May 22, 2020
Dear Easter People,
This Sunday, we will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. As Jesus leaves His physical presence on earth, He looks to all of us to continue His work just as He asked of His disciples. This year, in particular, I encourage you to reflect on how we can minister to one another while we remain physically separated.
As we begin this Memorial Day weekend, please know our Reopening Task Force is preparing to start Phase I of reopening the Cathedral. Just as a brief reminder from last week, here are the initial guidelines we received from the Archdiocese:
- Phase I allows for parishes to reopen for Baptism, Reconciliation, Weddings and Funerals with a limit of 10 attendees.
- Phase IA allows for parishes to reopen for private prayer and adoration with a limit of 10 attendees.
- Phase II allows for reopening for weekday and weekend Masses for larger groups depending on the guidelines from the state and the capacity of the church building - the date and attendee size is TBD.
For us to begin Phase I, we are required to be certified by the Archdiocese. This certification will ensure we have met all requirements for your safety and those of our volunteer ministers and the ordained. Assuming we receive our certification next week, we plan to initiate Phase I with
Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals on Saturday, May 30
. These will be private liturgies, pre-scheduled with one of our priests or deacons.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation and Private Prayer will start at a later date. Also, we do not have any details yet on when Masses will resume at the Cathedral. But we will update you next Friday in this newsletter with any new information, including Reconciliation and Private Prayer dates and processes.
To help you prepare for a future visit to the Cathedral, we recommend reading the
Tips for Worshippers
from the Archdiocese (see below) to help you know what to expect when you return.
As I share these new policies and procedures, I know this is a very different way for all of us to gather together as Church. Our Cathedral Reopening Task Force will continue their month-long journey to prepare, test, and adjust as we all learn together.
While Sunday is considered a Holy Day of Obligation, Cardinal Cupich has dispensed everyone from attending Mass in Church. But I urge you to watch our weekly Mass from Holy Name Cathedral available on our website starting on Saturday at 4:00pm, and at 9:30am Sunday on Channel 7 (ABC-Chicago).
I ask for your patience and understanding as we work through the details each step of the opening process. I cannot wait to see you sometime soon. God bless you and my prayers are with all of you. Hang tough! God is with us.
Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend.
Walking with you,
Fr. Greg
