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OUR LADY OF POMPEI IS NOW open
Our Mass schedule is the same as it was prior to the pandemic. Please read the guidelines below regarding the re-opening of our church.
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important news
please shareBy MandateofThe Apostolic AdministratorofThe Diocese of Paterson
Protocols for the Reopening of Churches toPublic Liturgical Celebrations
The Diocese of Paterson has been in close communication with State
officials, medical professionals, and the other dioceses of the State. We wish
to provide the faithful with access to the liturgical life of the Church while
maintaining the public health and safety of the faithful and others with
whom they may have contact.
These mandated guidelines are general enough to be adapted to diverse
parish settings and institutions of the diocese. They are also specific enough
to attend to the health and safety of the clergy and faithful as we provide for
the spiritual good of our people.
Each parish community or institution will be required to work closely
together, involving clergy, staff, and volunteers in order to implement these
guidelines and to provide, as much as it is humanly possible, a safe
environment proper for Liturgy during this pandemic.
THESE GUIDELINES ARE NOT SUGGESTIONS. THEY ARE, FOR
THE MEANTIME, PARTICULAR LAW OF THE DIOCESE OF
PATERSON, ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE AUTHORITY OF
THE APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR WHO POSSESSES THE
AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORDINARY FUNCTIONING
OF THE DIOCESE.
THE GUIDELINES BELOW PERTAIN TO THE APPROPRIATE
AND SAFE FUNCTIONING OF ORDINARY LITURGICAL LIFE IN
THE LOCAL CHURCH OF PATERSON. THEREFORE, THESE
MATTERS REQUIRE ADHERENCE BY ALL PARISHES AND
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES WHERE THE SACRED LITURGY IS
CELEBRATED.
General Guidelines
1. We will notify you the date when Churches are to reopen. At
that time, public liturgies, including the sacraments, such as
Baptism and Matrimony, funerals and Memorial Masses for those
who have died during the pandemic may be celebrated.2. The dispensation from the obligation to participate in Sunday and
Holy Day Masses remains in effect until further notice. For this reason,
those who wish to attend Sunday Eucharist and are unable to do so
because of the limited access to the church may choose to attend Mass
on another day.
3. Those who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, i.e. those
sixty (60) years of age and over, and especially those with one or
several underlying medical conditions, should follow Mass at home via
live stream or television until all restrictions are removed.
4. A person with a cough or fever of any kind should stay home to
protect the health of others.
5. Live-streaming of Mass should be continued for those unable to
attend.6. No group for any celebration of the Mass, sacraments, and funerals
should be larger than 25% of the total seating capacity within the
Church.7. Churches may be open for private visits outside of scheduled
services, but this is left to the discretion of the pastor. The hours should
be posted. There should be a plan to properly clean the church and keep
it a safe environment after the hours of private visits.
8. Regularly cleaning and disinfecting commonly-touched surfaces in
the church is necessary. This should be done after every service in the
church.
9. A reasonable period of "empty time" should be scheduled after the
time when people leave the church so the entire church can be washed,
wiped down, and sanitized. Only then can people be admitted into the
next Mass.
10. Pastors should establish and publicize the hours when the parish
church and offices will be open. It is advisable to schedule special times
at the end of the day when the entire building can be empty and cleaned
to the fullest extent needed.
In opening offices it should be kept in mind that provision for supplies
of adequate hand sanitizer and masks for both staff and guests should be
readily available.
11. Maintenance staff should use the guidelines from the diocese or
Center for Disease Control on the best and most practical ways to
sanitize their building.
12. All hymnals and missalettes should be removed from the church
pews.
13. Hand sanitizers are to be placed at the entrance into the church and
in a place easily accessible to the priest presiding at the liturgy.
14. All persons over the age of 2 should wear face masks.
15. Restrooms should only be used in case of necessity. They should be
supplied with cleaning materials. Instructions should be posted so that
anyone who uses the facility knows exactly what to do.16. Only one entrance/door should be open for each building. However,
all doors should allow for egress in case of emergency.17. Exits and emergency exits should be tested beforehand and well
known to the congregation in case of the need to exit in an emergency.18. Provision should be made for the handicapped.
Particular Guidelines
1. Mass attendance must be limited to 25% of seating capacity, as noted
above. It is left to the discretion of the pastor to determine how this is to
be, e.g. first-come, first-served basis, registering on line, lottery etc.
Pastors must clearly publicize in advance whatever way they select so
that people may understand that, if they arrive after the permitted
number has been reached, they may have to be turned away. This is to
protect everyone's health and to follow the regulations on health and
safety.
2. Volunteers should be available to welcome parishioners to church,
maintaining six feet of social distance, directing them toward seating
and limiting the number of persons to whom the church is accessible.
3. Holy Water fonts and the baptismal fonts are to remain empty. When
Baptism is celebrated, small individual bottles of purified water should
be blessed and be used for each adult or infant individually.
4. Depending on availability of priests, parishes may schedule more
frequent Masses to accommodate their people with smaller
congregations.
5. All of those attending the Liturgy must wear a face mask. A good
number of disposable face masks may be available to the faithful for
those who neglect to bring them. The faithful need to be informed of
this safety precaution.
6. All people inside the church must practice social distancing by
keeping 6 feet from other persons. People in the same household do not
have to follow the social distancing guidelines, but must keep 6 feet
from all those not in their household.
7. Certain pews may be closed to make certain that social distancing is
maintained. Temporary and safe markings should be made on the floor
or carpet to maintain social distancing as well.
8.Those assisting at the altar should maintain a 6-foot distance from the
priest and from each other. The Roman Missal should be placed on a
stand before the presider's chair or in the center of the altar. It is not to
be held by a server.
9. Altar Servers should not assist at the altar until a later date when the
risk of contagion is further ameliorated.
10. There is to be no choir. Singing should be discouraged in general.
Singing, especially in close proximity to others, may increase the risk
of viral spread.
The parts of the Mass, e.g., Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, etc. must be
recited.
11. There is to be no offertory procession. Collection baskets are to be
placed in appropriate places to receive the offering of the faithful.
Electronic giving should be encouraged weekly so that the practice
becomes more widespread now and permanently into the future.
Ushers should wear gloves when placing the offerings into the plastic
security bags mandated through Diocesan Collection Procedures.
13. The Exchange of Peace is to be shared without human contact.
14. Social distancing should be maintained by the faithful when they
approach to receive the Eucharist at Communion time. Please allow six
feet between each person in the line going to receive the Eucharist. The
faithful should be encouraged to bring hand sanitizer to use before the
reception of Holy Communion,
15. The Body of Christ should be placed in the hands of the
communicant.
16. The distribution of the Precious Blood from the chalice is
discontinued for the foreseeable future. The Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Christ is received under either species.17. The priest should have a hand sanitizer near him during the
distribution of Holy Communion to use as he sees fit. If, per chance, a
communicant's saliva comes in contact with the priest, he should
immediately stop and use the sanitizer.18. To avoid crowding at the end of Mass, people may be dismissed by
the ushers one pew at a time to avoid crowding.19. For now, when a priest is approached for celebration of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, the confessional is not used. There should
be a safe social distance between the priest and penitent in a public and
yet appropriate space.
These Protocols and Procedures are promulgated for the Diocese of
Paterson and effective when churches are opened to the public. They are
effective immediately, unless, if, by the content of the particular
protocol or procedure, it is clear that it is a protocol which must
immediately be implemented.
All to the contrary notwithstanding.
Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli, S.T.D., S.S.L., D.D.Apostolic Administrator -
LETTER FROM FATHER FRANK
APRIL 1, 2020PARISH NEWS
IMPORTANT NOTICE: by mandate of Bishop Serratelli, all churches and chapels must remain closed until further notice. Our church will NO longer be open from 9:00-12:00 for private prayer. Please spread the word to our fellow parishioners. Please keep in mind that we have an outdoor prayer garden that is available for use. I request that no more than 10 people pray there at any given time, keeping in mind you absolutely must stay six feet apart from each other. People’s lives could depend on you following the guidelines of social distancing.
I hope that all of you are managing in these difficult and uncertain times. As you can imagine, things around the parish are very quiet. I continue to say Mass daily and to remember our deceased parishioners and those of our parish who are sick and shut-in their homes.
I have received many phone calls, emails, and texts from parishioners asking how I am doing. Thank God, I’m fine. It is very humbling and moving to hear from so many of you who are concerned for my well-being. Thank you! I continue to pray for everyone and I also follow up with phone calls to many of our parishioners.
In my conversations with parishioners, I am especially touched to hear so many of them say that they miss receiving Holy Communion. God has given His church a great gift-the gift of Himself! We can use this experience of absence from Holy Communion to make our hearts grow in appreciation for the graces that God pours into our souls whenever we receive Him at the altar. The day will come when we can be reunited here at Mass, and that will be a glorious day!
Last, I want to express my gratitude to all of you for your prayers and your continued financial support through contributions that arrive through the mail, and also from Amazon.smile, and online giving.
Peace,
Fr. Frank
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LETTER FROM FATHER FRANK
PARISH NEWS
I hope that you and your families are doing well during these stressful and uncertain times. I have heard from some parishioners that their family members are sick with various illnesses (not the corona virus). Please know that I continue in daily prayer for all of our parishioners. When this crisis passes, I will resume my visits to the sick and homebound. I have called all of our shut-ins to check up on them; thank God, they’re fine. If I can help in any other way, please call the parish and let me know.
The other day I received a phone call from Bishop Serratelli. He was checking up on me and on the parish. It was good to hear from him and to know that he is concerned for our parish and for our Diocese.
I continue to celebrate Mass daily and to pray throughout the day. Because priests are still not allowed to celebrate Mass publicly, I encourage you to watch Mass on TV. EWTN is one channel; there may be others. Even though you don’t have the privilege of receiving Holy Communion, you can still make what our Faith calls a “Spiritual Communion.” Very simply, unite your heart and mind with Jesus as you watch the Mass.
Please know that our church is open from 9:00 AM-12:00 noon every day for private prayer. I’m glad to say that several parishioners are here each day praying for the needs of all the faithful, especially for an end to this virus and a return to normal life. Speaking of prayer, keep in mind what Saint Padre Pio used to say: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
Last, I want to thank our parishioners for their ongoing financial support through online giving.
Peace,
Fr. Frank
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Word on Fire
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Welcome to Our Lady of Pompei Church
Our Lady Of Pompei Church
154 Caldwell Avenue Paterson, New Jersey 07501
Phone: (973) 742-1969 | (973) 742-3431
Fax: (973) 742 1335
ourladyofpompeii@aol.com -
Mass Schedule
- Saturday: 5:15 PM EnglishEnglishEN
- Sunday: 8:00 AM EnglishEnglishEN 10:30 AM EnglishEnglishEN
- MonWed Fri Sat 8:00 AM EnglishEnglishEN
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Confession Times
- Saturday: 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM Or by appointment.
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Today's Readings
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Reading 1 2 COR 9:6-10Responsorial Psalm PS 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9Gospel JN 12:24-26
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News
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Welcome to Our lady of Pompei prayer garden. The center piece of the prayer garden is the statue of Our Lady Help of Christians. This is a marble statue of Mary with child. We built the prayer garden to encourage people to pray for an end to abortion. There are countless men and women who suffer from the trauma of abortion and for lost fatherhood. Pray also for the protection of the unborn. The prayer garden is a very peaceful and meditative place to pray. It also includes the Stations of the Cross, which depict the last hours of Jesus' life: from His condemnation to His burial. As you walk the path, reflect on His sufferings and join your sufferings to His and know that He is with you every step of the way in all of life's difficulties. Our God does not abandon us! Please visit the outdoor prayer garden, it is open to all the faithful everyday from 7:00 AM-10:00 PM.Read More
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