-
-
faq's regarding returning to mass
St. Stephen’s Mass Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do we still need to wear masks in church? Yes. The virus is still out there and rising in many states. As part of its reopening plan, the Archdiocese has required the wearing of masks to help reduce the spread of the virus and St. Stephen’s clergy and staff take this requirement very seriously. Masks must be worn throughout Mass, covering your nose and mouth completely. We greatly appreciate your cooperation with this policy.
- Will another Mass be added? There are no plans to add another mass until at least September. Fr. Reynor returns in August, will need to quarantine for two weeks, and will then be able to celebrate Mass. Additionally, Mass attendance typically “picks up” in the fall as students return to school and parishioners are not travelling.
- Are reservations really necessary? Yes. Even though we don’t necessarily “hit” our capacity by the numbers, we need to know the make-up of the family "units" that are attending in order to maximize seating in the available pews.
- What is our church capacity under Covid-19 restrictions? Our church capacity, pre-Covid, is set at 600. The capacity guidelines started at 25% and eventually rose, pending adherence to social distancing requirements to 50% capacity. It is the ‘adherence to social distancing’ that holds our current capacity to around 170 worshipers, including the Atrium seats, but not counting clergy, a lector, musicians, and ushers. This all assumes that the family “units” that sign up for a given mass will be exactly as the seats are configured – we can tell you this rarely happens! So, the fitting of puzzle pieces begins…
- How is the seating done? Once reservations are made, parishioners are assigned seats based on the seating in our church. As you know, St. Stephen’s has a very irregular configuration, in that each pew holds a different number of persons. The available seating has been planned out such that there is 6 feet of separation (per health guidelines) in all directions of the family “unit” while still maximizing the number of people in a given pew. Therefore, assigning seats is a manual process where each family “unit” is placed based on the size of their group and the pews available to accommodate them. We try to fill all the pews first, then move to the chairs on either wall, and finally, to the Atrium. As you can imagine, this takes a bit of time, but it is for the health and welfare of all parishioners, as well as keeping to the guidelines that are in place that allow us to be open at all.
- Why do ushers have to take us to our seats? The ushers have been an invaluable asset in the reopening of St. Stephen’s for Mass. They have quickly learned the seating system, sometimes assessing “on the fly” where available seats are and keep the whole process moving so that Mass starts on time. Most pews are open only to one aisle and it is in this situation that the ushers are key – they can seat parishioners quickly based on knowing which seats are accessed from each aisle. Your early arrival to mass is greatly appreciated!
- How many people have been attending Mass? Since the return to Mass, daily masses have averaged around 30-40 people, fairly normal considering the circumstances. Weekend Mass attendance for the 5 p.m. Saturday is typically around 80 people, closer to 100 for 9 a.m. on Sundays and 60-70 at 11:30. We have heard that many parishioners still are not comfortable coming out to mass.
- If I do not have a reservation, will I be turned away? The short answer is no, Fr. Jack does not want to put anyone in the position of turning people away. However, those who do not make a reservation will likely be seated in the easiest open seats (typically along the wall, if available) or in the Atrium. This situation also applies to those who arrive after Mass has begun, reservation or not, so as not to disrupt the Mass.
- Why does the church sometimes “look” empty? This is a function of the make-up of any given mass…the 9 a.m. tends to have more families, while other masses may have more singles and couples in attendance who will be occupying pews slated for larger “units” when needed. For example, if a couple is seated in a pew that could hold a family of 5, there are now 3 “seats” that are unavailable for anyone else as non-related persons cannot sit together. On top of all this – sometimes we have “no-shows”, parishioners who have made reservations, were assigned seats, but then did not end up coming to Mass.
- How long will the 9 a.m. livestream last and is there still dispensation for Sunday Mass? The livestream of Sunday 9 a.m. mass will continue indefinitely. In addition to the Covid situation, we have many home-bound parishioners as well as those who may have other physical or health issues and cannot attend Mass regularly. Additionally, in the wintertime with the possibility of inclement weather, livestreamed Mass will be beneficial to those who are unable to get out for Mass, or for all in the event the church has to close altogether. During the ongoing pandemic, the dispensation of the Mass obligation is still in force, the spiritual communion is still read at all the masses for this reason.
- Why are there no Eucharistic Ministers or Altar Servers at Mass? For this initial re-opening phase, it was decided to limit the number of “moving parts” for the time being as well as limit the exposure of these ministers during Mass. However, to maintain a certain level of “normalcy”, there is one lector and Mr. Marcella has added one or two singers on a limited, socially distanced, basis.
-