Thank you to our supporters, volunteers, and parish family !
Special appreciation to all who helped, prepared and assisted in any way with our recent fundraiser / dinner held on April 25th. Your support and contributions are necessary and valued in every way to the benefit of our church, church family, and our presence in our community. May God bless you in your charity and may the Mother of God keep you in her protection.
REMEMBER! SOCIAL DISTANCING REGULATIONS are still IN PLACE IF YOU ARE ATTENDING IN CHURCH SERVICES : Unless you are in the same family, you must maintain a distance of no less than 6 feet, and preferably two pews apart from people in front and behind you. This applies also to social distancing in line to receive Holy Communion, etc. Also you must wear a mask fully covering your mouth and nose during services. We do not wish to be known for promoting community spread of COVID, only to be known for spreading the Good News of our Resurrected Jesus Christ. Locally cases are still prevalent and new variants are a real concern. We want YOU to stay safe and to avoid sickness. In charity, YOU can help others to stay safe. Remember, anyone can be a carrier and be asymptomatic, having no symptoms. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent the virus from forming new variants. With knowledge and faith, we live courageously. We also apply wisdom to know what is right and proper, to live in humble acceptance that all that we have, know, and can do is dependent upon God’s plan for each of us.
To Access Live Streamed Services Please Use the Facebook links – on the Welcome Page
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Continues Preventive Guidelines for COVID-19
The Pennsylvania Department of Health updated the requirements to help with preventing the spread of infection.
Information can be found HERE.
Excerpts from the directives include the following text:
- Everyone must wear a face covering when indoors, irrespective of physical distance, however, if a person is working alone, and has no expectation of being around other persons, they do not need to do so.The Order requires individuals to wear a “face covering.” “Face covering” means covering of the nose and mouth with material that is secured to the head with ties, straps, or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face. A “face covering” can be made of a variety of synthetic or natural fabrics, including cotton, silk or linen. A “face covering” may be factory-made, sewn by hand, or be improvised from household items including, but not limited to, scarfs, bandanas, t-shirts, sweatshirts, or towels.
- When outdoors, one must wear a face covering when with others who are not members of the person’s household and unable to maintain sustained physical distance.
- Sustained physical distance means the practice of staying at least six feet away from others to avoid becoming a close contact. On October 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its definition of close contact to “someone who was within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.” The guidance goes on to note that there are additional factors to consider when defining “close contact.”
- DOH recommends using 15 consecutive minutes of exposure at a distance of six feet or less as an operational definition for “close contact.” However, there are circumstances when someone should be considered a close contact of a case after being within six feet for fewer than 15 consecutive minutes. Additional factors that should be considered when assessing close contacts include but are not limited to close proximity to an infected person, infected person exhibiting symptoms, and environmental conditions like crowds or inadequate ventilation.
For additional details and answers to questions, please visit the link above.
Need to Continue Following Guidelines for Prevention of COVID-19
Our local Pennsylvania Parishes continue to follow the guidelines in place advised by both the The Office of Bishop Kurt Burnette, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and the Department of Health guidelines of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Be aware that while we express our weariness of the limitations and restrictions in place going on now for months, that until an approved vaccine is available, as faithful citizens and Christians we need to continue our efforts. It is important to protect others least we slip into complacency or an even more hazardous attitude of denial of the risk. It is entirely possible that a simple single act of omission in following the guidelines can put someone we love, someone we know, or an entire group of people, including our faith community in harm’s way. There is no doubt that the virus is real and because the severity and consequences is unpredictable for each person, it is prudent to err on the side of caution at all times. Please continue to think of others and act responsibly in your interactions in all settings. Be safe and be a “best practice” warrior on this fight against the spread!
SPECIAL COVID-19 NOTE: Our parishes are following extremely safe practices with distribution of Holy Communion for those who wish to accept Communion. Individual wooden utensils are used and disposed of (burned) following the standards of the Catholic church. It is not obligatory to receive the Sacrament at each Liturgy, and anyone who is uncomfortable or in a high risk category is encouraged to use their own discretion which is certainly honored respectfully. We pray for protection and for a swift end to the worldwide pandemic crisis.
The most recent and last statement issued by Bishop Kurt can be read on this link:
Letter from Bishop Kurt May 13, 2020
