Once again, I want to thank everyone for being conscientious in following the facemask, social distancing and reservation requirements for all indoor Masses. These requirements are in place to keep you safe. We will be following them for the foreseeable future. It’s an act of sincere kindness to wear a face mask — thinking about the well-being of someone else besides myself.
With the number of Covid-19 cases increasing locally, the number of people who are afraid to gather for Mass inside is growing. I respect your judgement in making your own decision according to your comfort level. We will continue to live stream the 5:00 pm Mass on Sunday and the 8:30 am Mass on weekdays (except Tuesday). The bishop has given dispensation so that watching the live stream Mass counts for your Sunday obligation.
At the same time, I know those unable to gather also long to receive the Eucharist. On Wednesdays, after the 8:30 am Mass at St. Benedict and the 9:00 am Mass at St. Francis, we are offering the Eucharist in the parking lot. Also, beginning this weekend, we will be offering the Eucharist in the parking lot after the 5:00 pm Mass at St. Benedict. The idea is that you watch the live stream Mass and then drive over to the church at the end (or just before the end) of Mass to receive the Eucharist outside.
In addition, we are celebrating the entire Mass itself in the parking lot at St. Benedict this weekend (July 12) at 10:00 am. As I write this, we are still working out the details. Watch the web page for details. But this announcement has generated a lot of interest from people who are afraid of gathering inside, which is exactly what we had hoped. No reservations are required for this Mass outside. We will be looking at how many people attend to determine if we want to have more Masses in the parking lot to satisfy people’s needs. Again, with the sacraments being the lifeblood of who we are as Catholics, we’re trying to get the sacraments to as many people as possible. Sacraments are not simply for the fittest or bravest people but for all of us, including those who are not able to gather at this time