Saint Rose of Lima Church

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 4 at 10am        Download worship aid

As we continue through our reopening, now in the Green Phase, please be aware of the following changes:

• Our public celebration of the Mass continues, with the following limited schedule:

                        Saturday evening vigil Mass at 5pm

                        Sunday Mass at 7:30am and 10am

                        Monday daily Mass at 8:30am

                        Tuesday daily Mass at 8:30am

                        Wednesday daily Mass at 7pm

                        Friday daily Mass at 8:30am

• Confessions are now being heard at the church, in the confessional. Adequate ventilation and spacing will be provided, and all touched surfaces will be sanitized between each person.
• In order to provide adequate social distancing, every other pew has been taped off. Lines indicating a 6-foot space have been taped onto the pews that are open. Each individual or family should use these lines to maintain distance from others.
• Everyone entering the church must wear a face mask and maintain social distancing at all times. Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrances and we have a limited number of masks for those who need them, but we ask you to please bring your own.
• The liturgy will be modified where necessary. For the time being, we will not have altar servers, extraordinary ministers of holy communion, or the parish choir.
• The church must be cleaned after each Mass. We will use light soap and water to wipe down every pew and disinfecting wipes on other surfaces, such as door handles. If you are interested in volunteering to help clean, please call the parish office at 717-846-4935.
• Our parish office will remain closed to visitors for the duration of the yellow phase but will be open on a modified schedule. Someone will be present in the office from 9am to noon, Monday through Friday. Please feel free to call during this time for any assistance you may need, such as scheduling Mass intentions, requesting a visit to the sick, or requesting information.
• We will continue to live-stream the 10am Mass on Sunday. That video can be viewed on the parish website or the parish Facebook page. Everyone who continues to stay home during this time is encouraged to join us.
• The dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass continues until further notice. Anyone who is concerned for their own health is encouraged to stay home. Anyone who is sick or showing any symptoms, such as sore throat, headaches, or a temperature at or above 100° F is not to enter the church for any reason.
• At no point, either before or after Mass, should there be any kind of gathering in the church or at the entrances. Conversations with other parishioners should be held outside, maintaining proper social distancing.
• Restrooms are available for use. After using the restroom, we ask everyone to use a disinfecting wipe to clean any surface that was touched. Wipes will be placed in the restrooms for this purpose.
• The cry room, because it is a confined space, will not be open for use during this time.
• There will only be two entrances unlocked: the main doors, along Market Street, and the side doors coming off the small parking lot behind the rectory. We ask that you do not go out any of the other doors, except in the case of an emergency. This will limit the places we need to monitor and clean.
• Hymnals have been removed from the pews and in their place, we will temporarily print programs each Sunday. Upon entering the church, you are invited to take one from the table they are on. After Mass, please do not put the program back or leave it in your pew. There will be recycling bins by the tables. Please put the programs in the recycling bin so that no one else will need to touch them.
• For those who are not comfortable returning to Mass at this time, I would be happy to make a home visit and bring Holy Communion to you. We will make sure this is done safely. Please call the parish office if you would like to arrange a visit at 717-846-4935.

There are surely many more details that will need to be worked out and adjustments will likely need to be made. I appreciate your patience as we move through this phase together, and I thank you for all your prayers in getting to this point. I look forward to seeing some of you soon and will continue to keep everyone in my prayers. May God bless you and keep you in his care.

In Christ,                                           

Father Richards