St. Joseph R.C. Church

Dear Parishioners,

As you may have heard, a couple of weeks ago we became aware of a pest problem in the church. To be specific, volunteers noticed that they were coming out of the church with fleas. The next day we moved daily Mass to the O'Connell Room, and weekend Masses to Nolan Hall. In the two weeks since, a professional extermination company has treated the church three times. Unfortunately, despite moments in which it looked like we had successfully exterminated the fleas, the church remains infested with these pests.

Tomorrow (17 September 2020), the exterminators will come to do a fourth treatment. They have advised us that we must refrain from entering the church for 10 days after the treatment takes place. This is to ensure that the treatment is effective. However, there is something else that we must do, and here I ask for the cooperation of all in our area, parishioners, and non-parishioners, alike.

We need your commitment to help deter any animals from being around the church. We have tried barring the entrances to the crawl space underneath the church to prevent animals from getting in and spreading fleas, but evidence would suggest that animals are still making their home around the church, perpetuating the issue. Different animals have been spotted around the bushes of the church. Some may know that a particular cat frequented the church area, indeed some in the neighborhood took to leaving food and water for the cat. We can no longer permit this to take place. Possums, raccoons, squirrels, rats, and mice can all be attracted to this food. We know that there are fleas in the area outside of the church, too. If these animals come around, they can become hosts to the pests and prolong the pest issue, while potentially spreading these fleas elsewhere. We ask everyone to cooperate in our effort to eliminate the fleas by refraining from leaving food or drink of any kind around the church or our property.

I thank you, in advance, for your cooperation on this matter, and I pray that we will be able to reopen the building as soon as possible, following the guidance of the pest control professionals.

Sincerely,
fr. Jason

THE PARISH CENTER REMAINS CLOSED AT THIS TIME.  STAFF IS ANSWERING PHONES AND EMAILS BUT THERE ARE NO VISITORS TO THE PARISH CENTER, EXCEPT BY APPOINTMENT.  Thank you.

--Sunday Mass is by registration only. WALK - INS MAY BE TURNED AWAY. 
Several people have begun simply showing up, and expecting to be seated --
WE ARE NOW FILLING TO CAPACITY WITH RESERVATIONS AND
WALK-INS MAY BE TURNED AWAY.

Thank you for helping us follow all health & safety protocols.


Please keep in mind that although we are beginning to gather in person, we do not have regular meetings scheduled for the Fall, and the Parish Office remains CLOSED - entry by appointment only.  Voice Mail and E-mail are checked regularly: 669-0068 ext 100.

There is also still no obligation to attend Mass.  If you would like to read and reflect on the daily readings, you can find them at the USCCB site by clicking here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080720.cfm


WHAT TO KNOW:


--Everyone is asked to arrive 20 minutes prior to Mass beginning.
If you arrive after Mass begins, it is possible your seat has been given to another and you will not be able to enter.

--Seating is assigned - if you are coming as a family please have one person register for the whole family so that you will be seated together. This helps us maintain proper social distancing. You will NOT be able to choose your seat.

--There will be Collection baskets at the doors of the Church - your financial support at this time is greatly appreciated.

--Our CHURCH is currently at FULL capacity and we will continue to maintain safe social distance. Please follow the direction of the Volunteers.

--Masks MUST BE WORN fully covering your nose and mouth at ALL TIMES. To receive Holy Communion you may remove your Mask to consume the Host, but replace the mask immediately.
Mass will continue to be Live Streamed so that it can be viewed AT HOME. We ask that all who are in any way health-compromised please stay at home. Please do not put yourself or others at risk.

--Please note that that RESTROOMS are CLOSED at this time.

--If you are able to volunteer and help at the Mass you attend, please add VOLUNTEER in the Comments section of your Mass Reservation.

--If you are a Lector, and wish to be added to the schedule, please note LECTOR in the comments of your reservation.

--Only the Priest, Clergy, and Sacristan are to be on the Altar or in the Sacristy at all times.

--Our Parish is doing everything it can to maintain the health & safety of everyone. Thank you
for your patience.  If you are not feeling well, or you have a fever, or have recently travelled to one of the high-risk areas, or you have recently been in contact with someone who is ill, please remain home and watch Mass from home. Help keep everyone safe. Thank you.


SEPTEMBER MASS SCHEDULE: 
**Location may change due to cleaning of the Church, but the time will not change**

     Saturday: 5:00 pm O'Connel Rm Chapel

Sunday:  7:00  O'Connell Rm Chapel        
                9:00 Nolan Hall          9:15 O'Connell Room Chapel
         10:30 Nolan Hall        10:45 O'Connell Room Chapel  
               12:30 En La Capilla en Espanol

**Daily Mass & Sunday Mass will continue to be live streamed so those who are not comfortable or who are in any way health-compromised may still participate. Safety first!

Many already know about Sunday Mass - but we could use help spreading the word. some guidelines and responses to FAQ's:

At this time, Sunday Mass requires a Reservation because our seating is limited.
Reservation system opens on Wednesday morning for the following Sunday. If you reserve multiple seats for your family, and you know you do not need them, please go back on line and change your reservation so that others may attend. We are doing our best to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be at Sunday Mass. We cannot guarantee you will be able to attend the same mass every weekend.


REGISTRATION Opens after 10 am each Wednesday for the next Sunday

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR MASS
ON WEDNESDAY AFTER 10AM

Know someone who does not have computer access?
Have them give the office a call - we will set them up with a Communication Volunteer who will call them regularly with Parish Updates and who can register them for Mass!
631-669-0068 ext 100

THIS MESSAGE WAS ALSO SENT OUT AS A CONSTANT CONTACT UPDATE.  IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, PLEASE REGISTER FOR CONSTANT CONTACT.  CLICK HERE 

Please be careful of ANY EMAIL if you do not recognize the Senders email address.  There have been some e-mails which seem to have been sent out by the parish but WERE NOT. We generally do not send ZIP files. If you suspect an email is fraudulent, you should delete it without opening it.  Thank you. 

On the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bishop Barres issued this pastoral letter to the People of God reflecting on St. John Paul II’s eleventh Encyclical, Evangelium Vitae – The Gospel of Life.  Please Click here to read the text in English or Spanish.