4th Sunday of Easter

May 3, 2020
 
Dear Friends in Christ:
     Quí Ông Bà và Anh Chị Em thân mến trong Chúa Kitô:
                    Estimados Amigos y Amigas en Cristo:
Good news!  The Cardinal issued his directives on how the re-opening initiative applies to Catholic worship.  The Cardinal encouraged us to form a team, and we have been doing our best to implement his directives.
The Cardinal was very clear that every parish is to resume worship gradually and must be ready with all the necessary precautions in place so as to be as prudent with public worship.  A few parishes have decided to re-open this weekend.  Many parishes, like us, have decided that we cannot get all the precautions into place by this weekend.  We believe everyone’s health safety is utmost priority.
The Co-Cathedral will resume public weekday Mass (Monday—Friday) on Monday, May 4 ^th: 7 am & 12:10 pm.  We will resume weekend Mass on Saturday & Sunday, May 9 ^th /10 ^th with the following interim reduced schedule:
Saturday:  5 pm Vigil English Mass
Sunday:  8 am Vietnamese Mass
               11 am English Mass
                5 pm Spanish Mass
It is a reduced Mass schedule because we envision many people will still be reserved to coming to public gatherings.  Also many of our parishioners live such a great distance away that we envision some will not be returning immediately.  We may be wrong in our predictions.  But we felt it was best to start with a reduced schedule and adjust upward when necessary versus our normal schedule with a possible very low attendance at some of the Masses.
The obligation to attend Sunday Mass (or its Vigil) continues to be suspended.  No one is required to attend Mass.  If you are ill due to any reason, vulnerable to the Covid19 or anxious about possible exposure, you are encouraged to remain at home and continue to participate with our live streaming of the Sunday 11 am Mass.  That live streamed Mass will continue into the future.  
The following precautions are being taken
·  Respecting the maximum number of no more than 450 individuals per Mass: 25% of our capacity. If we exceed that amount, people will not be allowed to enter.
·  Seating will be every other pew. Spouses and families may sit together, but others will be asked to observe the 6 foot social distance spacing.
·  If you prefer not to sit or touch the pews, you may stand in designated areas of the church.
·  Hand sanitizer will be available in the narthex / entrance.
·  After every Mass, we must sanitize all the pews and other public areas. That is another reason for a reduced Mass schedule to allow such time to sanitize. Such cleaning volunteers & ushers will be trained.
·  Everyone is expected to wear a mask in church.
·  Holy Communion will be given only by a priest and given only in the hand, per the Cardinal’s directives.  Social distancing is to be observed while in line.
·  Every communicant is to wear a mask while receiving in the hand from the priest. Then please step to side, lower your mask to consume Holy Communion. Then replace your mask properly over your nose & mouth.
·  There will be no passing of the collection basket. You will be asked to make your sacrificial contribution by dropping it off in the basket when exiting. 
·  To minimize possible exposure, the cantor will  lead us in music from the choir loft only (not from the front cantor stand), and not walk down the side aisle to & from the choir loft as they do at the Offertory time.
·  All hymnals & white donation envelopes have been removed from the pews for sanitary purposes. 
·  So as to assist you in worship, you are encouraged / expected to either print off & bring the worship aid that will be sent to you via email or by going to our parish website.  Or you may follow along the worship aid, using your mobile phone or tablet during Mass.  By doing so, we avoid the cost of printing worship aids that might go unused and also adhere to social distancing guidelines.
·  If you are concerned about numbers at the weekend Masses, you are welcome to a weekday Mass with much smaller numbers in attendance.
Confessions 30 minutes prior to both weekday Masses. 
Confessions on Saturday (3:30 pm - 4:30 pm).
Confessions on Sunday: 7:30 am - 7: 50 am;
                                             10 am - 10: 45 am;
                                              4 pm - 4:45 pm.
Remember to check in on our parish Facebook page and website for up to date information. I love you and have missed you.  I have been praying for all of you, and I am looking forward to seeing each of you in the coming weeks.
Let us pray for an end to this pandemic soon, for all impacted so adversely, and all health card professionals and first responders: police, fire, EMS & others.