Letter to Parishioners on Reopening

Dear Padre Serra Parishioners,

I have both deeply saddening news about the coronavirus, and challenging and hopeful news about our parish reopening.

As you may have heard, our beloved country passed the 100,000 count today for those who have died of the coronavirus. The parish bells tolled for them today at 4:05 pm after I heard that announcement. I ask you to pray with me now:

Gracious and merciful God, look with kindness on all who have died of this scourge throughout the world. Give them your forbearance, and grant them a place in your eternal kingdom, where Lazarus, who once was poor, suffers no more. Comfort the hearts of all who have lost a loved family member or friend.
May they find themselves strengthened by belief in your eternal plan for us. Help us to find a cure or vaccine, quickly, that will lift the weight of this virus from all our shoulders. We ask everything in the name of Jesus, our Lord, may he live and reign, forever, in our hearts. Amen.

Reopening of churches: With the governor’s announcement, allowing the re-opening of churches, Archbishop Gomez has given us a number of guidelines and steps to achieve before we can begin having Mass again at Padre Serra. I will be sending an update this next week. There are too many questions left unanswered to be certain when Mass will begin, but it will certainly be within the next month. The archbishop is not permitting Masses this weekend.

Live-streaming: The archbishop is continuing to lift the obligation on attending Mass, with no end date. We will continue to broadcast a live, on-line Mass for all those who need or choose to maintain their distance. In fact, it is our intention to keep on live-streaming the parish liturgy after the crisis passes as a continuous service to our home-bound parishioners.

We need volunteers: The new guidelines require volunteers for some of the new safety and health requirements. In the words of the archbishop, “High risk individuals (e.g., people who are 65 and older, who are immunocompromised or who have underlying health conditions) should be discouraged from serving in any capacity that brings them into contact with others.” With that in mind I ask any parishioner of high school age or older, who is not health compromised, to consider assisting us in one of the following ways:

• We need many volunteers, either to exchange unused chairs for clean ones, or to sanitize the chairs in place between the Masses.
  
• Because we can only have 100 attendees for the time being, we need volunteers to guide parishioners and count them as they enter.
  
• We need to create a rotation on the tech team to serve as camera operators for livestreaming.
  
• The state has asked us to take temperatures, make sure all have masks, and ensure use of hand sanitizing before entrance into the body of the church. We will need volunteers to assist us in those tasks. We are in the process of gathering safety equipment to make this possible in as secure a way as possible.
  
• The archbishop has also allowed us to open our holy places for prayer, but only so long as there is someone to oversee the safety of all who come. So the parish needs parishioners to serve as hosts at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. We will determine the opening hour based on the availability of willing hosts.

If you can assist in any of these tasks, please email Jane, our receptionist, at jane@padreserra.org, and be as specific as you are able with your availability, contact information, concerns and which tasks you are open to undertaking.

Reconciliation / confessions are immediately permitted: I am happy to say that I will be available for drop by confessions this Friday and Saturday, May 29th and 30th, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm with the following guidelines:

• I will sit under the portico on the left side of the courtyard
• Both I and the penitent are to wear face masks
• If more than one person is in line, I ask all in line to wear face masks and to stand 6 feet apart, maintaining careful social distancing, under the portico on the south side (parking lot side) of the courtyard.
• Families with children who have not been able to receive their first reconciliation:
• Remind your child that I know they are sorry, so they don’t need to worry! I’m there to forgive them, not punish them.
• Remind your child of their typical undesirable behavior they will want to remember
• Have them bring their act of contrition. If you need a copy, it can be found on www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=422

Parishioners may also schedule confessions with my assistant, Barbara (barbara@padreserra.org).

These times are challenging, but I am very hopeful for the future. Please, please, please – as our community opens up, maintain all the healthy protocols to maintain your health!

Siempre adelante,

Fr. Patrick

Also visit: Regarding COVID-19 at Padre Serra