Resuming public Masses

Greetings in the Lord!

Archbishop Pérez has announced that parishes of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be able to resume public Masses the weekend of June 6 and 7.  We at the Cathedral Parish look forward to welcoming you back! Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we make our way back to the in person celebration of the Mass.

While our county remains in the Yellow Phase of statewide reopening, all of us need to do our part to make sure that our return to Mass is a peaceful and safe experience for all. Please take the time to read the instructions below. We ask everyone to follow these guidelines when attending Mass during this period:

 

GENERAL POINTS

  • The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation continues to be lifted during the Yellow Phase. You are not required to attend Mass at this time.
  • Please stay home if you are sick.
  • Please stay home if you are at higher risk of severe illness with COVID19. If you are uncertain about your risk status, please consult your doctor and also the CDC Guidelines at the link below.
  • Mass will continue to be available via live-stream. Our Sunday 11:00 AM Solemn Mass will be live-streamed. Here is the link:  https://vimeo.com/event/17522

 

MASS SCHEDULE

Our Mass Schedule and Confession Schedule resumes for Sundays and weekdays. The only temporary adjustment is that the Sunday, 12:30 PM Mass in Spanish will be begin again on Sunday, July 5, 2020. Also, Baptisms will take place every Sunday of the summer except for June 14, 2020.

 

BEFORE COMING TO MASS

Please take a few moments to look at this instructional video for the faithful as they return to Mass:

Instructional Video in English (Captioned): https://vimeo.com/showcase/7201957/video/425226684

Video instructivo en Español:  https://vimeo.com/showcase/7201957/video/425467653

Returning to Mass & Instructional Video in American Sign Language: https://vimeo.com/425261211

  • Please wash your hands for 20 seconds using soap and water.
  • Before entering the Church, please put on a face mask or cloth covering. Exceptions to this are “children younger than 2 years old, anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, and anyone who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering without assistance” (CDC Guidelines).
  • Please feel free to bring our own hand sanitizer for use upon entering and exiting the church. Hand sanitizer stations will be available for your use.
  • Please do not come to Mass if you are sick or are at higher risk for severe illness with COVID19 (see above).
  • Hymnals will not be in the pews during this period. You are welcome to bring your own hand missal/readings with you.

 

ENTERING THE CHURCH

  • All entrances will be open.
  • The worship aids and parish bulletins will not be distributed by the greeters. You will need to take one personally.  Please take the worship aid home with you.

 

SEATING

  • When taking your seat, please sit in every other pew to ensure proper social distancing.
  • Members of the same household may sit together as normal. Please place 6 feet between your household and members of a different household.

 

DURING MASS

  • Liturgical singing will be minimal during this period.
  • The collection will be taken up as usual. However, there will be no presentation of the Gifts during the Yellow Phase.
  • There will be no Sign of Peace during Mass during the Yellow Phase.
  • The Precious Blood will not be distributed during Mass during the Yellow Phase.
  • There should be no holding of hands during the Our Father.

 

RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION

  • Please form a single line for the procession to Holy Communion.
  • Please maintain social distancing in the Communion line. Please keep several pews between yourself and the person in front of you while in line and when returning to your pew.
  • During the Yellow Phase, the faithful are asked to receive Holy Communion in the hand.
  • Please remove your mask before receiving Holy Communion.

 

EXITING THE CHURCH

  • At the conclusion of Mass, please exit the Church and proceed directly to your car. Please do not congregate for any reason.
  • Please take a parish bulletin home with you. They will be on the tables at the entrances to the Basilica and Chapel.
  • Please leave your mask on until you exit the Church.

 

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

The Cathedral Parish will follow the guidelines from the CDC for sanitation as we resume public Masses.

 

We have endured a Eucharistic fast for many weeks now and so we rejoice to return to our beloved Basilica to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  May we be renewed in our faith and devotion to the Mystery of the altar.  May we be committed even more so to our love of God and our neighbor.  I am looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

God bless,
Father Dennis Gill
Rector

OTHER RESOURCES

PLEASE SHARE THESE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS:

  • Please see the ARISE website of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for additional resources as we move out of the COVID-19 Pandemic, archphila.org/arise.

Returning to Mass Testimonial Videos

The Returning to Mass videos are a compilation of testimonies from local Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholics about their excitement to return to Mass after their prolonged fast from the Eucharist during the COVID-19 restrictions.  They are designed to inspire confidence and joy in returning to Mass and a sense of “rising from the tomb” with Christ as we emerge from the difficult period of lock down.

Open Doors Video 

Get a glimpse of the open doors of our local parishes as we welcome everyone back to the public celebration of the Mass. In this video, pastors and parishioners joyfully announce that the doors are open for Mass once again, culminating with a “welcome home” from Archbishop Pérez​!

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