I have been waiting for this week to come for a long time. This week, we finally began to offer Daily Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament publicly again. These, along with our Sunday Masses and our drop-in confessions, mean that we have returned to our regular sacramental schedule for the first time since March. Yes, we can only come to weekend Mass once every-other-week, and there are still so many parishioners who are uncomfortable or unable to join us in person, so we remain lightyears from normal; but what is a Catholic parish without Mass, Confession, and prayer with the Blessed Sacrament? We may not be normal yet, but at least we feel Catholic again.
Of course, our Catholic faith consists in so much more than just our sacramental and devotional lives. A Catholic parish should also be a center of learning and culture, a place where the poor are met with compassion, a place that promotes justice in its wider community. These are important, too! The sacraments, however, are our foundation, our most potent connection to Jesus Christ, and this week I feel like our foundation has finally been restored. Now that the foundation is laid, we can begin to erect our walls again until the entire edifice shines forth renewed, to the greater glory of God.
Mass and Confessions are not the only sacraments being performed, either. We have recently welcomed some of our catechumens into their life in Christ through baptism and the rest will be baptized this weekend. We have performed multiple infant baptisms. We have Confirmations and First Communions scheduled for many of the coming weeks. Our parish has truly returned to her foundation in the sacramental life, and I could not be more relieved about it.
As always, we are being careful not to go too fast. We are only able to carry out these sacraments again because of a veritable army of volunteers who are helping us ensure that all safety and health requirements are met. We have only taken these steps because we knew we could carry them out properly. Praise God for his sacraments and his people!
Sacramental Schedule
Here is what is currently available at Assumption. We expect these offerings to remain relatively stable for the next few months.
Sunday Mass – Every other week, by registration only. If you are ready to come back and have not yet registered, please register at this link. You only need to register once and you will be included in all future Mass cycles. Masses are at Saturday at 5:00 p.m., and Sunday at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. (Spanish).
Daily Mass – No restrictions. Registration for daily Mass is part of the registration form for Sunday Mass. If you would like to change your registration preferences, please e-mail parishoffice@assumption.org. Drop-ins allowed until capacity is reached. Daily Masses are held at 5:30 p.m. (Tues.), 7:15 a.m. (Wed., Thur.), and 8:15 a.m. (Fri.).
Confession – Drop in confessions heard Saturdays from 3:00 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. in front of the school entrance.
Exposition – Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament held Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. We will expand these hours to cover the all-night shifts (ending Thursday at 7:00 a.m.) once we have a better idea of how many adorers we can rely on to be there. Please note: the doors to the church will remain locked during all hours, including daytime hours. If you would like to come to exposition, please e-mail karenz@assumption.org to sign up for the new door code.
Fr. Moore 