To the members of the Saint Finbar Church community:

Happy Easter!

With gratitude to God for His mercy, I am announcing today the reopening of Saint Finbar Church beginning the weekend of Sunday, April 18th.

As a community, we have journeyed together through the very challenging year of lockdowns and social isolation during the pandemic period. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the members of the Saint Finbar Church community who have faithfully journeyed with us over the past year and for your generous support of our parish during this very difficult time.

Although risks remain, we are, in accordance with the State of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, reopening Saint Finbar Church up to 50% capacity.
Because of continued pandemic risks, the following guidelines are in place:
  1. Attendance is limited to 50% of the church building’s capacity or about 400 attendees.
  2. Masks must be worn by all attendees on church property, including inside the church building and during Mass.
  3. Parishioners will be seated in alternating pews.
  4. We must maintain safe social distancing though members of the same household can be seated together.
  5. There will be no Communion lines. Communion will be distributed in the pews by making use of the alternating pews which allow ministers to move safely to provide Communion to worshippers while seated in the pews.
  6. Until the further easing of restrictions, the projectors will not be used. Music will be provided from the choir loft and we urge parishioners to refrain from singing at this time.
  7. We urge all parishioners to be vaccinated as soon as possible and to continue to follow guidelines for safe social distancing and hand washing/disinfecting for as long as COVID-19 risks remain.
  8. We will continue to record Sunday Mass for distribution through our Vimeo channel and on our website.
  9. Please remember the dispensation from Sunday Mass attendance remains in place
I would like to thank the many volunteers who have worked alongside me and the members of the parish Pastoral Team over the past year to provide a safer environment for worship. I am grateful for your dedication and your service to God through service to our community.
Beginning the weekend of Sunday, April 18th, our new Mass schedule is as follows:
Saturday Evenings
5pm Mass in English
7pm Mass in Vietnamese
Sundays
7am Mass in English
9am Mass in Spanish
11am Mass in English
Over the past year I have said many times, “As we continue to journey together through the COVID-19 health emergency, we are grateful for the faithfulness of our community members and for your steadfast support. At Saint Finbar Church, we journey together and not alone.”
Thank you for making the reopening of our church possible through your prayers and responsible conduct over the past year. You have faithfully lived the true sense of community. Soon we will be able to reopen open without restrictions and embrace God’s promise of a brighter and better tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Father Francis

This note was originally sent through the Saint Finbar Church Flocknote platform on Friday, April 9th. To receive Saint Finbar Church news updates as soon as they are released, please sign-up here.