URGENT MEMORANDUM UPDATE

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH KALIHI, HONOLULU

The Following COVID-19 Safety Guidelines are in effect at St. John the Baptist Church until further notice (Subject to change)

1. Process to reserve a seat to attend Holy Mass at St. John the Baptist:

*Weekday Mass will be “first-come, first served” in order of arrival. No reservations are required (smaller congregation); all other guidelines apply.

Weekend Mass require a reservation:

• Visit http://saintjohnthebaptistkalihi.eventbrite.com (bookmark this link for repeated use)

• Click on the date and hour you want to participate in.

• Click on register.

• Select the amount of “tickets” (seats) you want to reserve and choose Register.

• Next, type your First and Last Name, then, type your email address, then uncheck the blue checkmark, choose Register.

• If you want to repeat the process for someone else, or to sign up for another Mass: Press X in the top right corner.

• You will receive an email confirmation, but you do NOT need to bring any confirmation or ticket with you when you come to Mass.

• If the Mass you would like to attend is full, please sign up for a different Mass.

• If you experience difficulties signing up, please call the office at 808-8450984.

2. The Bishop has extended the dispensation for physically attending Sunday Mass until June 30. This means that not physically attending Sunday Mass is not a sin at this time. Bishop Larry will periodically consider extending the dispensation as needed.

3. If you are sick or vulnerable to getting sick, as an act of charity, PLEASE STAY HOME.

4. Face mask (any covering of nose and mouth) is required at all times for everyone.

5. Please use bathroom sinks, and/or bring your own hand sanitizer as you enter, so they see you using it or let them know you have cleaned up. (Donations of supplies are encouraged and appreciated).

6. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before Mass to observe social distancing at all times, individual sanitizing, face masks, etc.

7. There is one way in (side door) and two way out (side door and main entrance).

8. The church will be filled observing social distancing, skipping pews in between, starting from the front to the back by order of arrival. Please follow the ushers' directions.

9. Please avoid touching any surfaces (pews, seat back of the bench in front of you, doors, etc.) anywhere in the church to reduce the risk of getting sick.

10.Hymnals, missalettes, and printed materials will be removed until further notice.

11.Once you are seated, PLEASE STAY IN YOUR SEAT until Communion time. If you have an unavoidable emergency, an usher may assist you. BE PATIENT, plan ahead.

12.The collection will be as usual.

13.There will be no physical contact during the Lord's Prayer or the sign of peace. During the sign of peace, a simple bow, hand wave, or other appropriate gesture will suffice in place of physical contact with others.

14.The Communion Cup of the Precious Blood will not be distributed to the assembly at this time. We Catholics believe that when we receive Holy Communion in either form by itself (Consecrated Bread or Consecrated Wine), we fully receive the Lord Jesus Himself, really and truly present in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

15.Your mask stays on until right before you are going to receive Holy Communion, remove it to consume the Communion Host, and then you put it back on immediately afterwards. When the priest or minister approaches you, you prepare yourself by doing the following:

• Extend your hands before you, placing your hands with your palms lying flat and open (do not cup your hands), with one hand on top of the other, “making an altar with your hands like a throne to receive the King of Kings”.

• We highly encourage you to please receive Holy Communion in the hand at this time.

After the Final Blessing, REMAIN IN YOUR PEW. Then proceed in an orderly fashion to your vehicle. The church has to be empty to be promptly sanitized and prepared for the next Mass. Do not gather outside after Mass.

As Bishop Larry Silva has assured us, “Yes, these are bothersome requirements, but they are necessary for the continuing health and safety of all during this global pandemic.”

               Saint John the Baptist Church

A Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu                                                                  

                                                                                                                   May 26, 2020

  Dear Parishioners:

Over the last ten weeks because of the coronavirus, we have been deprived of joining together as Catholic Christians to celebrate and participate in that which makes all Catholics around the world “one body of Christ” –the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. While we have been celebrating the Mass without physically gathering with you, it is now with great excitement and words of caution that I announce the reopening of St. John the Baptist Church for public worship to resume once again.

*Note: For those not comfortable attending Mass in public just yet, Bishop Silva has extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass to June 30th. For Livestreamed Masses on YouTube follow the channel St. Michael's Kona Music Ministry at 9 am (English) and 11 am (Spanish).

Planning for the reopening has been a monumental task in figuring out how the re quired safety protocols will be implemented for all who attend Mass. Expect that you will be required to wear a mask, and that, due to social distancing, you will not have your “saved seat” that you regularly have sat in prior to March 15th. We ask for your patience and understanding at this time while we work out all the “hiccups” that are sure to happen. Weekend Masses with the public at St. John the Baptist Church will resume on Pentecost weekend, May 30th-31st with the following schedule:

Public Weekend Masses

Saturday 4 pm / 6 pm (Spanish) Sunday 6 am, 8 am, 10 am, 12: 30 pm (Spanish), 4 pm

Sign up for the Weekend Mass you wish to attend by using the: Eventbrite link on our website or Facebook Page, or by calling the parish office: (808) 845-0984. Please call no later than Friday by 1:45 pm and give the time of Mass you will attend, the number of persons coming to Mass, and their names.

Daily Masses will begin Tuesday – June 2 nd with the following schedule (no reservations required; attendance will be filled “First-come, First-served”):

Public Daily Masses / Confessions Daily Masses:

Tuesday through Friday 7:15 am Outdoor Confessions: Saturday 9 am at the main entrance (begins May 30th)

You remain in my daily prayers, and I ask that you keep me in yours. Your patience while we work to keep everyone safe will be appreciated. I look forward to seeing you at Mass. May God bless you!

Peace of Christ

Fr. Diego Alejandro Restrep

Parish Administrator