Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church
Upper Uwchlan Township, PA
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Dear Saint Elizabeth Parishioners:
Greetings from the parish ministry center! Our parish community rejoices in the reopening of the church for the public celebration of Mass and the opportunity for our parishioners to receive the Holy Eucharist. As Archbishop Perez reminds us in his Pentecost Letter:
“It is Time to Come Home.... Come Home to listen to the Lord’s saving Word. Come Home to be with the Lord at the altar for his redeeming sacrifice... It is time for all to Come Home, renewed by the Holy Spirit.”
Beginning this weekend (June 6-7), we are following our regular weekend Mass schedule: 5:30 PM on Saturday evenings and 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM on Sunday mornings. And beginning on Monday, June 8, we will celebrate daily Mass in the main church at 7:30 AM, Monday-Friday. On Saturday mornings, we will have Mass in church at 8:30 AM, followed by individual confessions (also in church) at 9:00-10:00 AM.
In keeping with the latest CDC directives for houses of worship and archdiocesan liturgical guidelines for the “yellow/restricted phase,” there will be a number of changes and adjustments in how we come together for Mass to ensure the safety and good health of all. Please visit the parish website (stelizabethparish.org) for detailed information about adjusted liturgical practices for Mass at Saint Elizabeth.
Please note that we are having the entire church fully sanitized on a regular basis and that all who come to church are expected to wear a mask upon entering and while inside the church itself, to use the hand sanitizers provided upon entering the church, and to be mindful of social distancing throughout their time inside & outside the church building. All are expected to exit the church immediately after Mass without congregating in the narthex; socializing may be conducted outdoors in the parking area while respecting social distancing regulations.
With pastoral concern for those who are homebound, those who may be medically vulnerable and for parishioners who do not feel comfortable gathering in large settings before an effective vaccine is available, we plan to continue live streaming the 5:30 PM Mass on Saturdays and the 9:30 AM Mass on Sundays. The live-streaming and video-recording of these Masses is accessible on our website and Facebook pages.
Archbishop Perez has extended the dispensation from the obligation to Sunday Mass until further notice, even while public Mass is resumed, so that all who are hesitant to come to church at this time are spiritually at peace in not attending Mass.
As both the local civic community and our own parish community move through the "yellow/restricted phase" into the "green/open phase" in the coming weeks, please check out the parish website and social media pages on a regular basis for the latest information on liturgical practices, access to parish facilities, and the schedule of parish meetings and events, etc.
Thank you for your active cooperation and let us all pray for God's healing blessings for all who are suffering from the COVID-19 infection around the world!
Fr. Thomas Mullin & Fr. Andrew Labatorio