That’s what Jesus said—in Aramaic, ephphatha—to the deaf man with the speech impediment in Mark’s Gospel. It’s also what the Archdiocese effectively said to us on June 10thwith regard to worship and parish life. If you were at Mass on June 12 or 13, you know that there is no more social distancing or sign-in (which also means that you can enter again at the north and south church doors, closer to the handicapped parking spots), no hand sanitizer use before communion, there is holy water in the fonts at all the doors, and we can sing again! Parishioners can also present the gifts of bread and wine once again and the sign of peace may be given in whatever way everyone feels comfortable doing so. The only thing that won’t resume just yet is communion in both kinds. And only those who are not yet fully vaccinated are asked to wear masks, though hand sanitizer will be available on the ushers’ tables and at the side doors for anyone who wishes to use it on entering the church.
This “opening” will also allow us to resume other things. There will now be an 8:30 morning Mass Monday thru Friday, beginning on July 5th, but there will no longer be a Saturday morning Mass. However, the 6:30a.m. Communion Service can resume Monday thru Saturday, also beginning on July 5th. And the Sacrament of Penance will be offered each Saturday from 4:30 to 5:00p.m. in the Reconciliation Rooms north of the sanctuary beginning July 3rd. And since the serving of refreshments is now permitted, those occasional hospitality weekends will resume at some point in the future after the weekend Masses. These service changes aren’t taking place until July for several reasons. For one thing, we want to have time to make this information available to as many as possible before resuming aschedule we haven’t had for over fifteen months. Also July inaugurates a new fiscal year for parishes, along with Fr. Ron’s arrival as Administrator on July 1st.
And if you’re wondering about weekend Masses....It’s unlikely that we’ll ever go back to four Sunday Masses, though it’s possible that a third may be added at some point in the future. For now, parish leadership—the Staff and Parish Pastoral Council—will monitor attendance at our current weekend Masses and evaluate the need for any further scheduling changesor additions. Much also depends on the availability and willingness of liturgical ministers to resume their service because their help is essential to our worship and it might be a while yet until everyone feels comfortable with a return to “normal.” I’m sure that someone will be keeping you informed about this as the months go by.