Christmas Plans and In-Person Worship Registration
This year we’ve reimagined just about everything our church does, from the way we worship to the way we work. The disruption has created many challenges, but our team has been there with creative solutions, many of which we hope will become permanent even after COVID fades away. But the most daunting challenge of reinvention comes now, as we start preparations for our very favorite event of the year, Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve has also been our biggest night of the year. When it came to making plans for this year, the main question we needed to answer was how.
If you have attended our Christmas Eve Vigil, then you know that this evening tends to be standing room only. As you will probably not be surprised to learn that gathering in the kinds of numbers we have in the past will be impractical if not impossible.
We will be offering Masses on Christmas Day here at church that you can attend in person but, we have made the further decision that Christmas Eve Mass will be online only with a communion distribution opportunity following the stream of Mass.
This was a difficult decision, but we’re sure it’s the right one. We can probably safely assume that in December we will still be restricted in our seating capacity, currently at 33%. And we’re certain that would not even begin to accommodate the demand, potentially shutting out hundreds of parishioners, and that would not feel right on Christmas Eve.
If you are planning on joining, in-person on Christmas Day we need you to register beginning on November 29. That can be done a few ways. To register for the 8 AM Mass and 10 AM in-person Christmas Mass
·online www.stambroselatham.com look for the Christmas at the bottom of the page and follow the link.
·by calling the parish office and let them know how many people you are reserving seats for.
We will be streaming what is shaping up to be a spectacular Christmas Eve Mass, complete with all the beautiful music and decorations, and Christmas traditions you’ve come to expect. This will be followed by an opportunity for you to come to church and receive Communion. The exact details will be released as we approach closer to the date. Like we’ve done for some time, we’ll need your assistance by filling out appropriate documentation as the date approaches. We will be rebroadcasting the Mass throughout the evening if that time doesn’t work for your family to gather and watch, creating flexibility for the when.
Additionally, are encouraging you to start thinking now about hosting a “watch party” for the evening. What’s that? It’s simple really. It’s about inviting family and friends to join you for Mass in your living room or wherever you’re going to be that evening even online from far away - online!
Who can you invite?
Maybe you already plan to be with family or friends and you can start your evening with our Mass.
Maybe you know a neighbor who will be alone.
Maybe you just gather your household members to celebrate all in one place.
Maybe out of town relatives are not able to join you this year in person, but together, you can call watch online at the same time?
Together we could create the “Ultimate Watch Party” with thousands worshiping together, at the same time, all over the community as well as far away.
Each week of advent we will send out a cookie recipe for you to bake together with your family. We will use the message from each week’s reading to help us through this season of Advent as we wait for the sweetest gift of the season, the birth of our Lord.