Dear Friends in Christ:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Cor 13:14)
This weekend we celebrate Trinity Sunday…officially called "The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity." It is one of the few celebrations of the Christian Year that commemorates a reality and doctrine rather than a person or event.
On Trinity Sunday, Christians remember and honor the eternal God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Trinity Sunday is celebrated the Sunday after Pentecost, and lasts only one day, which is symbolic of the unity of the Trinity.
The Trinity is a mystery. By mystery the Church does not mean a riddle, but rather the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension that we may begin to grasp, but ultimately we will only know through worship, symbol, and faith.
If we reflect on the mystery of the Trinity, we can see also that it is the way that God has been revealed to us, as Father; as the Son, Jesus; and as the Holy Spirit or the Advocate.
We can never fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, but we can sum it up in the following formula: God is three Persons in one Nature. The three Persons of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are all equally God, and They cannot be divided.
This week take some time to meditate on the place of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in your life.
We are OPENING our doors for Public Worship! It is super exciting that we are opening our parish, once again, for public worship. Archbishop Blair has announced that parishes can open beginning tomorrow, June 8th, for daily Masses. Since word came our way, we have begun to lay out the plans to open, while keeping the safety and well-being of our parishioners at the forefront of all that we do! I am grateful to the Pastoral Council for their leadership in implementing the “Guidelines for Opening Churches for Public Worship” here in our parish!
I also want to express publicly my gratitude to our maintenance staff for all that they have done to ensure we are ready to open our doors. They have been busy preparing the facilities and ensuring the grounds look great for the return of our parishioners!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REOPENING OUR DOORS FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP!
· Saint Bridget Church building will be the only location for Masses at this time. It was recommended that parishes with more than one church consider only opening one location at this time to make it easier to monitor adherence to the guidelines.
· We have decided to provide 12 Masses during the week to ensure all who want to attend Mass can have the opportunity to do so. Masses will be at 7AM & 9AM Monday through Friday and at 6PM on Tuesday and Thursday.
· Mass will continue to be livestreamed two days during the week (this week that will be on Monday and Wednesday at 1PM) and on Sunday at 11AM.
· We will continue to open the Church for private prayer on Saturday from 10AM-12noon and on Sunday from 9AM-10:30AM.
· Confessions can be offered…we will continue to offer drive-thru confessions by appointment. We will also be offering drive-thru confession on Saturday from 3PM-3:30PM. Please pull-up next to the priest and roll down your window—there is no need for you to exit your vehicle. (If you are coming with others in the car we ask that you pull into the far parking lot and approach the confessor one at a time.)
· Hymnals have all been removed from the pews so if you are used to using one for the prayers on the back please bring your own with you to Mass or use myParish App. If you have not downloaded it yet please do so by texting APP to number 88202, then you will receive a link, click on it, open it in the store, download, search, and enter St. Bridget of Sweden and then click to get started!
· F.F. Hitchcock was on-site and changed all the filters in our HVAC system and also added Ultra Violet lights to help clean the air in the system.
· We have secured a new disinfectant spray: Envirocleanse A. We were given a tip from a parishioner (thank you) about a new disinfectant spray being used by the Fire and Police Departments in town. Envirocleanse A is a disinfectant for use on hard non-porous inanimate surfaces. Envirocleanse A is an oxidized, pH-neutral water-based solution that is ready-to-use. It simply needs to be sprayed on surfaces by our volunteers and then after ten minutes all viruses are killed. It is safe and organic.
GUIDELINES THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED BY THOSE WHO ATTEND MASS!
· You must sign-up through the Signup Genius at https://bit.ly/masssignup. The link was emailed to those parishioners whose email we have in our database. If you did not receive that email please check your spam as it might be there. If we do not have your email address, please send it to office@stbridgetcheshire.org. If you do not have any means to use the internet, please contact the parish office and they can sign you up for the Mass.
· You must practice social distancing at ALL times including entering and exiting the Church. ONLY the main entrance and the south entrance will be utilized.
· You must use sanitizer (your own preferably, since the parish has limited amounts) as you enter the Church.
· You must wear a mask at ALL times—there are few exceptions!
- Children under the age of two should not wear masks.
- Parents should judge for children between the ages of two and five whether they should wear a mask.
- All people who claim an exemption for a legitimate health reason (one that does not pose a risk to others) can forego wearing a mask.
· You will be brought to a seat to be socially distant from others. Families from the same household may sit together.
· There will be NO shaking hands.
· Communicants will receive the consecrated host in their hand, step to the side, lower their mask, consume the host, replace their mask, and then return to their pew. Gloves are NOT permitted to be worn when receiving Holy Communion. Please also note that no one is obliged to receive Holy Communion so if you feel the risk is too high please make a Spiritual Communion at your place.
· There are to be NO social gatherings inside the Church or in the parking lot at any time
Remember NO ONE is obliged to attend Mass at this time. If you are in a high risk group, are a member of the elderly, do not feel well, are anxious or fearful, or are immune-compromised, please stay home!
Archbishop Blair has also extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass through September 6th. Please join us on Sundays at 11AM as we livestream the Mass on Facebook, YouTube, and our Parish Website at
I am what some would call a news junkie. I love to watch the news, listen to the news in the car, and have the news on in the background throughout the day. During the past few months, however, it has at times become too much for even me to handle. It can be overwhelming following the state and national response to the pandemic. Father Federico and I have even had to declare at some mealtimes this will be a pandemic-free discussion. It can just be so overwhelming.
This past week the news has changed its’ focus now to another horrific reality: the senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd and the protests that have followed. His death has reignited the call for justice in our country. People have taken to the streets to protest this racial violence. This whole experience has revealed the deep wound of racism that still exists in the land of the free. The news now covers the protests, some peaceful others not, some respectful others not. My friends I am not writing about this to get involved in any political discussion or even to offer my personal thoughts on the events of this past week. I am simply bringing it up to say that racism, in any form, is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our faith calls us to love one another, to see the face of God in the face of those we encounter. We know that EVERY person is made in God’s image, so let’s treat one another with value, respect, and yes love!
JOIN ME IN PRAYER! Pray for peace in our nation, in our state, on our streets. Pray for our first responders. Pray for firefighters, police officers, EMTs, doctors, and nurses. Pray for those who have died from the Coronavirus, those who have lost loved ones from this virus, and those who are struggling to maintain their sanity through it all.
As always, remember to also pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings upon us all in this time of pandemic. With the gracious intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, may we be united with one another in prayer! Please pray for me and know that I am praying for you!
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