I want to thank you for your cooperation with safety protocols during the last two months since our return to Mass after the lockdown. All our parishioners, for the most part, have been wonderfully cooperative in adhering to face masks and social distancing practices to keep our brothers and sisters in Christ safe and healthy during these unexpected times that we are living. I have to admit that during the recent spike in cases in Miami during the summer, I was a little worried that we would be forced to close again. Thankfully, that didn’t happen to the glory of God. The number of positive cases are dropping statewide and county wide which is wonderful, but there are still things that we can do to ensure a safe environment in our church for our fellow parishioners.

Some gentle reminders:

• Please keep your masks on at all times while inside the church.
• Please wear your masks properly: covering both your mouth and your nose.
• Please sit in the designated areas of the pew, marked by the blue tape.
• When coming up to receive Holy Communion, remove your mask right before receiving the Lord, and put your mask back on right after receiving the Lord, before returning to your pew.
• Please maintain 6 feet of social distance when going up to Communion.
• When Mass is over, please maintain that six feet perimeter as well. Do not congregate inside the church. I know you want to share the love of Christ with friends. Please do it outside with a safe distance.
• Priests have started to greet people from a safe distance outside our church after Mass (we can’t help it, we miss you!). Please, keep a safe distance while the priest is greeting the individual or family in front of you, and yes, please keep your mask on outside.

Our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion were sent an email similar to this last week to remind them also of best practices. We are so thankful that we can gather as a community to celebrate the Eucharist and the sacraments, and we want to continue to observe the best and safe practices so that we can soon open up the rest of the parish for our ministries and more importantly: for Perpetual Adoration!

I also want to thank our army of volunteers who disinfect and clean our church after every Mass. We can always use more help, so if you want to pitch in, ask an usher or any volunteer after Mass.

Thank you all, and let us continue to pray for an end to this pandemic.