St. Catherine of Alexandria

May 19, 2020

Dear Parishioners of St. Catherine, St. Vincent de Paul, and Immaculate Conception,

            These last two months have been a difficult time for us. With the advent of the coronavirus worldwide pandemic, many precautions needed to be taken in every sphere of society to slow the progress of the virus and safeguard the vulnerable. The Catholic Church, which has always been the champion of the vulnerable, also needed to adapt to these times, trusting almighty God and the well-intentioned instructions of her Bishops and public health officials. By resorting to private Masses (with only the Priest and one server) and limiting parish and personal gatherings we have done our best to protect our family, friends, and neighbors.
            As federal and local government begin to slowly, prudently, resume certain sectors of society, Archbishop Kurtz has also instructed our parishes to do the same. Therefore, I am pleased to announce:

• Daily Mass will resume in our three parishes on Wednesday, May 20. Recall, that our Daily Mass schedule is as follows:
  • St. Catherine: Tue, Wed, Thur at 8:45am
  • St. Vincent de Paul: Mon, Wed, Fri at 8am
  • Immaculate Conception: Fri at 8:45am
• Weekend Masses will resume in our three parishes on Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24. Recall, that our Weekend Mass schedule is as follows:
  • St. Catherine: Sat 4pm, Sun 11am (10am beginning Sunday, July 5)
  • St. Vincent de Paul: Sat 4pm, Sun 9am (8:30am beginning Sunday, July 5)
  • Immaculate Conception: Sat 5:30pm, Sun 7am

1. Archbishop Kurtz has extended the Dispensation from the Sunday Obligation. No one is required to return to daily or weekend Mass. Those who are sick and who care for them should remain home. Also those who feel vulnerable due to age or any reason should also feel free to stay home. If you have a doubt about coming to Mass, please generously accept the Archbishop’s Dispensation.
2. In each of our Church buildings, we will be practicing “social distancing” which maintains six feet between households and unrelated individuals. There should be two empty pews between every occupied pew. There should also be appropriate distance within an occupied pew. This means our capacity will be greatly diminished (only 1 empty pew between occupied ones, starting August 2).
   • St. Catherine: Recommended capacity is about 70 people with 1 family per pew (at either end), OR 2 couples per pew (at both ends), OR 3 individuals per pew (at both ends and the middle)
   • St. Vincent de Paul: Recommended capacity is about 50 people with 1 family per pew (at either end), OR 2 couples per pew (at both ends), OR 3 individuals per pew (at both ends and middle)
   • Immaculate Conception: Recommended capacity is about 20 people with 1 family per pew (at either end), OR 2 couples per pew (at both ends), OR 2 individuals per pew (at both ends)
   • Be sure to maintain safe social distancing also when lining up for the restroom or the confessional at each Church. Refrain from congregating in groups for conversation before and after Mass, both inside and outside of the Church.
3. Everyone is encouraged to wear a mask or face covering during Mass and to remove it when it is time to receive Communion. The CDC explains that the virus is spread primarily through respiratory droplets that land in someone’s mouth or nose and enter the lungs. But, no one will be refused entrance on account of not having a face mask. Gloves are discouraged, especially during Communion.
4. There will also be liturgical adaptations to maintain safety and reverence during this time:
   • The Precious Blood will not be distributed, only the Sacred Host.
   • The Priest will perform all of the ministries of the Mass. We will not be scheduling any Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, or Altar Servers (until August 2, as available).
   • There will be no gifts procession, but the ushers may bring forward the collection and place it next to the presider’s chair. The bread and wine will be placed before Mass near the altar. The Priest will enter and exit via the sacristy (the side room) rather than processing from the back.
   • Holy Communion will not be distributed during Mass, but rather immediately after Mass (until July 5). This serves a few purposes:
     1. Note that the CDC defines close or risky proximity to be a distance within 6 feet for 10 or 15 minutes, while the encounter for Communion is much briefer.
     2. Those who wish to receive Communion on the tongue may continue to do so. Archbishop Kurtz does not wish to ban this, thanks be to God. But, they will be called forward separately, after those who wish to receive in the hand. Doing this after Mass gives greater flexibility for the Priest to take his time without the worry of delaying Mass and to use hand sanitizer between communicants, if necessary.
     3. Those receiving Communion must maintain two pews between them while lining up in the main aisle. Alternate exiting left and right pews to form one single file line.
     4. Fr. Ken, due to his age, has decided not to participate in distributing Communion. Instead our Instituted Acolyte, Michael Schay, or an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, will be doing this for him at his weekend Masses.
     5. Fr. Ken and Fr. Hardesty will distribute Communion during Mass for the daily Masses, due to the lower number of Communicants. (During weekend Masses starting July 5)
   • There will be no singing (until August 2), due to the tendency for singing to produce more “respiratory droplets.” Choir members must sit throughout the congregation.
   • There will be no exchange of the Sign of Peace and no holding hands during the Our Father. The latter is improper anyway, due to praying with hands extended being a priestly posture.
   • The Holy Water will not be removed, as the virus primarily spreads through the respiratory system, rather than on contact. But, this will be refreshed each weekend.
   • There will be a request for volunteers after each Mass to help wipe down the pews and doors.
5. All parishioners are encouraged to make use of the hand sanitizer near the doors when entering and exiting the Church. Please also limit what you touch, e.g. use an elbow to press the automatic door button or to push open a door.
6. If you need to cough – seasonal allergies are bad this time of year – cough into your elbow and teach your children to do the same.
7. Those who have experienced a death in the family during the last two months and received only the Catholic Burial Rite will be contacted with the offer of scheduling a Funeral Mass. All will be welcome, not just immediate family, but social distancing will still need to be followed in the Church, which limits the Church’s capacity.
8. There will be no 2^nd Sunday Coffee & Donuts after Mass for the time being (until September 13)
9. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), at St. Catherine, will be in the Baptistry (the back left room). At St. Vincent de Paul, the priest and penitent will sit farther apart in the usual confessional. At Immaculate Conception, the usual confessional will have to be used, due to a lack of other available space, but penitents are asked to be succinct and Fr. Hardesty will give briefer counsel (!)

That’s all for now. These will also be announced at Mass, so don’t worry about forgetting something! Fr. Ken and I appreciate your patience and generosity with these precautions. We realize there are many conflicting opinions about all of this. Even if you feel they are unneeded, let’s do them for those who do. God will help us!

God bless you
Fr. Hardesty and Fr. Ken

Parish Mailing Address:
413 N. 1st Street, New Haven, KY  40051

Physical Location of the Church (not a mailing address):
174 N. Main Street, New Haven, KY  40051

SATURDAY:       3:00-3:45pm
SUNDAY:            9:40-9:55am
Or any other time that's convenient for you. Contact us any time at 502-549-3680.

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