Updated 5/23/2020
Message from Father Rick Dagit
A few days ago, you received the message from me that public Masses would begin again the weekend of May 30-31. Archbishop Jackels has said that the parishes of the Archdiocese "may" begin public Masses May 30-31, not that they "must" do so. Ever since receiving the news, I have not felt for a minute that we are ready to begin again around here yet, due to the danger of the coronavirus. But I also felt that I had no choice but to go ahead and provide public Masses beginning May 30-31. After all, everyone misses the Mass and Holy Communion so very much. And the precautions put in place once public Masses begin again would help ease my concern over my own health issues and those of others. At least, I hoped it would. But now I have learned that some parishes in our area are delaying the start of public Masses until June 13-14. And I have decided that we will follow the same plan. So PUBLIC MASSES WILL NOT BEGIN MAY 30-31. PUBLIC MASSES FOR US WILL BEGIN JUNE 13-14. That will give us three more weeks for the presence of the virus in our midst to lessen and for us to prepare well for the beginning again of public Masses. We are planning on having Confirmation for our parishes on Sunday, June 14, at 2:00 P.M. at St. Patrick in Nevada. Waiting until June 13-14 to begin Sunday Masses will not affect the Confirmation plans. Archbishop Jackels has delegated pastors to do Confirmation, so I will be confirming our young people on June 14. Thank you for your understanding regarding the delay in reopening our churches for Mass. Please pray that God grants us a miracle and takes away this virus from the face of the earth.
Father Rick Dagit
Updated 5/21/2020
Message from Father Rick Dagit
Archbishop Jackels has announced that beginning May 30-31, the parishes of the Archdiocese may re-open for public Masses. So our Mass schedule for May 30-31 will be:
Saturday May 30 4:00 P.M. State Center
Sunday May 31 8:15 A.M. Gilbert
Sunday May 31 10:45 A.M. Nevada
It will be the first time we have gathered for Mass since March 14-15, but it will not be " picking up where we left off, business as usual." There will be some restrictions and guidelines that we will need to adhere to strictly or else we will run the risk of closing down again.
First of all, in preparation for Sunday Masses to resume, all missalettes, song books, and prayer cards must be removed from the pews and stored away for the time being. These are items that are handled by many people each weekend, so for health safety reasons, we cannot make them available right now. I am asking that each parish please take care of this before the weekend of May 30-31. Whether it is the pastoral council, other parish leadership, or people looking for a way to volunteer their service to the parish (and this is an important service that will be needed in order for us to re-open), I thank you in advance to those of you who can clear the pews of all books, etc. before May 30-31.
You are asked to wear a face covering to Mass, if possible. Once at church, please keep the six foot physical distancing in practice. People will only be able to sit in every other pew and once in the pew, unless you are seated with people from your own household, please remain six feet from one another. These guidelines may decrease the number of people who can fit into the church for Mass. But please know that the suspension of the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days that was put in place last March for all of us still continues and most likely will continue until there is a vaccine. So if you are someone who doesn't feel comfortable returning to Mass due to age, underlying health conditions, or any fear of catching the virus, you are not committing a sin if you stay home. In fact, you should stay home.
Until the threat of the virus lessens even more, I envision our Sunday Masses to be much like a weekday Mass. For those who haven't attended a weekday Mass, that means the priest will basically be the only person in the sanctuary for most of the Mass. For now, we will not use Mass servers. We will still need lectors. The cup of Precious Blood will not be distributed, so there will be a need for less Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, even though with my underlying health issues and my desire to not have contact with so many people, there will need to be a Eucharistic Minister to take my place in the distribution of Holy Communion. Those who usually receive Holy Communion on the tongue are asked to please consider receiving in the hand for the time being.
Thank you to those who have supported your parish so generously during these weeks without Mass. When we resume on May 30-31, there will be the opportunity for you to place your offering in a basket at the entrance to the church. We will not have the ushers "take up" the collection and there will be no offertory procession. Because we will have no song books in the pews and because we have been told that singing is comparable to coughing when it comes to the spreading of germs, music at our Masses as we get started again will be limited. By that I mean there can be an instrumental piece played at the times when there is usually processional music, but no choirs or group of singers. In all of these matters, to err on the side of health and safety is our first objective.
Some may read the above and think we have gone overboard and that we are being too cautious. Others, like me, are not all that comfortable starting up again even with all of the precautions taken. But the good news for all is that the Mass and the Holy Eucharist will be available again May 30-31 and hopefully, in time, as the threat of the coronavirus lessens even more, we will be able to get back to what we know as "normal' in the celebration of the Mass. But until then, beginning May 30-31, if you have any hesitation or concern about returning to Mass, please know that it is okay for you to stay home for the foreseeable future. You are not committing a sin by not attending Mass. And if you are able to attend a weekday Mass, you might consider doing so instead of a Sunday Mass, which would then make more space available on Sunday for those who are not free during the week to attend Mass, considering the seating limitations we may encounter.
In all of this, please stay safe and healthy.
Father Rick Dagit