U P D A T E

(Starting Sunday, May 31st)

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ –

 

We are rejoicing that our long “Eucharistic fast” is coming to an end, and that we will be able to celebrate the Mass together in the church, beginning the weekend of 30-31 May – PENTECOST!

 

There are, however, some protocols that must be in place in Phase 1 of re-opening, for your health and safety, which remain so important to us!

FIRST, please know that the Obligation to attend Mass has been suspended for everyone by our Bishop, AND, further, you are strongly urged NOT to attend a public Mass if you are 65 years of age or older, are vulnerable to infection, OR experiencing illness of any kind.  Of course, no one will be permitted to minister or serve at Mass if they display signs of illness.  The Mass will continue to be “live streamed” daily, so that you may participate from home.

 

IF you choose to attend Mass in the church, you will need to practice “social distancing” from other worshipers. This means, keeping a 6’ distance between yourself and those from other households; the Sign of Peace will be offered from that distance; no holding of hands; and, no unnecessary touching.

 

There will be baskets placed at the exits and in front of the altar for your Offering – after Mass, or, you are welcome to continue dropping your Offering off at the Parish Office during business hours. (Again, we encourage your use of Online Giving.)

There will be extra chairs in the side aisles, and the balcony will be opened, to facilitate social distancing.

At Communion time, we ask that you wait for those in the area in front of you to receive Holy Communion before entering the aisle, again, maintaining a 6’ distance.

You are, of course, encouraged to wear a mask to Mass, if you choose, however you may not receive Holy Communion gloved – for that brief moment.

At this time, the Precious Blood will not be distributed, and Holy Communion offered under one Species only, and Communion received in the hand.

 

We, your clergy, will not be greeting you after Mass in the Gathering Room, to avoid congestion, but will be available outside to greet you and address concerns.

 

Of course, the restrooms and ‘shared surfaces’ (door handles, etc.) will be disinfected after each Mass.

 

Again, our Bishop has directed that the Masses on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, will also be considered “Sunday Masses’ – with the Sunday readings for all four days, to “spread” attendance and permit “social distancing” and safety measures.

 

The Church will open for its first public Mass on Saturday, May 30th at 9 a.m.  After that, our “Sunday Mass” times will be: Fridays – 9:00 AM and 12:05 Noon; Saturdays – 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM, and 6:30 PM (Good Shepherd Mission); Sundays – 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 Noon (Spanish), and 5:00 PM; Mondays – 9:00 AM and 12:05 Noon.

For the present, the Mass on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will continue to be “private Masses” live streamed daily at 10:00 AM.

 

We have coordinated with Our Lady of the Mountains, to better serve our combined communities. “Drive-in Masses” are being offered at Our Lady of the Mountains, in which you can remain in your vehicle, if this option is better for you. Those Mass times are available from Our Lady of the Mountains website: www.olmaz.org 

 

Of course, there is no way to absolutely guarantee anyone’s safety in a public place.

Note clearly that there is an inherent risk, regardless of age or health, in attending any public event. This includes religious services. We are trying to make your worship experience as safe and healthy as reasonable, but ultimately you must make decisions about your own health and well-being.

 

Again, the Sunday Mass obligation has been suspended for everyone until further notice.

 

Please be patient, as we, together, learn to practice these new “norms” and to help one another stay safe and healthy.

 

We look and pray for the day that the threat of the pandemic lessens and we can return to more ordinary Parish life and liturgy!

 

In Christ, 

Fr Greg

 

 

“Holy Mary, Mother of God, you have given the world its true light, JESUS, your Son – the Son of God. You abandoned yourself completely to God’s call and thus became a wellspring of the goodness that flows from Him. Show us JESUS. Lead us to Him. Teach us to know and love Him, so that, we too, can become capable of true love and be fountains of living water in the midst of a thirsting world.”

                                                                                            -  Pope Benedict XVI  (Deus Caritas Est - 2005)

 

 

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This week’s Question: “What does ‘Pentecost’ mean? From where does it originate?”

 

The answer to last week’s Question: “When is the Feast of the Ascension?” 

 

Before it was a separate Feast, the mystery of the Ascension was celebrated on Easter day itself. The accounts of the Ascension in the Gospels of Luke (24:50-53) and John (20:21f) narrate the events of Christ’s Resurrection, Ascension and Glorification as one mystery-event.

The Scriptures connect the giving of the Holy Spirit with Christ’s ascent into heaven, a unified mystery and event. And so, in some places, up until the middle of the 4th century, the mystery of the Ascension was commemorated only on Pentecost!

 

As a distinct feast of its own, the Ascension began to be widely celebrated by the end of the 4th century – as a historical event on the 40th day of Easter, according to the chronology given in the Acts of the Apostles (1:3). Thus, the new Feast of the Ascension became an integral part of the Easter Season. In time, a Vigil was added to the Feast, and even an Octave, so that the Easter Season was split into two Seasons: Easter to Ascension and Ascension to Pentecost.  In the Middle Ages, under the influence of monasticism, the period between  Ascension and Pentecost took on a penitential aspect, with the result that the joy and exultation in the Resurrection was somewhat diminished.

 

The Roman Calendar of 1969 restored the ancient unity of the Easter Season – the 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated as one feast day, sometimes called ‘the Great Sunday’, within which the commemoration of the Lord’s Ascension and Glorification holds a special place.

The Church in a number of countries where the Feast of the Ascension is not a public holiday petitioned to have the option to transfer the Solemnity to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, to enhance participation of the Faithful in the celebration. 

A number of Provinces (Archdioceses) elected to do so, including (in 1998), the Province of Santa Fe, of which our own Diocese of Tucson is a part – hence the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on this Sunday!

 

(If you would like to be as well-informed as the “Quiz Master” – pick up a copy of the Catholic Source Book, available in the Parish Office, for only $15!)

 

 

Prayer for Healing from Coronavirus

 

Una oración a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

 

 

 

To watch Mass on line: