Dear Parishioners,
Mass Attendance
We had 12 fewer people inside our church than last weekend, but we still had more than most other times since the lockdown.
Mass Inside Outside
4 PM 113 9
6 PM 85 0
8 AM 89 4
10 AM 90 9
12 PM 82 0
2 PM 57 1
Total 516 23
The number at the 4 PM was lower while we saw increases at the 6 PM, 8 AM, 10 AM, and 12 PM Masses. We also saw a decrease at the 2 PM because last week was the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. I'm very pleased with this more balanced spreading out of people among the six Masses.
Mass Seating
We have plenty of room at every Mass. Our biggest challenge (at least at the 4 PM Mass) is to make sure we have good seating for those with contraptions. I'm going to replace some of the pew signs by the canopy entrance so that they include the handicapped symbol above. I also removed some ropes and added two handicapped spots on the benches in front of the altar. I was pleased to see people reading the pew signs and needing the ushers less. I think we're getting the gist of the new seating arrangement. It seems easier for people to understand. It's also more flexible.
Mass Exiting
We're experimenting with people exiting after Mass in a way closer to normal. That is, we're trusting you to maintain distance between households at most of the Masses. We'll probably continue to ask the 4 o'clockers to be seated and patiently exit. The 4 o'clockers are the most prone to bunching up because of greater numbers of people.
Vaccine Availability
As of today, everyone 16 and above is eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine in New Jersey. OCHD.org still looks like a pretty good place to sign-up.
New Cases Plummeting Locally
Ocean County has see a very nice drop in new cases since April 1st. We've gone from one of the worst counties in NJ to 17th out of 21 counties. Still, we need to be careful. Parishioners are still contracting the coronavirus and dying from it. Let's pray for a speedy end to the pandemic.
God love you,
Fr. Jim