St. Bonaventure Parish - Phase I for Re-opening
St Bonaventure Parish will resume the public celebration of the sacramental life of our Church beginning on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. As of that date our normal Mass schedule is restored. Namely, weekday Masses: Monday - Saturday: 8:00 AM; weekend Masses: Saturday - 4:00 PM, Sunday - 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM. The Mass schedule will be reviewed and changed if warranted. All Masses during the first week of re-opening will have a target limit of 100 persons. This means not everyone can attend Sunday Mass. Please consider a weekday Mass as a viable alternative. Our communal celebrations will be marked by significant changes and restrictions. Please read the whole of this statement prior to your return to Mass. Helpful links are provided toward the end of this statement for additional information. During the interim time before the restoration of public Masses, our church will remain open for private prayer from 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM every day, and Fr. Ken will be available in the church (at what will again be our normal Mass times) to hear confessions and to answer your questions. The other Sacraments of the Church will be restored with restrictions beginning Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Please call the office for more information.
The Sad Reality
Although permitted by governmental and ecclesial authorities, the resumption of communal activities at our parish carries with it a risk of COVID-19 infection. Not everyone should participate in the Phase 1 re-opening of our church:
- Individuals who know or suspect that they are infected with COVID-19 or any other communicable disease should NOT attend Mass.
- Individuals displaying any of the symptoms of COVID-19 should NOT attend Mass.
- Individuals who know or suspect that they have been recently exposed to a person with COVID-19 should NOT attend Mass.
- Individuals who are at high risk for COVID-19 complications should they contract the illness or who reside with (or care for) such a vulnerable person should NOT attend Mass.
- Individuals who have recently been involved in an uncontrolled social situation (e.g., a large party or gathering) at risk of spreading COVID-19 should NOT attend Mass.
Remember, Phase 1 of re-opening our parish restores the opportunity to publicly celebrate the Sacraments but not the obligation. All Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston remain dispensed from their Sunday and Holy Day obligation to attend Mass.
The Basics
The successful resumption of parish communal life requires the diligence of the parish staff and the cooperation of all our parishioners. Almost everyone will find our new rules for operation onerous. Some will think the regulations go too far. Others will think they don’t go far enough. Nevertheless, we will all have to suffer these regulations together for now. Touchless hand sanitizer units are available for parishioner use and are located near the doors of the church. There are many other hygienic restrictions that the parish will be following. Some you will see (the holy water fonts will remain empty). Some you will not see (the church will be sanitized between each Mass).
The Rules You Need to Know
1. Facial coverings must be worn. The Governor has stated that facial masks covering the nose and the mouth must be worn by all people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts whenever social distancing of at least 6’ cannot be maintained. Regulations for the re-opening of houses of worship mandate that masks MUST be worn by all attendees and social distancing of at least 6’ MUST be maintained. Therefore, all parishioners are asked to wear a facial covering before, during and after Mass with the following exceptions: The priest or any attending minister does not need to wear a mask while in the sanctuary. However, they must wear a mask when distributing Communion. Parishioners must wear a mask throughout the service but may remove their masks when receiving Communion. Children under the age of 2 are exempt from wearing a mask. Children, ages 2 - 5, may or may not wear a mask according to the judgment of their parents. All children over the age of 5 and all adults must wear a mask, except in the case of medical need.
2. Social distancing must be maintained. A distance of at least 6’ must be maintained by all individuals and family groups while on parish property. This distance will be relatively easy to maintain once you are seated in a pew. For everyone’s comfort and safety, the same social distance must be maintained while entering and exiting the church or moving around within the church. All parishioners are requested to be in their pew prior to the start of Mass and to stay in their pew until the final blessing. Remember: The whole congregation CANNOT press through the doors at the same time.
3. Every pew will be marked with a RED CARD or a GREEN CARD (think “stop” and “go”). No one is permitted to sit in a pew marked with a red card. Seating along the walls under the windows is not permitted. Individuals or family groups may sit in a pew marked with a green card. Individuals attending Mass must sit 6’ away from all other people in the pew. Couples may sit together but should be separated by 6’ from any other individual, couple or family group. Likewise, families may sit together in the same pew but should be separated by 6’ from any other social unit. For easy reference, most of the kneelers in the church are 5 ½’ in length.
4. Try not to use the restrooms. Only the two restrooms located near the front doors of the church will be open for public use. Plan ahead. You are only at church for an hour. It is impossible to clean the bathrooms between individual usage and so they may pose a unique health threat. The sacristy restroom and the multi-user restrooms located in the church hall are temporarily closed to public use.
5. Be flexible. A number of temporary changes have been made to our public liturgies. Some of these changes will be with us for the foreseeable future while others will be relaxed over time as health conditions warrant. Remember, we gather to celebrate the saving Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, not to lament our current circumstances. Please adhere to the following Phase 1 liturgical guidelines:
A. There will be no liturgical processions. The priest will come from the sacristy immediately to the altar at the beginning of Mass and will return to the sacristy immediately following the dismissal.
B. There will be no presentation of the gifts. The bread and wine used at Mass will be prepared beforehand by the priest and placed in the sanctuary. There will be no food wagon available at the 10:00 AM Mass for the children’s donations to the Fund for the Needy.
C. There will be no offertory collection. Drop boxes for receiving your donations will be at the entrances of the church for you to deposit your offering upon arrival or departure. Fear not, someone will be watching the boxes!
D. The sign of peace will be suspended. Likewise, no one is permitted to hold hands during the Our Father.
E. Communion will be received in the pew. Please stand (or otherwise indicate if you are disabled) that you wish to receive. The priest will come to you. Communion can only be received in the hand. Your hand must be ungloved in reverence to the Body of Christ. Communion from the cup is suspended indefinitely. Low gluten hosts remain available but the priest must be notified prior to the start of Mass. Everyone should remain in their pew until Mass is ended.
F. During Phase I of re-opening, there will be no ushers, no greeters, no altar servers, no lectors, and no eucharistic ministers. These functions will be performed either by the priest himself or a trained staff member.
The parish is permitted to use only one instrumentalist and one cantor at Masses. The congregation is not permitted to sing. All hymnals and prayer books have been removed from the pews. The parish bulletin will contain the prayers and the readings necessary for Sunday Mass. If you use the bulletin as a worship aid, you must dispose of it in trash barrels located at the exits of the church. The bulletins cannot be reused. Hopefully, some of these restrictions will be eased when the Commonwealth is able to enter into Phase II, Phase III and Phase IV of re-opening. Check the parish webpage for updates as they become available. For now, all social gatherings, instructional classes and non- sacramental prayer gatherings remain suspended. For now, the July 12th Confirmations remain scheduled but more information will be forwarded when it is available. The Fund for the Needy food pantry remains open as it has throughout the duration of this crisis.
St. Bonaventure Parish is one of the largest religious communities on the South Shore. Many eyes will be watching what we do. It is important that we get it right. Please bear in mind that none of the retired priests are available to help the pastor through Phase I of re-opening, and the pastor’s concentration will be on making sacraments available to parishioners. This may limit his availability for other pastoral work. Be patient. If Phase I goes well, our retired priests should be able to rejoin us soon.
Resources for COVID-19 Information
Click on the links below for information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Massachusetts Department of Public Health for guidance on the following topics:
- How to protect yourself from COVID-19
- Symptoms of COVID-19
- What to do if you are sick
Centers for Disease Control:
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Massachusetts Department of Public Health:
www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
On-demand Sunday and Daily Masses:
For your convenience, the parish is providing the following links -
In English -
- www.catholictv.org/masses/catholictv-mass (scroll down to choose the current date)
- www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings
- www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass/
In Spanish -
On-demand Daily Readings:
Parish Donations:
Thank you for your continued support of St. Bonaventure Parish. As always, we are grateful for your generosity and for the sacrifices that you are making in these distressed times. Remember:
- If mailing anything to the parish use the post office box address. The post office will not deliver any mail addressed to the physical location of the building. When mailing, use:
Manomet, MA 02345-0996
- If using the parish online giving program for the first time, you can set up an account to make an online donation to St. Bonaventure Parish in the category of your choice and in the manner that best suits your needs. Click on the Parish Giving icon on the bottom of our web page.
May Mary, Mother of Divine Hope, pray for us in this time of distress.
May Jesus, Our Divine Hope, give us courage to face the days ahead.
May we remain faithful to His call and always remember that wherever the Cross is,
the Resurrection is sure to follow.
May God have mercy on us all.
Welcome
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Mass Schedule
Monday - Saturday - 8:00 AM Saturday - 4:00 PM Sunday - 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM Family Mass & 11:30 AM Reconciliation Saturdays 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM, or by appointment Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament ~ SUSPENDED Friday Noon to Evening Prayer & Benediction at 5:30 PM |
First Friday of the month ~ SUSPENDED
After the 8:00 AM Mass to Evening Prayer & Benediction at 5:30 PM Rosary ~ SUSPENDED Weekdays after the 8:00 AM Mass Family Rosary is prayed on the first Saturday of the month at 3:00 PM Divine Mercy Chaplet ~ SUSPENDED Fridays at 3:00 PM |
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