May 23, 2020
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
 
Dear Parishioners of St. Bonaventure Church,
 
This is a very long letter! We have no choice since many things need to be communicated to you. Please take time to read through these pages. My prayer is that we are all of one mind and one heart as we prepare to open our doors for prayer and worship.
 
Although we have not assembled in church since mid-March, we have come together virtually online at our live-streamed Masses. The greatest debt of gratitude we owe to our faithful parishioner Luis Castillo who made it all possible! While we have all experienced the pain of fasting from hearing the Word of God and from partaking of the Eucharist, we look forward to the day when we may gather again. We want to reopen our doors responsibly, always keeping in mind our commitment to the safety and protection of all of our members from Covid 19.
 
In a letter dated May 22, Bishop Serratelli leaves the decision for the date of opening to the pastor of the parish. No particular date but only a range of times is suggested. The Bishop advises pastors: “Reopen when you are ready to serve your parishioners with respect for their health and safety. For most parishes, this would mean opening no earlier than May 30. If you do not feel ready to reopen next weekend, then delay your opening for a week or two. Let your parishioners know when they can expect to worship in your church.”
 
My desire as your pastor is to reopen our church to approximately eighty people for only one Mass on Sunday, May 31, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the “Fiftieth Day” of Easter. As you continue reading these pages, you will learn that it is impossible at this time to resume the regular schedule of Masses. Too many expectations cannot possibly be fulfilled in such short a time.
 
For example, cleaning and disinfecting the church surfaces after each Mass is expected of us. How will we do that? Many of our ushers are older men who, I hope, stay home for at least a month if not longer. Are their younger men and women willing to step up to take their places as ushers? Sadly, the extraordinary Ministers of Communion will not be needed at this time due to changes in the distribution of the Eucharist. During this critical time of reopening, perhaps some of you who are now Eucharistic Ministers will be willing to serve as a lector, an usher, or a member of the cleanup crew at the end of each Mass or gathering.
 
Please know from the start (and it kills me to state this) that I strongly discourage our older parishioners from returning to church too quickly, especially those with preexisting conditions. At the same time I realize that many of our older parishioners serve us as ushers and lectors, ministries so necessary for the smooth reopening of our church. Since they will surely choose to remain at home for a longer stretch of time, our younger parishioners will have to step up and take their places for the time of their absence from us.
 
So, the first piece of news is that the church will be open to receive you before the 11:00 AM Mass next Sunday, May 31. Please bring your own mask and hand sanitizer. We will not be able to provide enough for everyone this time around. If you arrive without, (I hate to say) be prepared to be asked to leave. Also, when we have eighty people in the church, we will turn away those after the eightieth.
 
The guidelines that follow will help you understand the reasons for these decisions. In a letter received here on Monday, May 18, Bishop Serratelli sets out specific guidelines for reopening. Please note that these guidelines are not just suggestions; they have been mandated as protocols. That means we must find ways to implement each guideline before we reopen.
 
These guidelines are “general enough to be adapted to diverse parish settings” and “specific enough to attend to the health and safety of the clergy and faithful….” To implement these guidelines, every effort must be made to involve clergy, staff, and volunteers, to provide, as much as it is humanly possible, a safe environment for the celebration of Sunday and weekday Masses and all the sacraments during this time of the pandemic.
 
Below you will find both the General and Particular Guidelines in bold print. Some are self-explanatory, straightforward, and clear; others need commentary or raise questions for us, mostly questions of “How?” and “Who?” After some guidelines I have added (in parenthesis) further commentary to explain its implications in our particular setting here at St. Bon’s or to identify outstanding tasks. You will see that some guidelines present huge challenges to us as a community. Questions of how tasks will be executed and who will in fact do them remain outstanding.
 
As you read through the following pages, please consider how you will help us in these next several months. The best way to manage volunteers at this early stage of reopening is to text me at my cell phone number listed below, if you want to volunteer as an usher, a lector, or a member of the cleanup crew. Also text me if you have any further comments or recommendations.
 
Let us continue to pray for all who have died as a result of the coronavirus and for those who mourn them. May the peace of the Risen Christ sustain them in his peace.
 
Thank you for all that you have done for our community of faith in these last two difficult months. May we continue to serve the Risen Lord as we take initial steps to reopen.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Daniel Grigassy, O.F.M.
Pastor
Cell: 201.321.7605