Dear Parishioners, it has been a long time for us without access to our Churches & Masses, and we continue to suffer.
We are all looking forward to having access to our Churches again and having some access to Mass together: to worship the Lord, to be present at the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, to receive Holy Communion, and to see one another again. These things are dear to our hearts as Catholics. The desire to be with the Lord present in the Tabernacle is a God-given thirst.
Let us continue to offer these sufferings joyfully to the Lord, in reparation for the many sins of our time (including our own), for the endurance, fidelity, and fruitfulness of all Christians, for the poor and struggling, for the conversion of our world, for leadership in the Church, for a quick move to light GREEN, and an end to these segregations and this pandemic.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS
On December 3, the Traffic Light System comes into effect in Auckland. 25 at RED, 50 at ORANGE, 100 at GREEN if the My Vaccine Pass System is not employed
https://covid19.govt.nz/assets/COVID-19-Protection-Framework/COVID-19-Protection-Framework.pdf
We assume that Auckland will begin at RED.
SEGREGATION
Given that the Vaccine Certificate System requires monitoring for Mass attendance and discrimination against the unvaccinated, Holy Family will not be segregating Masses. And we will not be refusing anyone’s presence at any Mass on the basis of their vaccination status.
Your vaccination status is your private medical information, and we will not be trying to ascertain it for the purposes of Mass attendance. We will not be a pawn for the State in treating you differently based on your bodily condition. And we will not be asking some parishioners to act as vaccine-policemen towards other parishioners. Every Mass is a public liturgy, and any Catholic has the right to attend.
Too many times in history, we have found so-called “good reasons” by which to exclude people on the basis of some natural bodily condition and the so-called “possible danger” that they present to others – skin colour, race, ethnicity, religion, genetics, disability.
All Masses will be “open” Masses at Holy Family parish. We are all in this together. Let us not be divided nor allow others to divide us along the lines of a medical-status.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
However, in charity, a special consideration will be offered to the vaccinated to sit in the Crying Room – if they so choose – otherwise they can sit with the unvaccinated. This will be administered on trust.
When we reach lights AMBER and GREEN, we might also use the choir loft for the vaccinated – if needed.
Therefore, whilst not wishing to collaborate in any unjust segregation for Mass attendance, we are trying to be attentive to people’s health concerns and genuine vulnerabilities, by having a so-called “safer space” in the Church – the Crying Room and possibly the Choir Loft – whilst also acknowledging that the vaccinated can also be carriers of this disease, and also present a danger to one another, and to others. Communion will be taken to the “safer space” area first and distributed in the Foyer of the Church.
IN THE PEWS
All others – including other vaccinated parishioners if they choose – will sit in the main body of the Church, separated by a roped-off pew, 1m spacing, wearing a mask, and using disinfectant, like we have before. This allows everyone to have equal access to Mass, without adopting a discrimination practice, which we believe is socially and spiritually harmful, especially for the future.
MASS ALLOCATION
We will setup a rostered system for those who register with the Office to come to different Masses. We will be respecting the number-restrictions of the Traffic Light System. Mass attendance in the Traffic Light System will be allocated via the parish office. Please email the parish office at [email protected] so that we can allocate you a seat at one of the Masses.
The Sunday Mass obligation remains suspended, therefore, in these strange times, given the limitations, especially at traffic Light RED, we all have to accept that we may not be able to go to Mass every day, nor every week, nor every Sunday.
These are trying times indeed! as we all know well.
There will be 11 Masses throughout the week. This will allow up to 300 (approx.) people to come to Mass each week. This does not include staff (choir, servers, readers).
You will need to indicate to the Parish Office which “Mass Set” below you are able to attend.
A or B or BOTH.
The Office will allocate you a Mass based on your response.
A
Monday, 9am
Tuesday 9am
Wednesday 9am
Thursday 9am
Friday 9am
B
Tuesday 7pm
Thursday 7pm
Saturday 9am
Sunday 9am – Latin Mass
Sunday 10:30am
Sunday 5pm
CHURCH ENTRY
At traffic light RED, entry to the Church for MASS will be through the side-door on the Presbytery side. The side door will be opened 10mins before Mass, due to the back-wall Confessions occurring before Mass. Confessions will be heard through the back wall of the Church before some Masses. The Church must be closed whilst the back-wall confessional is used for discretional purposes.
CONFESSION TIMES
Wednesday – Sunday, from 8am until 8:45am (before Mass)
Tuesday and Thursday, from 6:15pm until 6:45pm. (before Mass)
Saturday, 4-5pm.
CHURCH OPENING
The Church will open (the main doors will be opened) every day for visits and private prayer.
This will happen half an hour after the Mass.
COMMUNION AT THE SIDE DOOR
For those not allocated a seat in a particular Mass, Communion will still be given at the side-door after each Mass (except Latin Mass). This will cease from in lights AMBER and GREEN.
LIVE-STREAMING
Live-streaming of the Masses will continue.
(This does not apply to the Latin Mass 9am on Sunday morning).
ADORATION
Drive-in Adoration will continue on Sundays from 12pm until 6pm.
START DATE
Given that Fr Jeremy is still unwell, the exact date for the commencement of this structure will come in due time.
FLEXIBILITY
Given that we are in a fluid situation, these details could be adjusted as we go forward.
PDF FILE
https://www.teatatucatholic.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/parish-note-vax-cert-system.pdf
God bless
Fr Jeremy
Images and Post from Father Jeremy Palman here.