and understanding as we continue to utilize the gym for all Masses until further notice. I am happy that we can provide Mass for as many members of our parish and mission as possible. Our parish leadership team worked for several weeks to determine the best possible approach and I am grateful to them – as we all should be — for their efforts. There are many behind the scenes who make the joyous celebration of the Eucharist possible.
The decision to have additional Masses in St. Paul’s gymnasium and not to have Masses in the church or at St. Peter’s mission was difficult. At St. Paul’s, over 3200 people normally attend weekend Mass. The church only seats about 650, so six Masses are required. St. Peter’s has about 450 regular attendees. The decision was made to find the largest possible space that could safely accommodate the largest number of parishioners, and to provide as many opportunities to attend Mass as possible.
We decided to have four Vigil Masses and six Sunday Masses in the gym which can comfortably accommodate about 225 with required social distancing. These ten Masses provide for 2/3 of our usual total weekend Mass attendance from the parish and the mission. Using the church and the mission would safely seat only about 100 people and require a thorough sanitizing after each Mass. This would greatly reduce the opportunities for Mass.
Along with space, another consideration is the number of available priests. Unlike other peak times in the past — Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, and Easter Sunday, we cannot ask our retired priests to assist. Father Valan, Father Joseph and I have accepted the responsibility to do the best we can for the entire parish, which includes the mission.
Though our first week had small numbers in attendance, it was so gratifying to see some young adults who came on their own, some seniors who made the struggle carrying a chair, and some families who came with a blanket and worshipped together. There was room for everyone who chose to gather around the altar of God’s Beloved Son, with room for many more.
A report on Mass attendance last weekend is included elsewhere in this bulletin and on the website to help you plan when the best time for you to attend Mass might be. We anticipate that these schedules will continue through at least the end of June, although I suspect that our interim measures will be our “normal” for quite some time. We will keep you informed of any changes in our bulletin and on our website. Keep your face covering and your chair or blanket handy!
You and your intentions are remembered daily.
With best regards, I am
Sincerely yours in the Lord, Fr. Michael Houle
Also, From the Pastor:
Sacrament of Reconciliation — Sacrament of Penance — Confession
Whatever you have called the sacrament in which your sins are forgiven, I assure you not to worry if you forget any of the “formulas” for the Act of Contrition that you may have learned over the years or when you were young. Be assured that when the priest asks for your Act of Contrition, you can make one up. It can be as simple as “God, I am sorry for my sins and with your help will do my best to avoid them in the future.”
The three parish priests will be available in the gym to hear confessions on Saturday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00AM and Wednesday evenings from 5:00 – 6:00PM until further notice.
In order to avoid long lines this Saturday, remember that it is currently not required that you come to confession before returning to Mass. Make a Perfect Act of Contrition, come to Mass, and go to confession at a later date. Also remember that all the faithful received a dispensation from attending Mass during the time public Masses were suspended.
Week of 5/10/20:
It is with much joy, mixed with a bit of caution, that we are announcing our guidelines for resuming Masses at St. Paul’s on May 16th. Please read carefully pages 6 and 7 of the bulletin so that you will know our procedures. There are 5 important things for you to keep in mind as we attempt a new normal in these troubled times:
Those who are most at risk of serious infection or illness, as well as their caregivers, are strongly encouraged to stay home.
All Masses will be held in the gymnasium.
You must bring your own chair or blanket. No seating will be provided in the gym.
You must wear a mask or suitable face covering at all times except at the moment of consuming Holy Communion. Masks are required for entry to the gym and will not be provided by the parish.
When the gym has reached capacity based on physical distancing requirements, the doors will be closed until the next Mass. Please consider attending Mass at a new and different time.
St. Paul’s will be open for individual prayer from 9:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday with a maximum capacity of 10 parishioners at a time. To protect our priests, the rectory and church office remain closed to visitors. However, the office will continue to answer your phone calls and emails.
Our School
Join Our Parish
Online Giving
