REOPENING PLAN IN OUR PARISH AMID COVID-19 LATEST UPDATE ON JULY 19, 2020 Dear St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parishioners, We are writing to inform you that we are open for public Weekend Masses since June 20-21 at St. Tarcissus Church. We offer a 5 pm Mass on Saturday and at 9 am Mass on Sunday. The 9 am Mass will continue to be live-streamed on YouTube as well and posted on our website homepage. Reservations to attend the Weekend Masses are necessary. We are also open for public Weekday Masses since July 13 at 8:30 am, Monday thru Friday. Reservations to attend the Weekday Mass are NOT necessary. Your name and phone number will be taken at the door. The Weekday Masses will be live-streamed on YouTube as well and posted on our website homepage. LAST MASSES AT ST. CORNELIUS AND ST. THECLA CHURCHES - Masses are still being offered at St. Cornelius, 5430 West Foster through August 16 on Sundays at 9 am and 11 am in English and 1 pm in Spanish. You can make reservations for these through the St. Cornelius website. The final Masses at St. Thecla will be on August 15 at 4 pm and August 16 at 8 am and 10:30 am. ADDITIONAL PARISH MASSES STARTING ON AUGUST 22-23 - Starting on August 22-23, we will have the same schedule at our St. Tarcissus Worship Site with the addition of an 11 am Mass and a 1 pm Mass in Spanish. The Masses are going to be very different than what we were used to do. Some highlights:
In order to control attendance numbers, and to be able to do contact tracing should it be needed at a later date everyone, including volunteers, must pre-register for each Mass they wish to attend. We are using a website called Sign Up Genius for this purpose. Please CLICK on the following button to Sign Up:
Here are a few simple instructions to follow:
We kindly ask that you pass this information on to your neighbors and family members that may not have access to the internet. People without a computer may call the rectory (773-763-8228) during business hours and we will enter your in information. The Archdiocese has prepared a brochure describing the new Mass procedures for parishioners to follow. It is in the bulletin and you may also access BY CLICKING HERE. In addition to Masses, the church is now open for private prayer every Tuesday from 11 am until 2 pm. Confessions are taking place every Saturday afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. These are being held in the cry room which is located off of the right side of the church vestibule. We are also certified to offer baptisms, weddings, and funerals as long as they fall into all of the above-mentioned parameters. In order for us to offer all of these prayer opportunities (and more as we go forward), we need MANY volunteers. They need to be under 65 and have no pre-existing conditions. Every time the church is open, we will need people here to check that attendees are masked and that they maintain social distance. People will also need to be “checked in” for Masses. Volunteers doing these tasks are part of the “Greeter” group. After every service, every item that has been touched – pews, kneelers, doors, handles, etc. will need to be sanitized. Volunteers doing this task are part of the “Cleaner” group. If you would like to add your name to the list of volunteers please reply to this email or send an email to mail@sttars.org and indicate your volunteer preferences and availabilities. It would be great if we had a small group of people decide to stay after each Mass and help with the disinfecting! The sooner we have more volunteers, the sooner we will be able to offer more Masses. Please seriously consider this appeal to help. We very much are looking forward to seeing you again in person! The St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Staff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUNTEERS NEEED! Hello St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parishioners, I pray that you and your loved ones are healthy. As you may have seen, Cardinal Cupich recently shared our multi-phased plan for reopening churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago (CLICK HERE). Specifically:
Our St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Reopening Plan - First and foremost, it is important for everyone to understand that our efforts will prioritize the safety and well-being of all, while maintaining due respect and reverence for the sacraments and liturgical norms of our faith. I will assemble a Parish Reopening Leadership Team with parishioner co-captains to lead our efforts. Together, we will attend required webinar training from the Archdiocese to ensure that our parish reopening plan conforms to the guidelines developed by the Archdiocese in collaboration with civil and healthcare authorities. We will also receive a starter kit of protective and cleaning supplies, as well as guidance on purchasing/maintaining supplies ongoing. Volunteers Needed - We will need volunteers to assist with various aspects of our parish reopening plan. Importantly, leadership team members and volunteers must not be part of a “vulnerable population” (that is, not over the age of 65, no underlying medical condition such as diabetes, lung disease, undergoing cancer treatment, etc.). I ask all of you who are younger than 65 and healthy with no underlying health conditions to consider assisting with one of three reopening teams:
Health and Age - It is recommended that parishes focus on finding and recruiting captains or volunteers that are not older than 65 and without underlying medical conditions such as diabetes; lung disease; undergoing cancer treatment, etc.); however, if individuals in those groups choose to volunteer understanding the inherent risks, they may do so at the discretion of the Parish Reopening Leadership Team.
The Reopening Leadership Team and I will make sure that all volunteers are properly trained. Please send us a message at: mail@sttars.org to indicate your willingness and ability to volunteer. From those that step forward, we will also request that some act as volunteer captains to help lead each of the three teams. Timing for Our Reopening - As I mentioned, the Parish Reopening Leadership Team members and I will need to complete required training, which will take place the week of May 17. Once we complete the training, we will need to review and complete tasks as part of a reopening certification process to be approved by the Archdiocese. Therefore, the soonest that any parish in the Archdiocese will realistically open for sacramental celebrations, private prayer or Eucharistic Adoration is likely the weekend of May 23. However, our parish, like all others in the Archdiocese, will move forward at a pace and timing appropriate for its own situation. Following our training and certification approval, at St. Tarcissus, we will only open our church once the Reopening Leadership Team and I feel confident that we have the right volunteers in place to make it possible to reopen. Again, the need for parishioner assistance cannot be overstated. The guidelines and measures required to reopen are designed to protect our well-being and that of the of our broader community. As Cardinal Cupich has noted, from the first pages of Scripture we learn that we indeed are “our brother’s keeper.” Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed, “that they all may be one” (Jn 17:21) and commanded us “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34). Our collective patience, willingness to help and the care we take to reopen is a demonstration of our unity and love for one another. May God grant you His peace during this difficult time and may He manifest His love and presence to you in abundant ways. If you have any questions, please contact me. Sincerely yours in Christ, |
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Feel free to call with questions or concerns! |
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