Ascension A 2020

St. Benedict Cathedral

Jesus ascends. How soon do the apostles realize they’re left only with each other to carry out a world-wide mission? Maybe they wish he’d have reached out for them to go too! 

But Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to make us courageous, to activate our faith. We might look for His hand to take us with Him, too, but we have work to do: bringing all nations to Him! Let’s get at it with new courage!

Didn't much care for that first homily tonight at Mass, so here is round 2:

Look up. Go ahead, look up. Do you see Him? Me neither. Now look around. Like the apostles, all we have, according to the naked eye, is one another to do the monumental task of bringing the world to Christ. But between us, among us, within us, the Holy Spirit swells our hearts to activate our faith to do what we’ve been commanded with courage and convincing faith.

Let’s bring Christ to the world and the world to Him by embracing one extra act of charity every day this week.

Masses will be phased in over time. For now, we will have the 9AM weekday Mass only. On May 23-24, we will add the 4:30PM Saturday, 8:00AM, 10:30AM on Sunday. 

Masses will be live-streamed via FaceBook Saturday at 4:30PM and Sunday at 10:30AM. Bishop Siegel will be presiding on Sunday morning.
The Sunday 8:00AM Mass will be offered but will not be live-streamed.
The Weekday 9:00AM Mass will be live-streamed.
The Sunday 6:00AM Mass and the weekday 7:00AM Mass will not be resumed at this time. If you are coming to Mass this weekend, please review the following guidance beforehand.
General• Dispensation from obligation to attend Sunday Mass extends through August 15.
• Encourage high risk and exhort sick to stay home.
• Live-streaming continues as noted above.
• Maximum seating: 175-180. Overflow seating is not available at this time.
• Bring your own Mass materials if you wish; no hymnals remain in the pews.
• No lectors or servers will be serving at this time.
• Social gatherings before or after Mass are not permitted on parish property.
• Remain six feet apart, even when coming for Holy Communion.
• Very brief homily: the goal is to have you out in 45 minutes for the sake of safety
• We will sing minimally.
• Only one entrance – east doors at the ramp
• Please take care of “nature’s needs” before coming to church to minimize use of the restrooms.

Entering• No holy water at doors
• Touch as little as possible: railings, pew-ends, kneelers, etc.
• No pamphlets are available at the doors at this time.
• Sanitize hands as you enter.            
• Cloth masks are available: please keep them after use!• I ask everyone to wear a mask in church except at Communion.
• Collection will be received in boxes at entry door.
• Ushers will direct you to sit only in approved places to maintain safe distance. Please follow this exactly to maximize the number of people we can get in church:individuals sit on green tape toward the center aisle and middle of center pews; couples sit on blue tape toward the outside center aisle; families from one household sit in side sections• Raise and lower kneelers with feet instead of hands

Sign of Peace• No sign of peace

Holy Communion• There will not be Holy Communion from the chalice (except priests)
• Remain six feet apart in line – six feet is about the distance of two pews front-to-back
• I ask everyone to receive Holy Communion in the hand.
• Gloves are not permitted while receiving Holy Communion.
• All sanitize hands before and after receiving – bring own sanitizer

Dismissal• Dismissal in order: start with front half, leaving from back to front;
then back half, leaving from front to back
• Departure from both sets of side doors
• Help sanitizing the church – about 9 people total – would be greatly appreciated.

Confessions, beginning Wednesday, May 20, will be in the sacristy on Wednesdays 5:00-5:30PM and Saturday 9:30-10:00AM. There will not be confessions before the weekday Masses because of the need to sanitize the space after its use.Enter church through the east door only. Markings on the west inside wall of church (near the regularly-used confessional) will indicate six-foot spacing from others. The door to the server sacristy will be left open (please don’t close it). Enter through that room and into the main sacristy. Depart the same way.For maintaining sanitizing, please do not enter the pews. Depart through the east door.