Coming Home with Hope, Care, Patience and Respect
What to expect as you return to Mass at St. Luke parish
With the lifting of the state of emergency most of us have had a sense of relief and anticipation. At the same time, to open our church to what we hope will be a new normal will take careful preparation and good communication with our people. Bishop McManus has re-established the obligation to attend Sunday Mass beginning on June 6th, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Many, however, still carry physical and emotional concerns about life in public. We will all need to be patient and supportive of our many journey’s back home. |
Our goal is that you feel the joy and excitement of returning to the celebration of the Eucharist in an environment that is safe and respectful of your concerns and honors our God with the quality of our worship.
The past few Sundays, which included the celebrations of first communion, more than five hundred people have attended Mass each weekend. While this is less than half of what our normal attendance would be pre-pandemic it does point to a hopeful transition. Because we are a parish with many young families, we are developing our transition with the concern that most of our younger members will not have been vaccinated. We also realize that many vaccinated adults are very cautious as they resume a more public life.
This Memorial Weekend Mass will be celebrated as it has been. No changes will be in place this weekend. Over the next month we anticipate a gradual rollout of our liturgical changes. This will give us time to prepare a safe and respectful transition and communicate with you. We should keep in mind that while the danger of contracting the virus has significantly diminished prudence dictates caution. Mid-June should provide a solid benchmark as we process the results of the travel and personal interactions of our memorial weekend and the impact of broad lifting of restrictions in the community.
This is what you can expect beginning the weekend of June 5/6 when the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is reestablished:
I know that this is an awkward period. While the virus has been mitigated it is still a threat, particularly to the vulnerable, the young and the unvaccinated. If you are showing any of the symptoms of the illness please stay at home and get tested when possible. Please respect that people are dealing with the results of the pandemic in many ways. Throughout the pandemic your respect and concern for one another has been on display. It is important that this be maintained during this time of transition.
We should also be incredibly thankful. Many parts of the world continue to experience immense suffering because of the virus. We need to keep them in our prayers and find ways to offer whatever assistance that we can.
Finally, please be patient. This transition is based on our trust and concern for the well-being of one another. With God’s help we will soon be able to gather without restrictions.
Christ’s peace and blessings,
Msgr. Mike