Dear Parishioners,

In light of the high transmissibility of the latest COVID variants, I pray to God for your continued health and safety at home, at work or wherever you may be. As always, we ask all parishioners and visitors to practice sound judgment and respect the sensitivities of others by wearing a face mask and observe social distancing inside the church buildings. Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer has issued a conditional dispensation as follows:

One does not have an obligation to attend Mass on Sunday in the following circumstances:

  1. You are ill or you have a health condition that would be significantly compromised if you were to contract a communicable illness (i.e., you have underlying conditions or are in a high-risk category). Please use the dispensation and do not attend Mass.
  2. You are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
  3. You have been exposed to someone who has tested positive or you have reason to think you might be asymptomatic of a contagious illness.
  4. You care for the sick, homebound, or infirm.
  5. You are pregnant.
  6. You are 65 years of age or older (per the CDC’s recommendation of high-risk individuals).
  7. You cannot attend Mass through no fault of your own (e.g., no Mass is offered, you are infirm, your ride did not show up, the church was at capacity).
  8. You have significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.

Please be assured that all areas of the Holy Name of Jesus exposed to the public are treated with a virus disinfectant after Mass. Masks and hand sanitizers are provided at the entrances to the church buildings. We pray that God will continue to guide and protect us through this phase of the pandemic.

In the Holy Name of Jesus,

Fr. Bill Hao

CDC Updated COVID Guidelines

Monday, December 27, 2021

Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation for the public. People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.