I am happy to announce that, in accordance with the Directives for reopening Public Liturgies in the Diocese of Burlington, we are able to celebrate daily and Sunday Mass beginning June 1. What a wonderful announcement to be able to make!

The obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains lifted until further notice, especially if you are part of a vulnerable population and/or have an underlying health condition.

Please approach the celebration of Mass with charity and love for our priests and faith community by following the protocols:

• Stay home if you are sick or not feeling well.
• Wear a mask in Mass.
• Sanitize your hands upon entry. Due to shortages of sanitizer, please bring your own if possible.
• Sit in designated pews and respect social distance between others of 6 feet or more unless you are one family unit.
• Refrain from congregating in tight areas or entering cordoned off areas.
• Follow the protocols to receive Holy Communion as directed at Mass. 

For more details about church protocols please call the parish office 802-2235285 for St. Augustine/North American Martyrs parish; 802-485-8313 for St. John’s/St. Edwards parish or visit: vermontcatholic.org/covid-19

St Augustine/ North American Martyrs reopens Church for Daily and weekend Mass from June 1, 2020

Mass schedule for St. Augustine                 Mass schedule for St John
Monday 8:00 am                                  Monday 12:00 noon 
Tuesday 8:00 am                                 Tuesday 12:00 noon 
Wednesday 12:10 pm                              Wednesday 8:00 am 
Friday 8:00 am                                  Friday 12:00 noon 
Saturday 4:00 pm                                Saturday 5:30 pm 
Sunday 10:00 am                                 Sunday 8:30 am 

Mass schedule for North American Martyrs        Mass Schedule for St Edward 
Saturday 6:00 pm (For the month of June)         Sunday 10:30 am 

Please be assured that our parish maintenance and or volunteers will be diligent in cleaning and disinfecting the church after each Mass, which, along with the procedures we will put in place for the celebration of Mass, are meant to maintain a safe environment for worship. 

With social distancing, we estimate that our churches can accommodate approximately 125-150 people at St. Augustine church in Montpelier and 75-80 people for St. John’s church in Northfield; and 40-50 people for St Edward’s church Mass. 

Fr Richard will report to his new parish assignment at St. John the Baptist, Enosburgh, Vermont on July 1. Wish him well and good luck for his new parish assignment. 

Here are some important procedures you are asked to follow: • Please use the restroom at home before coming to church so that the church restroom is reserved for emergency use, since it will be sanitized after each Mass. • Anyone above the age of two must wear a face mask upon entering the church, except those with breathing difficulties (who probably should not attend Mass). • Please practice social distancing in the parking lot and when entering the church. • We will have a limited supply of face masks available. Anyone needing or wishing to donate face masks is asked to contact Father Julian in the parish office. 

• If possible, please bring your own hand sanitizer with you to use. If you have extra hand sanitizer that you can donate to the parish for use at Mass, please contact Father Julian. If possible, we will have hand sanitizer at the church entrances. • Every other pew will be available for seating. Single persons, couples, and trios can share a pew as long as there is six feet on either side of them. Larger families will have a pew to themselves. Please sit a couple of feet in from all aisles to maintain social distancing during the communion procession up and down the aisles. • Only the Deacons and priests will be distributing the Body of Christ at all the masses. No extraordinary ministers of communion will be utilized at this time. We will not have altar servers on the altar for this time; they can ring the bells from the pew. We will not have parishioners bringing up the bread in procession. • Please pay close attention to the announcements that will be made before Mass begins (please arrive 15 minutes early for Mass so that you hear those announcements) and at various times during the Mass, especially at communion time. 

Thank you for your understanding as we implement the directives of the diocese, which will inevitably create many awkward moments in our celebration of the Mass. We hope to offer as spiritually-nourishing experience of the Eucharist as possible under these circumstances. We will rely on your patience, especially in these first few weeks, as we work out the “new normal”. It is a joy that we will be able to gather together especially on the Blessed Trinity Sunday. All of us gathered at the masses will be remembering in our prayer those parishioners not able to join us due to age or health. Please know that you, in particular, will be with us in spirit and prayer during these celebrations of the Eucharist. 

In Christ, 
Father Julian