Dear People of Saint Anne,
As you know Saint Anne Catholic Community has been certified by the Archdiocese of Chicago for the Phase 1/1A reopening for private prayer and the Celebration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and Reconciliation, along with funeral liturgies – for ten people over the last few weeks. If any of you have been to church, you realize the number of volunteers it has taken to serve as a part of the Setup Team, Greeting Team and Disinfecting Team for each of these events.
Now, our Reopening Team is preparing for our Phase 2 Reopening. This requires another certification. And more volunteers. Our goal is to begin to share Sunday Eucharist and our Sacramental Life in the Main Church. We will be reopening on the weekend of July 18 / 19 with three Masses (5:15 PM Saturday, 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday) with a limit of 50 attendees. This will enable us to test our mandated protocols, reservation system and timing. The following week through the end of August, that number will increase to 125 people at each Sunday Mass. Increasing the number of parishioners to as many as 200 can happen in September if there need is there. We will also begin celebrating daily Mass in the Main Church at our usual 8:15 AM time (Monday through Friday) beginning on July 20. We are fortunate to have a large church where can block off pews to handle the social distancing required.
Your health and peace of mind has always been the determining factor in discerning when we should reopen our Church. And while we long to be together once again, we lovingly encourage anyone who is 70 or older with serious medical conditions, to not attend Mass at this time. Cardinal Cupich is continuing the suspension of the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. We will also be continuing the weekend video Masses and our morning daily reflections.
Thank you for your continuing patience, generosity and understanding as honor our longing for the Eucharist and our responsibility to keep our members, volunteer ministers safe and healthy.
In the Name of the parish Reopening Team
Father Bernie Pietrzak
Pastor