St. Vincent de Paul

Second Sunday of Easter  April 28, 2019

Dear St. Vincent’s Family,
 
We are back to mass, Alleluia, praise the Lord!
 
As you have read on our Facebook and in our website, DC is now in Phase II of re-opening. This means we are finally able to gather in person for Mass again. Our first weekend public Masses will be held June 28. We will resume the usual Sunday masses at 8:00am, 12:00pm and 6:30pm. I am already excited to see you all.
 
I am reminded of this blessing from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)  
 
What You Need to Know Before Coming to Mass
 
Mass Obligation Dispensed
The dispensation from the Sunday and Holy Day obligation remains in effect. You may have to make the difficult decision to remain at home even as we offer public Masses. Those who should stay at home include: those with COVID-19 or exposure to it, those with upper respiratory or flu like symptoms or underlying medical conditions, the sick, the elderly, those who are living with or in the presence of any individual at risk, or those who still do not feel comfortable being in a public setting. When in doubt, out of charity for others, please stay home. 
 
Mass will be live streamed at 8:00 am on Sundays at www.facebook.com/andygonzalo
 
Face Mask Requirement
Everyone (age 2+) is required to wear a face mask for the entire Mass. Please be sure that everyone in your party has a face mask. If you forget your mask, please ask an usher for an extra. 
 
Arrival and Seating
When arriving, please keep socially distanced from other households as you enter church. Allow for extra time to be seated and understand that attendees may not have as much choice in where they are able to sit. You are to be seated in a place where there is a sign in front of the pew. Members of one household or family can be seated together in one pew. Please do your best to come to church early. Ushers will start seating 30 minutes before Mass begins so that lines and groups of people are avoided. Please do not congregate by the entrance before or after Mass.
 
Missalettes
All Hymnals and Missalettes have been removed, but disposable worship aids will be available for single use at each Mass. Please take your worship aid on entering the church and dispose of it in the trash can as you leave. 
 
Simplified Liturgy
There will be a minimum number of ministers seated in the sanctuary and assisting during the Mass. Music will be provided in a subdued manner at the 8:00am. The 12:00pm, 6:30pm will not have any music. 
 
New Communion Route
Please follow the priests’ and ushers’ instructions for receiving communion. The priests will distribute the Eucharist to one column of pews at a time. One pew at a time, each household in a column will file out of their pew and line up in front of the priest. Children who will not receive communion but who are old enough to remain quietly in their pew should do so, and not get in line for communion.
 
Reception of Holy Communion
Those who will not receive communion should not come forward with hands crossed for a blessing; there is a blessing for everyone at the end of Mass. 
 
When it is your time to receive, walk down the aisle and keep your mask on. Please receive the Host in your hand. Step to the side while still holding the Eucharist in one hand, carefully loosen your facial covering (or mask by an ear loop), consume the Host, and replace the facial covering.
 
Out of love for our brothers and sisters, and out of kind concern for the vulnerable and our priests, those who normally receive on the tongue are respectfully asked to consider receiving in the hand as a temporary measure. 
  
Collection
There will be no Offertory collection during the Mass itself. Rather, collection baskets will be placed at the doors of the church for your donations. Online Giving is another option available at our Online giving in our website.
 
Dismissal
At the end of Mass, please take a moment and wipe down the small section of the pew where you might have made contact. Wipes will be provided in each pew for your use. Once completed, the ushers will dismiss rows beginning from the back to the front of the church. Dispose of wipes and worship aids as you leave church in trash receptacles. Use all three doors to exit. Though we know everyone is happy to be reunited in worship, please do not stop to socialize in the church or on the steps outside.
 
Restrooms
Although restrooms will be open, we ask that you refrain from using them if possible. Due to the simplified liturgy, Mass will take less than an hour. We do understand that sometimes a restroom trip is necessary. If you must use the restrooms, please follow the guidelines for their usage as posted in the restrooms.
 
Reporting Coronavirus
If you test positive for coronavirus or develop symptoms of Covid-19 after attending Mass at St. Vincent’s, you mustreport it to the church. Please contact the pastor, Fr. Andy at stvdppastor@gmail.com or call 202-488-1354. Thank you!
 
Please be patient with us and with each other as we work together to implement this plan.  Understand that we will make any changes deemed necessary to assure the safety of those attending, while doing our best to make the sacraments available and reverent.
 
May the peace of God dwell richly in your homes and neighborhoods.
 
Stay safe and God bless you all,
 
Fr. Andy
 

District of Columbia Update

Mayor Bowser confirmed today that the District of Columbia will move into Phase 2 of its reopening plan on Monday, June 22nd. The Mayor’s Executive Order, linked here, allows D.C. parishes to resume public Mass at 50% capacity, with a maximum of 100 persons, starting on Monday. The Mayor’s Office also published an additional guidance document for places of worship during Phase 2, attached here, which we encourage you to review in conjunction with the archdiocesan guidelines. Among other things, the Mayor’s supplemental guidance clarifies that the 50%/100-person capacity limit also applies to weddings, funerals, religious education classes, youth events, and other parish programming in the District during Phase 2.

The Mayor’s Order also includes the following additional information regarding religious services: “Groups of persons attending [seated] together shall not exceed ten (10) persons. Each group must be seated at least six (6) feet from each other group. Places of worship that choose to operate on this limited basis must clean the facility between services and are encouraged to take reservations and assign seats to conform to this requirement and so as to facilitate contact tracing. Singing, choirs, all physical touching of others, and the passing or sharing of items pose particular dangers and are discouraged so as to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”  

Pastor's Comment

The pastor and the Parish Pastoral Council are having consultations in preparation for this eventual opening. 

May 1, 2020

Dear St. Vincent de Paul Parish Family,
Happy Easter!
During this time of uncertainty and anxiety, I pray that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. This crisis challenges us to act responsibly by following the social isolation guidelines while striving to stay close emotionally and spiritually to our families, our friends and our communities. Please join me in praying for those affected by COVID-19, as well as our first responders, health care workers and individuals who have lost income due to precautionary closures.
I also want to take a moment to thank you for your past generosity to our St. Vincent de Paul Parish. We could not operate without your support.  
With Masses across the Archdiocese canceled, our traditional manner for collecting offertory is not available to us. However, the costs of running the parish continue and planning for renewed activities once we re-unite in person goes on. 
I prayerfully ask you to consider continuing your support for our parish and the good works of our faith. Online giving for both the weekly offertory and other important collections is quick and easy by visiting our website.  You can also send checks and/or your weekly envelopes directly to St. Vincent de Paul Church at 14 M St. SE, Washington, DC 20003 and I want to express my sincere gratitude to those who are already doing.
As a community, we stand together and are there for each other during this time of need. Thank you for your continued generosity to further the mission of our faith!
Please continue to pray for each other, as I continue to pray for you. I live stream my daily mass from Monday to Friday at 12:10PM and my Sunday mass at 10:00AM. You can participate by going to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/andygonzalo.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
 
Fr. Andy Gonzalo
 

Thank you to all our generous donors for supporting the tiling of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary tiling has been completed, and we are now resuming our masses back in the main Church upstairs. The Church is in continued need for additional improvements, so we humbly welcome your support and donations to help our parish, with opportunities linked below. 

St Vincent de Paul is continuing its process of doing much needed repairs and upgrades.  Our decades-old carpet needs replacing.  We can replace the carpet with tile which will last a lifetime but we need your help. For $200 you can have your name, family’s, or someone else’s memorialized on our giving tree.  You can donate via check with marking it for the tile or online at https://stvincentdepauldc.org/give.  You can fill out your leaf on this form.  Thank you and God bless.
 

Update: 12/8/2018: For years, there had been no statue of our Patron Saint in our church until we got one from Fr. Pawel Sass last year. Today, we finally got our own thanks much to the generosity of our donors. Many thanks too to Gardiner Hall and Associates who found this for us.Our parish depends on the generosity of all of you as we try to repair and restore our church.May St. Vincent de Paul pray for all of us.