Church of St. Joseph

To the Catholic Faithful of the parish of St. Joseph,                                                 
 
As your pastor it brings me great joy to announce to you that we are moving back to the public celebration of the Mass. Many of you may have already read the new restrictions that the Bishop has laid out for our diocese in regards to proper precautions that need to be taken to ensure the safety and health for all of us during this crisis. I would like to lay out how we will be implementing the Bishop’s guidelines at out parish. Please read through all of them to avoid confusion. If you have a question, please call the office and not a friend to avoid false narratives which are never helpful. Moreover, remember that you are not obligated to be at Mass. The Bishop has upheld the dispensation of the Sunday obligation for all Catholics in our diocese. If you are at risk or have a pre-existing condition that makes you more vulnerable I encourage you to continue to watch the live stream at home until this pandemic is over.
 

1. Before and after Mass the parishioners are not to congregate in the vestibule or the Church and visit.  Ushers will direct all those attending to the properly marked pews. You will be told where to sit. This may mean that you are not able to sit where you normally do on any given Sunday. I ask you to please docile in this for the sake of others. At the end of Mass, I will not be greeting anyone at the back of the church. Once Mass has concluded, all should exit the Church.
2. For the Entrance Procession and the Recessional, only the priest celebrant and the deacon will process in a single-file line.
3. There will be no Mass Servers assigned to any masses until further notice. The deacon will assist the priest.
4. The customary manner of taking up the collection will not be done.  Baskets will be placed at the entrance of the Church, clearly marked for the collection so that the parishioners may place their offerings in them.  The ushers will monitor the collection baskets throughout the Mass and will put the money in the sacristy once Mass has concluded and all have left. I would like to encourage again the use of online giving as a safe and effective way to support our parish during this time.
5. We will have one reader proclaim both readings to prevent two people from being too close to one another at the ambo.
6. Hand sanitizer will be available in the gathering space, at the top of the steps before entering the church, in the sacristy and in the sanctuary for all to use as often as they deem necessary, following CDC guidelines for frequency.  We will also sanitize the public areas of the Church before and after Masses.  This will be a lengthy process and for this reason the doors of the church will only be open a half hour prior to the scheduled mass time and the Rosary will not be recited before weekend Masses.
7. All holy water fonts will remain empty. All hymnals will be removed from the church. We encourage you to use the parish app for the readings or that you bring you copy of The Word Among Us with you to Mass.
8. We will continue to livestream the mass at 10:30am for those who are unable to make it to Mass.
9. Family households may sit together in one pew and all other persons must maintain social distancing in Church; from front to back, in every Church every other pew will be left empty. We will have very clear signs that indicate what pews are available for seating. There will also be additional seating in the gathering space with chairs being six feet apart from each other. The choir loft will be closed.
10. Holy Communion will continue to be distributed under the sacred species of the Consecrated Host only, and Holy Communion is to be received in the hand only. If you indicate that you wish to receive on the tongue you will be refused reception of the sacrament. This is due to the directives established by our Bishop.
11. Only ordained clergy (priests and deacons) will be distributing Holy Communion, no Extra-ordinary ministers are to distribute until further notice.  For Holy Communion the priests and deacons will come to you. This will be made possible because there will be an empty pew every other row which the minister can walk down and distribute to the faithful.
12. The Sign of Peace remains suspended as does holding hands during the Our Father.
13. There is to be no Offertory procession to present the gifts for Mass until further notice.
14. In regards to music we will only be allowing one cantor and one musician.
15. Masks are encouraged but not required.
16. We are asking that the 4pm Saturday evening mass be reserved for those over the age of 60. We will be adding a Mass on Saturday at 6pm, and in addition to the regular scheduled 10:30am Mass we will also be offering a 12:30pm Mass. Confessions will only be held from 3pm-4pm on Saturday afternoon.
17. Eucharistic Adoration will remain suspended until further notice. I continue to invite all to pray in the Church during our open hours.

1. For weddings, in addition to the best man and maid of honor all immediate and extended family members of the Bride and Groom may be present but are to maintain social distancing within the church.  
2. For funerals, all immediate and extended family members may attend but are to maintain social distancing within the church. There will continue to be no wake and vigil service offered until further notice and the luncheon after the funeral at the Church will remain suspended until further notice.

1. For Baptisms, all immediate and extended family members may be present but are to maintain social distancing.  No more than one person may be baptized in any given ceremony until further notice.

 
In regards to first communion and confirmation we will be waiting until the above restrictions have been lifted before setting a concrete date for celebration of these two sacraments.
 
Finally, if you or anyone in your household is sick in any way or is in one of the more vulnerable groups of persons at a higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus, please stay at home until such time as you or that person is able to return to Church for Mass.
 
I know this may seem burdensome to some of us but at least we are back to the celebration of the Mass and moving slowly back to some semblance of normalcy. Please abide by the rules laid out in this letter for sake of the most vulnerable. I know there are many opinions concerning this outbreak, but I am asking you to be docile during this time and move beyond your own preconceptions for the good of those who can seriously be affected by this disease. Jesus says in chapter 13 of John’s Gospel, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another!” (Jn 13:35) Love, for us Christians means, “To will the good of the other!” In these upcoming weeks may we love one another and not just seek to get our own way. Pray for each other and know of my prayers for you! See you soon!
 
Pax Christi,
 
Fr. Josh Waltz
Pastor