SCCR Parish Blog

Thanks for your patience as we begin to gradually restart things in the parish office and facilities.  The Covid restrictions have been challenging for all of us. We are finding from experience in the first couple of weeks that reservations for daily and Sunday Masses will no longer be necessary because we are not at capacity.  So effective immediately, we will not be using the reservation system regularly.  The only current exception is for the Sunday Mass at St. Peter's, this weekend, June 14th, 8:30 a.m.  That is due to a First Communion.   If you plan to attend then, please make sure to call or email Debbie in the office first (before noon on Friday). We will also be reopening the parish office to walk-in visitors with some restrictions soon.  At least for a little while, for the protection of the staff, we will ask you to wear a mask if you plan to visit the office in person.  We will also be asking you to ring the doorbell when you arrive. W...

Now that Pentecost is finally here and we are permitted to joyfully celebrate Holy Mass again, I wanted to issue just a few more updates. A deacon or I will be reading some announcements before Mass regarding the new procedures we are required to follow due to the current pandemic.  They are reproduced below. I also wanted to try to clear up some confusion regarding Sunday Mass reservations (for our Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses).  Until further notice, you will have to sign up each time  (once for each weekend).  This is to insure that all of those who want to go to Mass have a chance to do so in the case that there are more who want to go than available seats, as the number of seats is significantly reduced due to social distancing requirements. If you are signed up for this weekend (Pentecost) your reservation is assured.  But please note that if you have signed up for a Sunday Mass for a date after this weekend, by our online registration websi...

Here are some FAQs (frequently asked questions) about the resuming of public Masses which starts tomorrow.   I'm anticipating questions here, based on some preliminary feedback I've received,  but will try to update this post after the Masses start when I find out what other questions people are actually asking. Do I have to wear a mask? Adults will be asked to wear a mask as they enter if not already wearing one.  An usher will provide either disposable use ones or a cloth one made by parish volunteers which you can take home, wash and reuse.  This is in accord with most research that shows that it will help prevent you from spreading Covid-19 to others at Mass if you have it but are not aware of it because you have no symptoms.  Even if you are not concerned about risk, we ask you to be considerate of other Massgoers who may gain peace of mind if they see others wearing masks.  We are asking people to keep the mask on except for the immediate reception of...

Welcome home! The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has a very helpful information page on the resumption of public Masses , including some short 2 minutes videos from a few pastors throughout the diocese, covering various topics such as how to prepare spiritually for Mass and what to expect.

The parish staff, volunteers and I are busy working on the plan for the restarting of public Masses in the parish beginning on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th. All registered parishioners will receive a postal mailing on this soon with more details and a Mass reservation request form .  ( Here's the full text of that letter ). For those who choose to return to Mass (attendance at Mass is temporarily optional, by authority of the Archbishop), please read that letter over carefully to minimize the confusion over the new Mass procedures and to insure you are prepared for the changes needed while this epidemic persists. Please note that some of the Mass times will change temporarily, due to the additional time needed for special procedures and that you will have to arrive early.   Please make sure that you check the parish calendar (on the website at the link, or the My Parish app on your phone) to confirm the correct Mass time before you come. We do not yet have a way to sign...

Please read today's article in the Catholic Telegraph , with the breaking news that Archbishop Schnurr will be permitting publicly celebrated daily Masses beginning on Monday, May 25th (Memorial Day).  For background on this decision, see this article . We are just finding out about this today, so it will take a little time to get the plan in place to restart those Masses.  We will communicate with you as much in advance as possible. I do want to emphasize Archbishop's point that this will NOT simply be a return to the way Mass was celebrated before the shutdown in mid-March.  There will be many restrictions on people coming to these Masses, including total number admitted, how far apart they must be at all times in the church space, when to wear masks, etc. Also, I want to emphasize that the obligation to attend Mass, including on Sundays, has been waived by the Archbishop for the foreseeable future .  As a result, he is urging those who are at risk (including the...

I am pleased to announce that there is finally "light at the end of the tunnel" regarding the celebration of public Masses in our diocese.  The Ohio Catholic bishops have announced that they will allow the resumption of public Masses beginning on the weekend of May 31, 2020 (Pentecost Sunday). There will certainly be some changes in the way the Masses are celebrated, even at that time, and it is possible we will have to limit the number who can attend. We will  make every effort to communicate all information to you regarding how the Masses will be celebrated, as it becomes available, so that you will know in advance how we can begin to resume the fullness of our sacramental life together as a Christian community. In the mean time, please continue to make spiritual communions each Sunday at least, and to do what is most spiritually helpful for you or your family on Sundays such as listening to the Mass on the radio , watching livestream or Catholic cable Masses , pr...