Policies and Procedures for Gathering for Mass at
St André Bessette Catholic Church
Portland, OR
 
With thanksgiving to God for the protections that we have known throughout this global pandemic, I am writing to you to follow up on the great news that I announced yesterday. Archbishop Sample has discerned that churches in the Archdiocese may begin the process of receiving congregations (in a measured way) into our churches in order to attend the Holy Eucharist. St André Bessette Parish will be available for public worship, in a limited way, beginning with the 5PM Vigil Mass on Saturday, May 16 and continuing with our regularly scheduled Masses, as was posted yesterday.
Before I go into the particulars of how we will gather in these pandemic days, there are a few things that we all need to keep in mind. These are:
** We are still under and executive orders from the Governor: a State of Emergency which is in effect until at least July 6, and the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Order which does not have an ending date.
** We are very much still in the midst of a pandemic with cases of infections still rising, and people are still dying from this virus.
It is because of these realities that our churches had to close for the good of everyone in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus and to avoid overwhelming our health care facilities. Since these above mentioned realities still remain, as we move welcome congregations back to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, we must do so with caution, patience, compassion, and a strict adherence to the guidelines and directives that have been put forth by the State and the Archdiocese. The full details of the Archdiocesan Guidelines may be found  on the Archdiocesan website, www.archdpdx.org.
What our gathering will look like, and how we will do it
**As per the set guidelines, we will be limited to a total number of those gathering to be 25. This number includes myself, the Lectors, and the door monitor. So, the available slots for sign-up will be at most 21.
**In order to participate in a Mass, you must sign up by calling the church to reserve a spot for yourself and/or your family.  You must submit your name and phone number. If you are signing up your family, please submit all the names of your family members who will be in attendance. Only those that live in the same household may be seated together.
Having everyone’s names and contact information is CRITICAL, as this list and information will be used for “Contact Tracing” should there be an issue of exposure to the virus.
Because having an accurate list of those in attendance is so important, if you are not on the list, YOU MAY NOT ENTER THE CHURCH. There can be NO exceptions.
** To get on the list for Saturday and Sundays: Please call the church and either speak with someone during the Office hours, or leave a message. After leaving your message with your name, phone number, and which weekend Mass you wish to attend, a staff member will call back to confirm that you are on the list for a particular Mass.
Signups can be made any time Monday through Friday by NOON of the week prior to the Mass time being requested. (e.g. for the weekend of May 16/17 sign up will be available starting Monday, May 11 and ending by Noon on Friday, or when the list is full*; whichever comes first.) We will only take names for the next week and you will be required to call weekly to sign up to attend Mass.
* IF THE LIST FILLS UP BEFORE FRIDAY AT NOON, your name will be placed on a “wait list” in the event of a cancellation. ALSO, you will have priority for the following week, and I ask that you please call to reserve a spot in that following week. Please make your “priority status” request by the end of the work day on Wednesday.
****** IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE****that, with the limited numbers of those who may safely attend Mass at this time of pandemic, we want to try and make attending Mass possible for as many as we can. So, throughout the Archdiocese, the Faithful are asked to keep this in mind thereby understanding that no one should expect to attend Mass every week. In fact, I think that it is reasonable to “expect” to be able to attend at least once in a period of a month. So, if you have attended Mass in May, for example, please feel free to sign up again to attend a Mass, but please know that those who have not yet had the opportunity to attend Mass will take priority over your request. I think that this is fair. And of course, we all look forward to the day when anyone can attend any Mass, but we are clearly not there yet!! So to be clear, I am not saying that you can only call in once a month to sign up for Mass. Please feel free to call in every week to make a request, if you wish. Please understand that your request might not be met if you have already attended Mass in that month. And this, again, is to make attending Mass available for as many as possible. Thank you for your understanding on this matter!!
** To get on the list for weekdays: Please call the church to request a spot for Daily Mass by  Noon of the day before  the Mass you are requesting. Monday Mass sign-ups will be on Friday of the week before. So, for attending Tuesday Mass, please sign up on Monday by calling the office and speaking with someone or leaving a message. Also, if you are attending Monday Mass, please feel free to sign up for Tuesday Mass. Since the OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED FOR LUNCH by the time the Mass concludes, if you wish to make a request to attend Mass the following day in person, please do so as you arrive and before Mass begins.
PN: Given that the normal size of a Daily Mass is not typically too large, I am not anticipating that those who wish to attend every day will have any issues. HOWEVER, these are anything BUT typical days!!! We will all just have to see, and pray for the best! Please sign up every day for the following day’s Mass. You may not “sign up for the week”. Each day must have an accurate count of name and contact information in the event that the State needs to do Contact Tracing due to a risk of exposure to the virus.  And as with the weekend Masses, because having an accurate list of those in attendance is so important, if you are not on the list, YOU MAY NOT ENTER THE CHURCH. There can be NO exceptions.
Your cooperation on this matter will be greatly appreciated!
 
ONCE YOU ENTER THE CHURCH HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
***
**When you arrive at the church** Please use the intercom at the east end of the alcove (even if you have key) and please state your name to the person in the Office. If you are on the list, you will be “buzzed” in. WELCOME BACK!!!! It will be great to see you!!!! When Mass begins, the doors will be closed. No late entries allowed. PLEASE BE ON TIME!!!!
***
 
PLEASE WEAR A MASK!!!  In the Archdiocesan guidelines they only recommend wearing a mask. And, obviously, I cannot deny you access if you do not wear a mask. However!!!! Given the health vulnerabilities of SO MANY in our congregation, I think that it is vitally important for everyone to wear a mask. So in a spirit of Pastoral responsibility, I am making it MANDATORY to wear a mask. If you are not comfortable wearing a mask for the protection of others, then perhaps for now you should find a church that does not require it. My concern is for the safety and well-being of ALL members of our Church Community. PLEASE WEAR A MASK.
** Physical Distancing (formally “Social” distancing). All the pews have been marked off to ensure safe physical distancing. If you are alone, please sit at the designated spot. If you are sitting with family, of course please sit together in any pew that is available. Please note that only every other pew is available.
** Multiple Hand Sanitizers will be located throughout the church area
** No Hymn books, Bulletins, etc – All objects that could be touched by multiple people have been removed.
** The Bathroom – Will have been cleaned and sanitized before Mass and will be cleaned again after Mass. Use the bathroom at your own risk as it will not be possible to clean the bathroom after each use. Wash your hands for 20 seconds!
** Keeping our time together as brief as possible – The Archbishop recommends “shortening” the time of the Mass as allowed in the Roman Missal. To this end, after consulting with our leader of music, Pat Walsh, we have decided that there will not be any music at these Masses…at least for now. I will also be making liturgical choices that move things along prayerfully!!
** No one in the Sacristy PLEASE – Again, the name of the game is limiting close contact, so please do not enter the Sacristy. I will see to the set up and clean up for Mass. Thank you!!!
** Offertory- To limit contact issues, while there will not be a collection “taken up in the usual way”, there WILL be an Offertory Basket near the door where the Bulletins usually are. Thank you in advance for your continued generosity and support. The offertory will be gathered from the basket by myself or our door monitor after Mass.
** No Presentation of the Gifts
** No Holy Water  (as before)
** No sharing of the Precious Blood  (as before)
** No sharing a Sign of Peace  (again, limiting contact)
** Receiving Holy Communion – I will distribute the Holy Communion at each of the two side aisles. If you are in the middle area, please come forward in a single file and physically spaced up the side aisle and return to your seat by the center aisle. In the interest of safety, as per the directives of the Archbishop, I will be wearing a mask while distributing the Holy Communion.
****************
Although there are a lot of “restrictions” and subtle changes to our liturgical gathering, this will only be for a relatively short time, and these precautions are done with the hope of keeping everyone safe in these dangerous times! The most IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS, even with some changes and limitations, WE WILL BE ABLE TO GATHER TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE MASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And for THIS, we are thankful to God!
********************
Please also note: I will continue to Livestream all Masses, Weekday and Weekend.
Also please note: * You attend Mass in the church at your own risk
                              * If you have serious health issues, please do not come
                              * If you feel even slightly sick, please do not come
The Archbishop has extended the dispensation for attending Sunday Mass. The Obligation has been lifted for those who cannot attend.
** And if you are not able to attend Mass at the church, but have been gathering with us through the internet broadcast and wish to receive Holy Communion, if you are able to leave your home, please just call and set up a time for you and me to meet privately at St André’s so that you may receive the Holy Communion.
 
**** Please remember you are NOT on the list until you have received a call to confirm your date and time. ****
 
If you have any questions regarding the above information please call 503.228.0746 or email [email protected] .
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the Joy and Thanksgiving of this Glorious Easter Season, let us continue to thank God for the many Blessings that come to us each day, and let us continue to pray for each other in these difficult times!
St. André Bessette, pray for us!!
Blessed Basil Moreau, pray for us!!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++