News

As of Saturday, June 10, 2023, at 4:00pm (the Solemnity of Corpus Christi), all restrictions on the distribution of Holy Communion under both species will be lifted in the Archdiocese of Boston. With the lifting of this restriction, all COVID protocols are now lifted in the Archdiocese of Boston. Cardinal Seán is very grateful for the heroic patience with which the parishes of the Archdiocese have borne the burden of these protocols, for the sake of the common good. —from the Archdiocese of Boston, 4/12/23

What does this mean? Beginning on June 10, the cup of Precious Blood will again be available to the whole congregation. As a reminder, it is the teaching of the Church that the whole Christ is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine. As we prepare for this happy day, we take the opportunity to ask members of our parishes to consider becoming involved in liturgical ministry, especially that of Minister of Communion. Please contact Nick Frega at Sacred Heart (nfrega@sholnewton.org) or Maribeth Scott at Our Lady’s (mbskis@yahoo.com)

Beginning on Holy Thursday (April 6), we have made the decision to open up all available seating in our churches and will no longer be roping off pews for distanced seating. In addition, masks will become optional for clergy and Ministers of Holy Communion. This decision has been made to reflect the lower Covid levels and increasing Mass attendance that both parishes are seeing (both of these facts are truly wonderful!). The staff encourages those who have a concern with these changes to reach out.

The decision to wear a mask or not at Mass is yours. We urge you to put a high value on protecting your health. That means, even if fully vaccinated and in good health, you may want to consider continuing to wear a mask, and you are welcome to do so. You can also choose to not wear a mask. We particularly urge caution for those with medical conditions that would put you at a higher risk, including immune issues and age.

We will continue to provide a section of seating in the church for those who wish to maintain more social distance from others. At Our Lady's these are the side seating sections, and at Sacred Heart, it is the side section on the elevator side of the church.

Please note that masks are no longer required during Confession.
 

Mask Mandate for Mass Continues until February 28
Masks at Mass Become Optional on Tuesday, March 1

This is in compliance with Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s directive for the entire Archdiocese. (The City of Newton’s lifting of the indoor mask mandate on February 18 does not prevent organizations from having additional requirements, as with the Cardinal for Masses and with Newton Public Schools for Newton schools.)

Once March 1 arrives, the decision to wear a mask or not at Mass is yours. We urge you to put a high value on protecting your health. That means, even if fully vaccinated and in good health, you may want to consider continuing to wear a mask, and you are welcome to do so. You can also choose to not wear a mask.

We particularly urge caution for those with medical conditions that would put you at a higher risk, including immune issues and age.

We will continue to provide a section of seating in the church for those who wish to maintain more social distance from others.

Safely Worshipping at Mass during Winter 2022 Covid Surge
We, the staff, are seeing folks coming down with Covid in our two parishes in numbers that far surpass anything we have seen before. We love you and want you to be safe, so we offer these thoughts for your consideration.

(1) No Ordinary Time: During this surge time, as cases are sky-rocketing, it is much more likely than in non-surge times that folks who are unaware they have Covid are at the Mass you are attending.

(2) TV/Online Mass or In-Person Mass? Please consider the TV/Online Mass option – especially if you have conditions that put you at a higher risk. Our Sunday Mass goes out by Flocknote every week.

(3) Vaccinations. Thank you for being fully vaccinated and boosted as you are able.

(4) Masks. “Experts say it’s best to wear N95, KN95, or KF94 masks [during the Omicron Surge].” Some experts say wearing these better masks makes a night vs. day difference. (Wearing a mask indoors is required by the City of Newton and required at Mass by Cardinal Sean O'Malley.)

(5) Err on the safe side: If you have any symptoms suggesting you might have Covid, please do not come to Mass until you are sure you do not have Covid.

(6) Health concerns and the Sunday Mass obligation. If you stay home for reasons due to concern about Covid, Cardinal Sean has stated you are not in violation of the obligation to attend Mass.

Love and God bless you, Fr. Dan and the Staff 

Making a Healthy Christmas Mass Choice.
The Covid situation has recently changed significantly for the worse! The current surge of cases, along with the fast spreading of the extremely contagious Omicron variant has raised the risk level a lot. I care about you and want you to both be able to celebrate Christmas Mass and minimize the chance of getting Covid. Here is some information to assist your choice.
You can choose to celebrate Christmas Mass either: (1) on TV/Internet, or (2) in person. Both schedules are found below.
Larger crowds at Christmas Masses (as compared to normal weekend crowds) increase the risk of in-person Christmas attendance. If you choose to attend in person, the 4 pm Christmas Eve Masses will likely be the most crowded ones, and the 10 am Christmas Day Masses will likely be the least crowded and thus safest ones. 

(Please note: the city of Newton requires that masks be worn at Mass, as does Cardinal Sean, and for the safety of all, we carefully follow that requirement.)

Mass Times:
2020 SHOL Newton Virtual Mass:  2020 Virtual Mass at Our Lady's
Catholic TV Schedule
CATHOLIC TV: Christmas Eve Masses
         Mass from the Vatican - 8 pm
            Mass from Nativity Parish & the Archdiocese of Baltimore - 11 pm
CATHOLIC TV Christmas Day Masses
           Mass from CatholicTV with Cardinal O'Malley- 12am, 9:30am,
           12:30pm, 7pm & 11:30pm.
           Midnight Mass from Chicago - 1 am
           Urbi et Orbi Christmas Blessing- 6am & 12pm
           Mass from the Vatican-  7am & 1:30pm
           Mass from the National Shrine - 5pm
              La Santa Misa - 6pm & 10pm.

In-Person Masses in the Collaborative:
Christmas Eve
2pm at Sacred Heart
4pm at Sacred Heart
4pm at Our Lady's
6pm at Our Lady's

Christmas Day:
Midnight at Our Lady's
10am at Sacred Heart
10am at Our Lady's

May you have a holy & HEALTHY Christmas.
Love and Merry Christmas! Fr. Dan & the Entire Staff

Christmas Mass and Covid Safety Concerns 
(1) We value you and your health. If you think that you might be developing Covid, or if your health or age makes coming to Christmas Mass a risk, please stay home and participate in Christmas Mass on TV or the internet. As Cardinal Sean reminds us, health concerns dispense you from the obligation to attend Mass. 
(2) If you are looking to avoid the most crowded Mass – that is the 4 PM. You may want to consider choosing a Mass other than one at 4 PM. 
(3) While there are limited socially distanced sections in the Church, they may run out. While we will do our best, we cannot guarantee that the socially distanced sections will not be full by the time you arrive at church. To get more social distancing, we suggest avoiding the 4 PM, and, in particular, we highly recommend the 10 AM Mass on Christmas Day, as that is the Mass with the most extra room. 
(4)  Masks are required by the City of Newton and the Archdiocese of Boston, and we follow this law meticulously. (Note: Children under 2 and people for whom a mask would create a health risk are exempt from the mandate) 
(5) Vaccines are strongly urged. [Vaccines are not mandatory.] 
(6) We will continue to follow the directives of the City of Newton, the Archdiocese of Boston, and the leading health experts, and make adjustments as called for. 
(7) We care about you.  We want your Christmas to be: Merry, Blessed and Healthy.

 – Fr. Dan and the entire Collaborative staff. 

A person who was at the Sunday morning Masses and (outdoor) coffee hour at Sacred Heart on September 12 has tested positive for COVID-19. The person was masked during Mass and was carefully following health & safety guidelines. We promptly got in touch with the Newton Health Department. We are not aware of anyone who was in contact with the person in a way that would have been in violation of Covid safety guidelines. The person’s name and health condition are strictly confidential. Whether the case is relatively symptom-free or not, I am sure we all will keep this person in our love and prayers. May they and all be blessed with good health.

 

The City of Newton announced, and we are complying with, a mask mandate for all indoor public spaces in Newton effective Thursday, Sept. 2. This mandate includes places of worship. The requirement does not apply to those for whom a face-covering creates a health risk or to children under the age of two. Thanks for your cooperation.

Per the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and echoed by the Archdiocese, all unvaccinated residents are advised to continue to wear masks in indoor settings and when they can’t socially distance. Fully vaccinated individuals are also advised to wear a mask when indoors (and not in your own home) if they have a weakened immune system or are at increased risk for severe disease OR if someone in their household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is an unvaccinated adult. In our Collaborative, a specific section of each church is set off for those who choose to wear masks. Understanding people’s caution about the Delta variant, we want to make sure those who choose to wear masks and be distant have the opportunity to do so. Thank you for your cooperation!

This weekend, we will be reverting to many, though not all, pre-pandemic procedures in our worship spaces. Some specifics:

1. 1.  Ropes/tape have been lifted, so all pews are usable. Exception: A much smaller section of the church has been reserved for those wearing masks and wishing to maintain social distancing. If you’d like to sit in that section and you can’t find it, please see an usher.
   2. At Communion time, the congregation will again approach the altar in a line to receive the Eucharist. Those who need Communion to be brought to them in their pew will be served by a minister as needed. Eucharistic Ministers, please see the separate communication from your coordinators.
   3. The collection will be taken during the offertory. At Sacred Heart, ushers will take the collection in baskets held out to you. At Our Lady’s, baskets will be passed through the pews.
   4. The traditional entrance and exit processions will resume.
   5. Holy water will be in the fonts.
   6. All aisles and pathways can be used.
   7. Ushers will neither seat nor dismiss the congregation, but greeters will be present to welcome you to church.

If you have any questions during Mass, please see a volunteer or staff person.
Thanks for taking note of these changes.
Kristina Preman and Nick Frega, on behalf of Fr. Dan Riley

Statement from Cardinal Sean (Excerpts):
Aware that the opportunity to participate in Sunday Mass is increasingly available and increasingly safe for our Catholic people, we are joining dioceses in the Boston Province (Boston, Fall River, Springfield, Manchester, and Portland) in lifting the dispensation of the Sunday and Holy Day Mass obligation, effective the weekend of June 19 and 20, 2021. Most significantly, receiving the Eucharist is the center of every Catholic life. Therefore, it is with great confidence and trust in the Lord that we reinstate this Sunday Mass obligation. It has been a long, difficult year. People have experienced great pain and suffering throughout this pandemic. Loss of life has been immense. People continue to recover from the long-term effects of the coronavirus. The heroes among us — our nurses, doctors, first responders, and all medical professionals — were a source of enormous comfort. Priests brought the Sacrament of the Sick to COVID patients. Now we are able to join together, remembering the lives changed and the sacrifices made. Let us gather together again in joy, as one people united around the Eucharist.

This obligation does not apply to those who are ill; those who have been recently exposed to COVID or any other communicable illness; those who are confined to their homes or to hospitals or other facilities due to illness, infirmity, frailty, or age; and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated, due to age or any health consideration. To all of those who have not been able to be with us during this last year, we look forward to welcoming you back to the celebration of the Mass.
Thank you, and God bless you.
+ Cardinal Seán

We want to share the following, as some safety precautions change as of May 29th:

• • As of May 29, 2021, vaccinated people are no longer required to wear masks or socially distance. The State does advise that non-vaccinated people continue to wear masks. Children under the age of 12 are included in the governor's advisory that unvaccinated people wear masks.
  • You are free to continue to wear masks as long as you like, and you will be respected if you choose to do so.
  • We will make provisions for people who are not vaccinated and/or who are not yet ready to sit near other people. We will do this by designating portions of the church for socially distanced seating. These sections will be marked with signs, and ushers can direct you. Please be flexible as the ushers work out seating; some changes may be made in real-time.
  • A person without a mask may not sit in the section of the church designated for those with masks. However, if a mixed group is present, a person with a mask may sit in the section for those without masks.
  • Ushers and Eucharistic Ministers will continue to wear masks while performing their ministry.
  • The dispensation from the obligation for coming to Sunday Mass has not yet been lifted, and even when it is, if a parishioner is feeling ill they should remain at home.
  • • If we become aware that a Covid-positive person has attended Mass, we will post that on the collaborative’s website – keeping the person's name anonymous. We suggest you keep an eye on the website.
    • We will continue to provide the Sunday online Mass.
    • The use of confessionals will resume. At Sacred Heart, the confessional can be found in the Lower Chapel. At Our Lady's, the confessional is off the Lower Hall - enter from the parking lot.
  • 
    There are many heroes among our volunteers and staff who have kept our parishes going during these difficult times. We are exceedingly grateful to them. We thank everyone for their continued cooperation and courtesy in following their guidance.
    
    We are moving gradually and with care as we head back toward pre-pandemic routines. We will continue to update you. Your safety is an extremely high priority!
    With gratitude for your understanding, your flexibility, and your companionship in faith,
    The Pastoral Staff

Parish Offices Reopened
The Parish Offices reopened on May 17, 2021. Here are the office hours for each parish:
Sacred Heart Mon - Fri 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Our Lady's Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM New Hours

 
Need Help?
Visit the City of Newton's websites:
For general Covid-19 information
For food and financial assistance


Resources for Faith at Home
Mass is televised on Catholic TV at 9:30am daily and at 10:00am on Sunday. You can also watch Mass online, live or later in the day at  www.WatchTheMass.com
Daily prayer from Give Us This Day:  https://giveusthisday.org/Digital
Daily Mass readings from USCCB:  http://usccb.org/bible/
Daily 3-minute retreat from Loyola Press:  https://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer