Sunday: 10am (Live Stream)
Join Us for Daily Mass
Dear Members of Saint Katharine Drexel Church,
There has been a great deal of movement and change all this week concerning the opening of Churches to public worship. Earlier in the week the Governor announced that churches could open but only to restricted 10 attending. There was a rapid response to that from the Catholic Bishops of Minnesota as well as other denominations indicating that if the number allowed was not going to be increased that they would allow churches to open in defiance of the executive order. On Friday, this past week, the Governor held a Zoom meeting of our Bishops and many other leadership people of various denominations. A compromise was reached allowing for opening with the number attending to be kept at 25% of worship space capacity but that no church would be forced to open or expected to do so if they could not follow immediately all the necessary restrictions as determined by the CDC and the MN Public Health Department. All the Church leadership wants to comply with those restrictions. Our Archbishop has made it clear, that every parish must make their own decision based on what parish leadership determines to be in the best interests of everyone concerned and no parish has to open up until they are ready and feel it is safe to do so.
Our Parish Council met by Zoom last week about all this and came to the consensus that while we will open (as of this coming Wednesday, May 27) for Daily Mass [9:30 am Wed. Thurs. and Friday) we WILL NOT OPEN FOR SUNDAY MASS until we determine it is safer to do so. Our decision is based on: a) Respect and care for everyone’s well-being, which is our first priority. We do not want to take the chance of accidently spreading the virus, which is just so much more possible with larger numbers of people gathered; and b) We want to honor the cautions of the CDC, our own MN Dept. of Health and of our Governor.
We understand that this will prolong our returning to public Sunday Mass and continue for most people the “fast” from the reception of Holy Communion, but we believe our decision is in the best interests of the common good of all in the St. Katharine Drexel community at this time. We ask your gracious patience. This pandemic will continue on for the foreseeable future and we want everyone to be safe.
As stated earlier Daily Mass will be opened up this coming Wednesday but only by sign-up in advance. There are a number of places on our parish website that you can go to and be connected to the sign-up form; just click on “Join Us for Daily Mass.” You must wear a mask, sit only in your assigned place following the necessary social distancing and abide by any other cautions that may be determined. Again each day will be limited to 9 attending, as Presider I will be the 10th person.
LIVE-STREAMING of Sunday Mass will continue always now, even after we eventually open up the Sunday Mass for public worship.
Again, thank you for your patience, for the wonderful feedback we have received about the live-streaming of Mass, and for your concern and care for the “dear neighbor.” Stay well, stay safe, God Bless and know that as your pastor I hold you all daily in my prayers.
Peace and All Good!
Father Paul