Tentative Opening June 13-14, 2020

• No pre-teen children at Mass
• No elderly or those with health issues at Mass
• No one who has had covid-19 or been exposed to it.
• Wear Facemask,
• Gloves optional
• Communion only in the hand
• Maintain Social Distance outside of immediate family.
• No gathering after 
• Children and recovered persons without the active virus may attend Mass in September.

Apertura provisional del 13 al 14 de junio de 2020

• No hay niños preadolescentes en misa
• No personas mayores o con problemas de salud en misa
• Nadie que haya tenido covid-19 o haya estado expuesto a él.
• Usar mascarilla,
• Guantes opcionales
• Comunion solo en la mano
• Mantener la distancia social fuera de la familia inmediata.
• Los niños y las personas recuperadas sin el virus activo pueden asistir a misa en septiembre.

When the Church opens...

• Some of the parishes around us will be opening May 30-31. However 1 out of every 15 adults in Colfax county has/had Covid-19. This number often does not include other members of the household. We have had a high rate of infection! However, we hear that many people who had the virus are now well, so that is a reason for some hope. I hate to delay the opening of the church for public Mass, but our priority has to be your safety. We are tentatively considering mid June for our opening.

• The archbishop has continued the suspension of the obligation to attend Mass until further notice due to the pandemic. Even when we often the following people should not come to church (per advice of Archbishop Lucas):
• The elderly
• People with underlying medical conditions
• Family members who live with elderly people or those who are at risk
• People who have access to those at risk in nursing institutions
• People who have or live with someone who has upper respiratory or flu like symptoms
• People with COVID-19 or live with someone with COVID-19 or people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19

• The critically important thing is that everyone wears a face mask. From my understanding of the pandemic, this is perhaps even more important than social distancing.
• Please do not come to Mass without a face mask. The face mask protects the rest of us. Scientists say we need 1,000 droplets to get the virus. (A cough contains 200,000 droplets.) In just talking, we expel about 100 droplets a minute.
• It is going to be difficult to observe social distancing in church. In the beginning we will try to put only one family in every other pew. Please do not bring your pre-teenage children to Church at this time, even if only one parent can come (the other parent can go to another mass or weekend). If we have filled up the Church, we will have to close the doors! At St. Mary’s, the overflow can go to the basement to observe social distancing.
• We need two hours between Masses to sanitize the church. Therefore we will move Sunday 8:00am Mass to St. Mary's, and move the Spanish 9:30am Sunday Mass to 9:00am at St. Augustine's.
• Our Saturday schedule will be the same. Sunday schedule: English at 8:00 and 10am at St. Mary's; Spanish at 9:00 and 11:00 at St. Augustine's. (Not sure yet whether we will have the Sunday 5:00pm Mass at St. Mary's that weekend.)
• All communion must be received in the hand. No communion on the tongue during the pandemic. One line for communion leading to Plexiglas communion station. We will mark off with tape 6 foot increments on the main aisle, please observe these when coming to communion. We will begin communion from the back of Church.
• Every other pew will be taped off to be left vacant. (We may have to do this for a while). We have narrow aisles on the side of the pews, please move in so that a person coming back from communion is 6 feet away from you if you are at the
• end of the pew.
• There will be no missalettes in the pews. (If so we would have to sanitize each one between masses.) We will have to sing our songs in Church from memory. (This is why hummingbirds hum, they forgot the words!)
• The Church pews and doorknobs and bathrooms will be sanitized between masses. We will dismiss people after Mass from the back rows first. Please do not gather in front of the church. (I hate to say that, because seeing people at church is sometimes the only times we have to chat.) The priest will not process in or out, but we come out from the sacristy and return there.
• There will be no servers during this time. We will see about lectors and EMHC’s later on.
• There will be only one person distributing communion. We will begin with the people in the back row of Church. Come towards the altar in a single file, six feet apart. Receive the host in your hand, step two steps to the side, take off your facemask and put the host in your mouth.
• There will be no collection basket passed by people. You will have to drop your contribution in a special box by the entrances. 
• I know we haven’t thought of everything, but we do all this for our mutual safety. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Please wear a mask to protect everyone else.

Cuando se abre la Iglesia

• Los ancianos
• Las personas con afecciones médicas subyacentes.
• Los miembros de familia que viven con personas mayores o que están en riesgo
• Las personas que tienen acceso a las personas en riesgo en las instituciones de enfermería.
• Las personas que tienen o viven con alguien que tiene síntomas respiratorios o gripales
• Las Personas con COVID-19 o viven con alguien con COVID-19 o personas que han estado expuestas a alguien con COVID-19

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

I am afraid that the present situation will continue for awhile and that we will have to be conscious of social distancing for serveral more months. We rely on your support, not only in your prayers, but in your financial support as well. One of the parish council members asked me to publicize this easy way to financially support the parish that they use. Go to the archdiocesan web site: www.archomaha.org/offertory/ (click on link) and they have an easy way to make donations to the parish through your credit card or Direct Debit. It is very easy and very secure. Please check it out. (Even when we have public masses again, we cannot have a collection basket that comes near so many people. We would have to have a collection box as you enter. You may find the offertory program on the website to be an easier and more consistent way of supporting the parish.) Thank you. Please continue in your prayers for all the people who are affected by the Coronavirus. May God deliver us and protect us.
Fr. Gerry Gonderinger

APOYO FINANCIERO

Me temo que la situación actual continuará por un tiempo y que tendremos que ser conscientes del distanciamiento social por varios meses más. Confiamos en su apoyo, no solo en sus oraciones, sino también en su apoyo financiero. Uno de los miembros del consejo parroquial me pidió que publicara esta manera fácil de apoyar financieramente a la parroquia que utilizan. Visite el sitio web de la arquidiócesis: www.archomaha.org/offertory/ (haga clic en el enlace) y tienen una manera fácil de hacer donaciones a la parroquia a través de su tarjeta de crédito o débito directo. Es muy fácil y muy seguro. Por favor, míralo. (Incluso cuando volvamos a tener masas públicas, no podemos tener una canasta de recolección que se acerque a tanta gente. Tendríamos que tener una caja de recolección cuando ingrese. Puede encontrar que el programa ofertorio en el sitio web sea más fácil y más consistente forma de apoyar a la parroquia.) Gracias. Continúe en sus oraciones por todas las personas afectadas por el Coronavirus. Que Dios nos salve y nos proteja.
Padre Gerry Gonderinger

Please use your telephone to contact us. 
Telephone numbers: 
Parish               402 352-3540
CFF                  402-352-2149
Fr. Gerry Cell:   402 380-1518
Fr. Jairo Cell:    402-889-1554
 

Por favor usen su teléfono para contactarnos.
Números telefónicos:
Parroquia            402 352-3540
CFF                    402-352-2149
Padre Gerry Cell:  402 380-1518
Padre Jairo Cell:   402-889-1554