St. Joseph’s Reopens For Mass
St. Joseph Parish is happy to announce that we will be reopening for public Mass beginning Saturday, June 13, 2020. This will be a gradual resumption of Masses, with an abbreviated schedule of liturgies:
• Weekends: Saturday: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 7:30 a.m.; 9:00 a.m.; 10:30 a.m.; 1:00 p.m.; and 5:30 p.m.
• Weekdays, Monday through Friday: 8:00 & 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning: 8:30 a.m.
Following government directives, the church is allowed to admit 25% of possible occupancy – approximately 180 people. Worshipers will be expected to bring their own face coverings and to wear them while they are in the church, as well as to maintain proper distancing. Proper seating is also indicated. Pews have been marked to indicate which pews are open and which are closed. In order to reflect both the Church's great reverence for the Eucharist, while also providing appropriate precautions against infection, Bishop Barres has decided that Holy Communion in the Diocese of Rockville Centre will be distributed after Mass has ended. Elderly parishioners and those with health issues are encouraged to continue to remain at home and avoid any crowds.
Since we will again be celebrating Mass in our church in real time, we will not be taping and posting any further video Masses on our website or on You Tube. We do not have the facilities for live streaming. Mass is available on television on such stations as CFN (Catholic Faith Network) or EWTN. We apologize for any inconvenience.
As we resume Mass, we rejoice at this step out of our separateness and toward shared life and prayer.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus,
James P. Swiader
Reverend Msgr. James P. Swiader, Pastor