The archbishop has permitted resuming public Masses, at the discretion of each individual parish pastor.
In order to carefully implement the guidelines for a safe reopening, the first weekend Mass will be celebrated at St. Ambrose on May 30-31, the feast of Pentecost. So that we can clean between services, the Mass schedule will be adjusted as follows: Saturday, 5 pm, and Sunday, 7 am and 10 am.
We are currently working on the guidelines
To facilitate social distancing:
Closing of every other row of pews
Placement of adhesive dots, separated by six feet, on the center-aisle floor
To promote cleanliness in church:
Removal of missalettes and hymnals
Locking of the bathroom Disinfecting of pews and high-use areas of the church after every service
We are developing, with the Eucharistic Ministers, an approach for the contactless distribution of Holy Communion.
A separate communication will detail the responsibilities for everyone attending Mass, and provide information on what to expect. Be advised that everyone MUST wear a mask to attend Mass. Please plan accordingly. When you receive the individual guidelines, we ask that you thoroughly review the changes and expectations to make an informed decision for you and your family.
Please keep in mind that archdiocesan directives are subject to change based on any new data from health officials. Moreover, we at St. Ambrose must adhere to the rules, or we cannot continue to offer public Masses.
For churches of less than 10,000 sq. ft., we must limit the number of all those present at each Mass to 25% or less of the fire or building code maximum occupancy. We need to work together to ensure that we do not exceed this limit.