Dear SJA Parishioners and Friends:
 
As many know, Archbishop Vigneron announced that we can resume the celebration of public masses beginning this week. It will be with great joy that we welcome you back to Church. It will not be an easy task given all the complexities involved with social distancing, sanitizing, and social distancing. But working together we can make this work.
 
None of us have ever planned for such a scenario, and as such, plans will have to be fluid as we figure out what will work best for our parish community. We have met and discussed many options, but a lived experience will help form and shape our processes and procedures going forward.
 
First, it is essential to know that Archbishop Vigneron has dispensed the faithful in the Archdiocese of Detroit from their obligation to attend weekend mass through Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Given the numerous phone calls we have fielded thus far regarding this dispensation, I thought I would further add that this means you will not be sinning if you miss mass during the time the general dispensation is in force. Some should not even be attempting to venture out to mass, especially if they have health complications or are vulnerable. Likewise, you should not be coming to church if you are sick, have a fever, or are not feeling well.
 
It will be different. It will seem odd. We may not be able to sit in our favorite section or park in our normal spots. We will not be able to come early to mass. There will be many "non-negotiables." That's okay. The important thing is that it can't be about what I can't do, or lamenting what we used to do, etc. We have to keep our focus on the fact that we will be able to gather around the table of the Lord. That's what matters. As Father John and Father Rich have eloquently said in homilies recently, we'll have to pack a lot of charity, a lot of patience, and a lot of love as we walk this new journey together.
 
I will offer more details in the coming days, but here's where things stand now:
 

• Daily Masses will resume on Wednesday, May 20th. We will only have a 7 AM mass Monday through Friday going forward for the time being. There will be no Saturday morning mass.

• Weekend Masses will be at 4 PM on Saturday and 8 AM and 12 Noon on Sundays.

• ALL MUST wear a mask. If you do not wear a mask, you will not be able to attend mass.

• Everyone will only be allowed to enter through the Sr. Carol Center doors. People will be counted, and those without masks will be asked to put on a mask.

• Boxes (the festival ticket boxes) will be placed in the Gathering Place so that you can deposit your offertory envelopes. We will also have a basket there for children to place any canned food they brought to mass as part of our Little Hands Big Hearts Ministry.

• The doors will open only 15 minutes before each mass. To accommodate the flow of people, we ask people to go directly to their pews before mass and quietly and quickly exit when mass is over. People will be allowed to exit through any of the doors in the church or Sr. Carol Center.

• Social distancing rules will apply.

• The pews will be color-coded (there will be three different colors), and each mass will have a designated color; people will sit in the designated pews for that mass. The pew seats will also be marked in six-foot increments. Families can sit together, but everyone else will have to honor the six-foot social distancing rule.

• Our maximum capacity for any liturgy is 250 people. This means that some will be turned away. People who are turned away or people who wish to remain in their cars and watch the live-stream may do so. We will distribute Holy Communion outside near the Sr. Carol Center after mass has ended, and the church has emptied.

• Live-streaming of all the masses will continue.

• Singing will be very limited. All the hymnals and bibles were removed from the pews.

• To help facilitate the sanitizing that needs to take place after every mass, people will be asked to depart immediately after mass. It takes about 3 hours to clean and sanitize the church and Sr. Carol Center.

• The cry room will be closed. Families with children who normally rely on the cry room will be asked to utilize the Gathering Place for this purpose.

• All liturgical ministries are suspended. The current COVID-19 team will handle all liturgical ministries through the end of May. Additional people will be added to ministries as needed. It will be a gradual increase of ministers. Additional ministers will be specifically chosen for these positions. As such, all current liturgical ministry schedules or assignments are suspended.

• The distribution of communion is probably the most complicated aspect of the plan. We will only have a single aisle in the center and only the outer two aisles (like normal) for distribution of Holy Communion. For the time being, only the priests and deacons will distribute communion. Out of charity, we ask people to receive on the hand. Those who wish to receive on the tongue will be asked to be the last people to receive communion as the priest or deacon will have to stop and sanitize their hands after each person receives on the tongue.

• We are still working through plans for confessions. The same holds true for First Communion, baptisms, and celebrating the sacraments of all those in the RCIA. These plans will take shape in the coming weeks.

• We also will work through plans to hold memorial masses for all those who died during the pandemic since funeral masses were not allowed. I will be reaching out to those families that we know who lost a loved one during this time. But, sadly, we are not aware of all those who died from our parish community during the recent months. As such, if you lost a loved one and would have had their funeral at SJA, please reach out to the Parish Center (586-777-3670), as we would like to honor your loved one with a memorial mass as things get back to "normal."

 
I will continue to share details as the week unfolds, and as we learn from our lived experience.
 
Let's keep one another in prayer. Let's give thanks and praise to God for this grace to once again gather as a faith community around the table of the Lord.
 
Thanks for your patience and understanding. Further details will be announced as the week unfolds.

In Christ,

Msgr. Mike