Wednesday, December 23, 2020

 

Merry Christmas! Christ Our Savior Is Born!

We welcome you to Christmas Mass at St. Columba.  The year 2020 has been a challenging and difficult year for all of us. It makes it even more important for us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. This Christmas reflect on how Christ is at work in your life, especially this year.   A child was born, the Son of God, to save the world.  Together we celebrate his birth.

 

What to Expect this Christmas at Mass

We need to do many things differently this year to make sure that we are all safe.  If you are a regular parishioner at St. Columba, you are used to many of the changes, but not all.  We are outlining what to expect at Christmas Mass.

  • Masks are required.  If you have any cold or flu symptoms or have already gathered this week with multiple households or large groups, stay home, and join us via our livestream. See instructions below.
  • Christmas is the busiest time for all churches with many more people attending Mass than normal.  Knowing that we had to reduce our capacity, we increased the number of Masses to 12.
  • To ensure we adhere to our capacity restrictions, we issued tickets for each Mass.  Many of our Masses are at capacity and sadly we cannot accommodate anyone without a ticket.  This is being done for everyone’s safety.
  • To safely maximize our space, we created a seating plan for each Mass.  A seat has been pre-assigned to you (and your family).  These assignments are based on the best use of our space considering proper distancing guidelines. 
  • Please do not arrive at the church or school gym earlier than 30 minutes before the start of Mass. We need to thoroughly clean all the surfaces between Masses and will hold everyone outside until this work is completed.  But please arrive beginning at ½ hour before Mass. All should be in their seats before Mass starts.  Socially distance while waiting to be seated. Once Mass begins your reservations ends and we will quickly fill any available seat.
  • Please arrive together if you are a group. 

What to Expect When You Arrive

  • Red tickets are for the church and green tickets are for the gym.
  • When you arrive, you will be greeted by an usher. 
    • Show the usher your ticket(s) – paper or smartphone
    • The usher will cross check your name on the registration list
    • He or she will escort you to your seat.
  • Some families used the name of one family member to register for various Masses.  Please use the name on the registration when entering the church so we can easily determine where your seat is.


Communion

If you plan to receive Communion, wait for the usher to indicate your turn to enter the Communion reception line.  If there is someone in the middle of pew not intending to receive, we ask that person to exit the pew, so no one must climb over top of anyone then return after everyone has either left or returned.  Remove your mask when you approach the Priest/Deacon/Eucharistic Minister but cover up immediately after receiving.


Exiting

  • In the church, we ask everyone seated in the side sections to exit via the nearest side doors.  Those in the center aisles should exit through the front doors.  Please do not bunch up. 
  • If you are in the gym, please follow the usher’s instructions.   Our objective is to spread out as much as possible.
  • Although we will try not to rush anyone, we all need to leave at the end of Mass so that we can disinfect the church/gym.


Collection

We have not been taking up a collection in the traditional sense and we will continue this practice at Christmas.  We are placing several “collection drop” baskets near the entrance of the church and gym.  Drop your contribution in the basket at any time.  Our church needs your financial support.   We are grateful to those who have sent their Christmas donation to us through the mail and the many who give to us electronically.

Live Streaming

We will Live Stream the following Masses at Christmas:

          Christmas Eve -- 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM,  Midnight
          Christmas Day -- 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12 Noon

Connect with us at:          FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/StColumbaHJ
                                         YouTube:    https://www.youtube.com/c/saintcolumbahopewell


A Note About our Ushers

We are most grateful to our ushers. Many of them have volunteered to help at two, three and even four Masses to help keep us as safe as possible. Please listen to and follow their directions. Please reach out to an usher if there are any special needs.

Our prayerful best wishes to you and your family for a safe and blessed Christmas!

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