6/12/2020

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

I want to keep you informed about the Cardinal's plans for restarting public liturgies in the Archdiocese. He has introduced a 5 phase plan where phase 5 is the resumption of public Sunday Masses. The phases are not the same as New York State's 5 phase plan for ending the quarantine, so the Cardinal's terminology can cause confusion. Here's a rundown on the phases:

1- churches open for private prayer and confessions

2- small weddings and baptisms permitted (10 or less)

3- distribution of Holy Communion outside Mass permitted

4- public daily Masses and small funerals permitted

5- public Sunday Masses permitted

Currently, NYC is in phase 1 and St. Joe's is still open daily for confessions and adoration. The counties within the Archdiocese of New York that are not a part of NYC are moving to phase 5 this Sunday, the 14th. The city will remain in phase 1. The Cardinal has said that public Masses will begin in the city when the city enters phase 2 of its reopening plan (phase 2 of the city plan, not the Cardinal’s plan outlined above), so I hope that by July we'll at least have public daily Masses, if not public Sunday Masses too.

I've been working with the Parish Council to prepare for the resumption of public Masses at St. Joe's. We have many decisions to make to prepare for public liturgies. If you would like to help, and we do need the help, we're putting together a team to do so. Please let me know if you're interested in helping St. Joe's reopen. 

Additionally, the city has now moved to phase 1 of the city's reopening plan (different from the Cardinal's plan above). Therefore, construction has resumed at St. Joe's. I'm hoping that the scaffolding will be down in a few weeks, and work on the new McGuire Hall should begin soon. Also, repairs on the school building will begin shortly.

I hope that I'll see all of you soon at St. Joseph's, and let us know if there is any way we can help you in these difficult times. 

Have a blessed Corpus Christi,

Fr. Boniface