From Father Paul Denault, O.Carm.
 
            Dear parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish: we have been in the strangest situation ever in the history of our parish due to the effects of the novo-corona virus and COVID-19. In order to keep people safe, we have had to keep our church closed for just about 3 months. Now, in order to re-open the church, we must follow the guidelines presented us by the Archdiocese of New York, which are directed to making sure that “we can assure our parishioners of their safety when attending church” (Faith Forward: Returning to Public Worship, May 20, 2020).
 
            Even though some political leaders have made statements about re-opening churches, for us, “it is up to the cardinal to tell us when we can do so. That will not be until we have had time and products in place to protect the health and safety of our parishioners, and are fulfilling the protocols and safety practices described in the second document” (Bollettino XXXIII Clarification, May 20, 2020)
 
            These guidelines describe Five Phases in the process of re-opening our church:
 
1.         Phase 1 is opening the churches for private prayer and confessions.
 
2.         Phase 2 will be the resumption of small religious services all under the ten-person limit.
 
3.         Phase 3 will be distribution of Holy Communion without Mass during the week.
 
4.         Phase 4 will be limited weekday Masses and funeral Masses.
 
5.         Phase 5 will be Sunday Mass with supervised attendance.
 
            In accordance with these guidelines I can now announce that Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish will begin with implementing Phase 1 for the weekend of June 13-14, 2020, the Feast of Corpus Christi. This is the only phase that we can follow at this time: it is not clear when the Archdiocese will let us proceed to Phase 2, but we will know later. In the meantime, there are certain restrictions that have to be followed in order to start Phase 1:
 
1. During Phase 1, the church will be open for private prayer and confessions.
 
2. It will be open from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM on Saturday for private prayers and confessions, and on Sunday, it will be open from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM, and 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM for private prayers.
 
3. Confessions will be heard in the Saint Joseph Room. There will be a partition in place in case the penitent wishes to be anonymous.
 
4. Those who enter must be wearing masks and must sanitize their hands upon entering and leaving the church.
 
5. No more than 10 people may be in the church at the same time for private prayer.
 
6.  The bathrooms will be closed during these times.
 
7. Volunteers will be on hand to take the temperature of those who wish to enter. They will use an electronic, non-invasive device.
 
8. Those who come in should help by wiping down the places they prayed at in order to keep the church clean.
 
On behalf of all who serve the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I wish to thank you for your patience and endurance during this time. If you have any questions, please call me at the Priory Office: 845-343-4121.
 
May the good God and Our Lady of Mount Carmel be our strength and our hope.
 
Father Paul