Dear Parishioners of St. Aloysius, 

It has been almost three months since the suspension of publicly scheduled Masses throughout the Diocese of Buffalo on March 15th. This time has certainly been unusual, to say the least, as I have been celebrating Masses without a congregation and unable to see you in Church each week. I am writing to share the good news with you that, following Governor Cuomo's announcement last Saturday that houses of worship will be allowed to celebrate services with a maximum of 25% capacity, Bishop Edward Scharfenberger has announced that parishes which are able to safely open 

following the guidelines for re-opening of churches previously issued by the Diocese of Buffalo will be allowed to do so as soon as possible. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that we will begin our celebration of public Masses this weekend, June 13th & 14th. We will continue our previous schedule of Masses - Saturday evening at 4:00, Sunday morning at 8:00 at St. John the Baptist in West Valley, and 10:30 Sunday morning, as well as our daily Masses at 7:30 AM Monday through Thursday and 9:00 AM Friday at St. Aloysius Church. The guidelines are available on the Diocese of Buffalo website (www.buffalodiocese.org) if you wish to view them. There is also a link to them on our parish website (www.staloy.com). In order to celebrate Masses, keeping the safety of our parishioners at the forefront, necessitates some changes to the liturgical celebrations we are used to. 

First and foremost, it is important to note that Bishop Scharfenberger's dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation remains in effect. This is because we are strongly encouraging people who are in high-risk groups who are susceptible to Covid-19 to continue to stay home and celebrate Mass through live-streamed or televised Masses. This is also true for anyone who is not comfortable being around other people, or those who are not feeling well. 

For those who are comfortable coming to Mass, the guidelines require everyone over the age of two years old to wear a mask. We ask that you please bring your own mask from home to wear, although we will have a small supply for those who need one. When you are in Church, we ask that you maintain the social distance of at least six feet from others who do not live with you. In order to assist with that, we are required to limit the seating within the church, which means that some pews will be roped off and left empty between those that are occupied. When you arrive at church, you will be escorted to an open seat by an usher. We envision people sitting at each end of the open pew and not in the middle. During the distribution of Holy Communion, you will be directed to proceed in a single file line (maintaining six feet of separation between each person) up the main aisle, and receive Holy Communion in your hand - there will not be any reception on the tongue. You will then move to the side, remove your mask to place the host in your mouth, replace your mask and return to the pew down the side aisle. At the end of Mass, the ushers will dismiss the people row by row, as they did when people came into Mass. The missalettes and song books will be removed from the pews, so people are not touching the same books. There will be no congregational singing during Mass, and there will be hand sanitizer available at the entrance to the church for you to use whenever you feel it is necessary. The church will also be cleaned after each Mass as well. 

The necessity to maintain the social distancing between people at Mass will greatly limit the number of people who can be in church for each Mass. This is particularly true for the 8:00 AM Mass at St. John the Baptist Church in West Valley. If you are in the habit of attending that Mass and could possibly attend either the Saturday evening or Sunday morning Mass at St. Aloysius Church, it would help alleviate the concern that we may have to turn people away from the Mass at St. John the Baptist. As you can imagine, these are only some of the adjustments that will have to be made, which we will remind you at each Mass, and we ask that you have patience as we adjust to these temporary changes. 

I will also begin celebrating the Sacrament of Penance at the scheduled time (3:00 PM on Saturday), using the library room off of the vestibule of St. Aloysius Church this Saturday, June 13th. Again, please maintain social distancing if you are waiting to go to Confession. 

It is certainly a great sign that we can gather again as a parish family to celebrate the Mass and I look forward to seeing you all again!

Sincerely, 

Father Dan Fawls