NOTES FROM
FATHER MICHAEL – July 1, 2020
Today is the
Feast Day of St. Junipero Serra – founder of Nine Missions in California and
the Spiritual Founder of Los Angeles. I had the opportunity to pray at his Tomb
in Carmel, CA just a few months ago. Now, people are trying to tear down
statues of this great Saint. What is going on? For a good perspective, I
encourage you to read the Pastoral Note sent by Archbishop Gomez, the leader of
the LA Archdiocese:
Our Parish
Offices will be closed on Friday, July 3 for the civic observance of Independence
Day. There will be no Adoration. The Church will close at 3:00 pm. Have a Happy
4th!
A reminder that
it is best to make an appointment at the parish office and not drop in – for your
safety and ours. Call ahead if you want a Mass Card. There is much we can do over the phone. Church
Donation envelopes can be dropped off in the SVDP metal box in the narthex of the
church or mailed.
We always
err on the side of caution when it comes to weather and outdoor Mass. If the cones
are not out, Mass is in church.
We are still
at 25% capacity in church. The information we sent out in the last note was in
error. We are waiting permission from the ADNY to increase to 50%.
Gary Bartilucci
has marked off 8 temporary handicapped parking spaces near the outdoor Mass
seating area. Look for the blue lines and please allow the handicapped to use
them. Thanks!
Please follow
all parking regulations and do not park in the fire lanes – emergency vehicles must
always have access. Just park in a parking space. Thanks!
We are
almost done attaching ultraviolet lights to our church air conditioning units. Many
studies show that UV light kills viruses. Thank you Butch Keane! (Butch is also
Head Usher for 12:00 noon Mass).
The
electrostatic sprayers have arrived! These will be used to disinfect the pews.
It dries on contact and can be done very rapidly and safely.
Most of the
TV equipment is here except for the cameras. The wiring is in
place and ready
to go. Mike Minor (who does TV for the Town of East Fishkill) will get
everything set up for us. Thanks Mike! And thanks to Joe & Tom Mandile (Sound
Telephone, Inc) for the wiring. Joe and Tom do tremendous work and keep our telephones
and security cameras in good working order. They are also very active
parishioners!
In order to
use the confessionals in future months, we must put up temporary walls to
protect the priest and penitent. We have also ordered safer confessional
screens. There are other concerns as well. This is a work in progress.
All these
changes were not in our parish budget. A number of parishioners have recognized
this and sent special one-time gifts or have temporarily increased their
donations. Thank you so much for helping us to keep our parish much safer
during this time of pandemic and helping us to proclaim the Gospel using different
means. God bless your generosity!
A reminder
that Father Michael will be away July 6-10.
All current
information about our parish can be found at stcolumbaonline.org. Be sure to
check there first!
