Dear Friends in Christ:
We are so happy and eager to welcome you back to the public celebration of Mass. This has been a long time coming, and we are overjoyed at the prospect of once again being gathered around Christ’s altar in our beautiful St. Mary church with you.
The Bishop is continuing the suspension of your obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
Of course, if you or anyone in your household are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (shortness of breath, fever, or cough) you must not attend. We will continue to live-stream the Sunday morning 7:30 Mass, and post it on-line for those who would like to participate later.
We have been carefully preparing new procedures with the guidance of the Diocese and the state to ensure the safety of all our parishioners. With that being said, there is always some risk involved when attending public functions. Please read them completely and carefully.
During this initial phase of our Diocesan reopening, we are limited to a maximum of 30% of our seating capacity. Allowing for the necessary six-foot social distancing, that means we will be able to seat approx. 300 people for Mass. (There will be a maximum of 20 handicap/special needs seats available in the narthex for each Mass.)
Reservations are required for Sunday Masses
Arrival and Seating for Sunday Masses
We know that these changes will take some time to get used to, and will require adjustments and flexibility from all of us. And we understand that some people may prefer to continue worshiping at home due to the new procedures and protocols, and that is okay too! Our hope is that many of these changes will no longer be necessary when we move into the State’s fifth and final phase for reopening. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your patience and cooperation as we all try to do our part to keep everyone safe and healthy at Mass at St. Mary. We can’t wait to see you and to celebrate with you in person! Please be assured of our continued prayers for you and your loved ones. And let us all continue to pray for an end to the pandemic, and for safety for all. God bless you and keep you always!
In Christ,
Fr. DiTomo
We are so happy and eager to welcome you back to the public celebration of Mass. This has been a long time coming, and we are overjoyed at the prospect of once again being gathered around Christ’s altar in our beautiful St. Mary church with you.
The Bishop is continuing the suspension of your obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
Of course, if you or anyone in your household are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (shortness of breath, fever, or cough) you must not attend. We will continue to live-stream the Sunday morning 7:30 Mass, and post it on-line for those who would like to participate later.
We have been carefully preparing new procedures with the guidance of the Diocese and the state to ensure the safety of all our parishioners. With that being said, there is always some risk involved when attending public functions. Please read them completely and carefully.
During this initial phase of our Diocesan reopening, we are limited to a maximum of 30% of our seating capacity. Allowing for the necessary six-foot social distancing, that means we will be able to seat approx. 300 people for Mass. (There will be a maximum of 20 handicap/special needs seats available in the narthex for each Mass.)
Reservations are required for Sunday Masses
- Because it will be impossible to accommodate all of our parishioners for Sunday Masses, we are asking parishioners to reserve their seat on-line each weekend. Please go to our parish website (stmaryhuntley.org) in order to do so, and follow the prompts from our home-page.
- Technical support to assist with on-line reservations is available by calling 847-669-3137. If you do not have access to the internet at home, you may also have another family member or friend make your reservation for you from their computer.
- Seat reservations apply only to Sunday Masses and the Saturday Vigil Mass. Daily Masses will be on a first-come, first-served basis, until the church capacity is reached. Given that we can accommodate 300 for Mass, we do not anticipate having to turn anyone away for daily Mass.
Arrival and Seating for Sunday Masses
- Please arrive no earlier than 20 minutes prior to the start of Mass. You will keep your mask on the entire time, with the exception of receiving Holy Communion.
- Enter & Exit through the main Church Doors for all Masses.
- You will be greeted inside the door, please give them your printed confirmation or show it on your phone. If you do not have a reserved seat, they will show you to the “stand-by” line and you will be seated if there are any seats available.
- Please maintain six-foot social distancing at all times with people not from your own household, and use the provided hand sanitizer before entering the church.
- Ushers will show you to your seat. We will begin seating from the front of the church, moving toward the back. Please note that you may not be able to sit in your “usual” seat or pew for Mass. Thank you for your understanding.
- Every other pew will be closed, and the available pews will have markers every six feet to maintain distance from those not in your household.
- Reservations are not required for daily Masses.
- The church doors will be unlocked 20 minutes before the scheduled Mass time. You will seat yourself following the guidelines for Sunday Mass.
- Enter and Exit through the Main doors of the Church.
- Please do not linger in the narthex.
- The “sign of peace” will be temporarily suspended, and you are kindly asked to not hold hands during the Our Father, even with members of your own household.
- There will be no holy water in the fonts by the church doors, or hymnals in the pews.
- We will not pass the collection basket. Instead, you will be able to drop your donation in baskets by the doors as you exit.
- Singing will be limited in order to minimize the spread of germs through the air.
- Holy Communion will only be distributed by the priests and deacons. Please maintain proper social distancing in the Communion line with people from outside your household.
- You may remove your face mask as you come forward for Communion. After you consume, please put your face mask back in place.
- Please also note that no gloves will be permitted as you receive Holy Communion.
- Altar Servers, ushers, and EMHC’s will not be needed for the time being.
- At the end of Mass please do not congregate in the narthex or parking lot, but return to your car in a timely fashion, to allow us time to prepare for the next Mass.
- Only the narthex restroom will be open for use. Children under 10 must be accompanied by a parent to make sure they properly wash their hands.
- Parish Staff will clean and sanitize the church and common areas after each Mass.
- Please do not bring any sanitizing supplies or wipes with you that contain bleach, as they will damage the wood of the pews and other items.
We know that these changes will take some time to get used to, and will require adjustments and flexibility from all of us. And we understand that some people may prefer to continue worshiping at home due to the new procedures and protocols, and that is okay too! Our hope is that many of these changes will no longer be necessary when we move into the State’s fifth and final phase for reopening. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your patience and cooperation as we all try to do our part to keep everyone safe and healthy at Mass at St. Mary. We can’t wait to see you and to celebrate with you in person! Please be assured of our continued prayers for you and your loved ones. And let us all continue to pray for an end to the pandemic, and for safety for all. God bless you and keep you always!
In Christ,
Fr. DiTomo