Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church

May 13, 2020

Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of the Valley,                                                           

We want you to know you are a vital part of our church community and we have missed seeing you so much! Thank you for your faith and patience during the suspension of public Mass. On  May 11th, Bishop Baker issued a directive that allows us to begin the process of  re-opening the churches along with the guidelines from the state and local authorities.  Our Lady of the Valley Church is very excited to announce to our parishioners that we will begin the process of re-opening for the public celebration of Mass and confessions. We recognize that the COVID-19 virus is still present, and to help reduce the risk to our parishioners at our church services; we will be  implementing new service procedures, new sanitation protocols, and different Mass times for parishioners to  allow for greater social distancing.  We have plans in place to have our worship spaces cleaned and sanitized between services, and to improve cleaning practices of frequently touched areas.  There will also be a special Mass celebrated for only vulnerable persons which will include the elderly and those with conditions that put them at greater risk.

We are still bound to follow Governor Ivey’s amended directive “Safer at Home”, along with the Bishop’s guidelines, which requires the proper social distancing at any event that has 10 or more people in attendance. In order to follow these guidelines, we will hold confessions in two different rooms in the church and have 3 Masses on Sunday ONLY; 7:00am (Mass for vulnerable persons ONLY), 8:30am, and 11am.

Confessions Saturday May 16, 2020:

1. Confessions will be held on Saturday May 16, 2020 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm and will be heard at two locations inside the church: The Minister’s Room  &  The Cry Room. Rooms will be marked:  Fr Liju Confessional  & Msgr. Rohling Confessional.
2. ENTER only at the main entrance of the church.  Door will be marked CONFESSIONAL ENTRANCE and stand on a blue marked line on the floor.  This is to allow for proper distancing.
3. If there are no remaining blue lines available to stand on,  please wait in your car and observe when someone leaves the side door, then you may go in and line up on the available blue line.
4. MASKS MUST BE WORN FOR CONFESSIONS.
5. After confession, EXIT only out the side door which is located left of the Minister’s Room and right of the Cry Room.  Door will be marked CONFESSIONAL EXIT.  
6. There should be no chatting or conversation while standing in the confessional line.

Catholic Mass on the Sixth Sunday of Easter

1. Mass times: 7:00 am, 8:30 am, and 11:00 am.  7:00 am Mass will be reserved ONLY for the most vulnerable.  This will include the elderly and those with conditions that put them at greater risk.
2. All attendees are asked to wear face masks.
3. Missalettes and hymnals will not be available for the foreseeable future.
4. A collection plate will not be passed down the pews. Two collection baskets will be available up to the right and the left near the altar for your contributions. You may drop your offering into either basket    before Mass or as you go through the Holy Communion line.
5. In the church, every other pew will be marked off for seating along with directional arrows on the aisles for proper walking traffic.
6. Families may sit together but should maintain a 6-ft social distance from non-family members in the same pew.
7. The first person to enter a pew should move to the center to prevent people from having to move across others to take a seat.
8. The physical exchange of the sign of peace will continue to be omitted, allowing for the possibility of a simple bow or hand wave.
9. There will be three places to receive the Eucharist. 1) the aisle near the choir  2) the main aisle  3) the aisle  to the right of the altar.  Ushers will be directing the flow from  each pew.  Please wait for their direction and follow the instructions. Each aisle will have a single file line.  Follow the diagram below for the walking flow of Holy Communion distribution. 

10. Communion will be distributed under the form of the Host only, recalling that Christ is present whole and entire even under only one form.
11. Face masks must be lowered before receiving Holy Communion.    
12. If wearing gloves, gloves must be removed before receiving Holy Communion.
13. Communion will be received ONLY on the hand, not on the tongue.
14. After the final blessing and closing song, back pews will EXIT FIRST and proceed outside the church, followed by the middle pews and finally the front pews.   We would like to avoid congestion upon    exiting so please leave the church building and do not congregate in the vestibule.
15. The Bishop has granted dispensation, recognizing that not all will feel comfortable to return to public worship right away, due to concerns or fears about COVID-19. Some who are pregnant, immunocompromised, or otherwise in a higher-risk category, will wisely wish to wait some time until returning to public worship. 

As we venture together on the “soft opening” of our church, we recognize we are asking you to adhere to many temporary changes, but we are hoping you understand these changes are for your safety and well being.   Please do not hesitate to call the office if you have any questions or concerns about these changes or any other concerns or questions you have about the church.  We are so looking forward to seeing   everyone again!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Msgr. Paul Rohling

 Click Here for the FEBRUARY 2020 OLV School Newsletter

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