**Update June, 25, 2020**
Dear St. Faustina Parishioners,
Please join us in praying for those impacted by COVID-19 especially our St. Faustina parishioners who are struggling with the virus. We continue to pray for health, healing, and for an end to COVID-19.
While it has been a joy to welcome back those who have come to mass, we continue to share our love and prayers with those who are participating online – especially those who remain home out of abundance of caution as you or your loved ones may be vulnerable or living with underlying conditions. Please know that we remain committed to live-streaming our masses and holy hours during this difficult time. Cardinal DiNardo continues to give a dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation and encourages the vulnerable faithful in our community to remain home and participate online.
Here at Saint Faustina, we are taking every necessary precaution to ensure a safe environment for parishioners to participate in the Sacraments. Our COVID-19 Task Force has developed protocols and procedures (in compliance with both the CDC and the Archdiocese) that are designed to mitigate risks to our clergy, staff and parishioners. We are committed to our mission of love and mercy.
In an effort to keep everyone informed and allow you to make the best decisions for you and your family, it will be our practice to notify the parish when we become aware of a COVID-19 incident impacting one of our parishioners – namely, when a parishioner has tested positive and has recently visited the parish. In the past week, we have had three parishioners come forward to inform us they have just tested positive for COVID-19 after attending mass this past weekend. In each case, the parishioners followed the appropriate guidelines, were not experiencing symptoms at the time and were not in close contact with others.
As we work together to keep our parish family healthy and safe, we ask, if you contract COVID-19 and recently visited the parish that you please contact the parish office. Your privacy will be protected and your personal information held confidential.
Our clergy, staff and task force are here ready to serve you, our family. Your well-being is our top priority. Please reach out to us if you have any questions, concerns or need of help.
Sincerely,
Father Dat Hoang and the COVID-19 Task Force
**Update June 15, 2020**
Saint Faustina Parishioners,
Father Dat and the Emergency Task Force were recently informed that one of our choir members tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The individual did not have any symptoms present at the time of the positive test and participated in Mass on June 13 at 5:00 PM and June 14 at 7:00 and 9:00 AM. Those in close contact with the individual have been personally notified.
We have already thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the church per CDC guidelines. We do not believe that Mass attendees are likely to be at risk but want to share this information with you in the spirit of transparency. Please continue to utilize the individual checklist and parish guidelines when attending services at St. Faustina. If you have questions or concerns, please email info@saintfaustinachurch.org.
Sincerely,
Father Dat Hoang and the Emergency Task Force
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**Update May 13, 2020**
It was so good getting to see so many return to the parish this past weekend, and we look forward to seeing more of our families return this upcoming weekend. As we continue to make our slow transition back into the parish, we want to echo the recommendations from the Archdiocese for all who are vulnerable or uncomfortable to stay safe and remain home for the time being. We do miss you and hope to see you soon but want you to remain safe during this pandemic.
We want to thank all our volunteers who stepped up to make this past weekend a smooth and safe transition back home. In fact, because of this success, we can forego our previous request for families to attend Mass every other weekend, while still being able to meet our 25% attendance limit. We are hopeful that you will come back this weekend for Mass, or possibly consider joining us for the first time since we closed in March. While we continue our transition, we want to remind our parish of the following:
**Update May 5, 2020**
Friends,
It’s been a while since I have seen the community and I truly miss you all. As we prepare to gradually welcome back our community in phase I of our reopening, I want to thank you for your prayers and patience during this last week of transition. I am deeply grateful for all of our volunteers who came forward to make our first few opportunities to gather together as a community a great success. I wish to take some time to make you all aware of our plans to celebrate the Masses this weekend.
¡Estamos muy emocionados de abrir las puertas a nuestra Parroquia este fin de semana y ver a nuestra familia de nuevo! ¡Es apropiado que también celebremos el Día de la Madre este fin de semana, mientras continuamos de la mano de Nuestra Madre en el Cielo durante este Mes de Mayo y pedimos su continua intercesión para nuestra parroquia!
En Cristo,
Fr. Dat
Pastor
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**Updated May 1, 2020**
Friends,
I hope and pray each of you remain healthy and safe during this pandemic crisis. It has been a very difficult six weeks, and I have missed seeing the community here at the parish. Fr. David Michael, myself and our clergy are definitely looking forward to seeing our parish community gathered again at our church, and we are especially excited to meet with some of our new virtual parishioners as well. As you may be aware, Governor Abbot spoke this past Monday and has lifted the stay-at-home order for our state, as well as granting permission to some businesses to begin a slow reopen. Included in these businesses, are all churches – who have been given permission during this Phase 1 Reopening to open at a 25% capacity rate. In addition, Cardinal DiNardo shared with us guidelines that affect all parishes as we begin to reopen. While extremely excited and anxious to welcome back our community, we have decided to take a cautious approach to ensure all the safety measures and proper ministers are in place for the safety of our people and the meaningful reunion around the table of the Lord.
Begin with Mercy: Confession – May 2nd : 9-11am and 3-5pm
This weekend, we will begin by offering Confession with additional hours this Saturday (May 2) from 9-11am and 3-5pm in the Church. We are obviously taking extra precautions in this process, which will include proper social-distancing and spacing while waiting in (and outside of the Church). We have ministers ready to welcome and assist you with the new measures in place. Until further notice, we are asking all Clergy, Staff, and parishioners 10 years and older to wear a mask when they come to the Church. In addition, for the time being, we are asking that you stand by the screen for confession, unless you need special assistance – in which case our Ushers would be more than glad to assist you with a chair. For now, upon finish, we ask you to kindly leave and do your penance at home. This will allow us the space for proper social distancing and proper sanitization of the seats.
Masses – May 3rd : 11am (English) and 1pm (Spanish)
Our Sunday Masses will continue to be livestreamed this Sunday May 3rd at 11:00 am in English and 1:00 p.m in Spanish and still be closed to the public. This will give us the opportunity to most efficiently and cautiously prepare for our Homecoming Week ahead!
“Homecoming Week” – May 4-10
We cannot wait for our parishioners to come back home this week, as we have sorely missed you all. Our utmost concern at this point is the safety for all of our families and visitors. We are working diligently with our Ushers and Hospitality Team to make sure your return to our parish is as safe and comfortable as possible. Because of this, we ask that you be very patient and flexible with us during this Phase I Return and with the safety measures we put in place according to the guidelines.
First, we ask that prior to coming to church, please take a moment to go through a health protocol self-checklist included on our website and attached in our emails. If you experience any of the symptoms, we ask that you stay home and participate in the mass remotely. As mentioned earlier, the safety guidelines expect all who are 10 and older, including clergy and staff, to wear a mask to the Church. Except for this coming Monday May 5th, Our Parish will be open Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9am to 4pm for personal prayer, and on Friday from 9am to 12pm. This will include our Divine Mercy Holy Hour at 3pm, which will be offered in the main church instead of the chapel.
In addition, we invite you to join us for our Daily Masses at 6:30pm on Monday, 8:30am on Tuesday through Friday, and 6:30pm (Spanish) on Thursday evening. We do encourage you to join us a little earlier then scheduled as we are working with our Ushers to get our parishioners to their seats, and will also need to ensure we do not go above our limit of 250 attendees. We will also be working with our new “Purification Team” to sanitize the Church regularly throughout the day, including after each of our Masses. While the Parish will be open for Mass and prayer, our Parish Office will remain closed from visitors. Our staff can still be contacted at their appropriate phone extensions or email address.
Next weekend (May 9 and 10), we return to our normal weekend Mass Schedule (Saturday – 5pm, Sunday- 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm (Spanish), 4:30pm) and are inviting our parish community to join us. Each of our families will have the ability to make a reservation to attend one of our Weekend Masses beginning Wednesday at 10am with more details about this process becoming available on our Website after this weekend. If you do not have access to a computer or need assistance with this process, please contact our office and one of our staff members will be able to help you. In order to maintain our 25% limit and allow more of our parish to attend Mass on the weekend, we are going to ask our families to consider attending Mass every other weekend for the time being. One of the things the Cardinal has outlined is the importance of receiving communion in the hands rather on the tongue. As you come up, please maintain the proper 6 feet distance with the person in front of you. Once received communion in the hand, it is expected that you step to the side, pull your mask down, and consume the host before returning to your pew. With regards to the offering, we encourage you to continue to give via online or text for the safety of our ministers and money counters. This can be done by visiting https://membership.faithdirect.net/TX676 and creating an account or by texting your offering amount to 346-220-1045 using our church code TX676. For those who cannot do so, we will place the collection box in the narthex for you to drop off your offerings upon entering the church.
It is important to highlight what Cardinal DiNardo reminds us in his letter that “the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days remains suspended.” At this moment in the pandemic, please do not feel obligated to attend Mass in person if you are vulnerable or feel uncomfortable, and be assured that we will continue to livestream our weekday and the two weekend Masses for the foreseeable future. Cardinal DiNardo also stated that “it is still recommended that people, especially those who are 65 and older or are vulnerable, should remain at home and participate by livestream. Even more urgently, if you have any reason to believe you might be sick or exposed to COVID-19, please remain at home as an act of charity to others!”
Purification Team
There will obviously be new challenges and opportunities for us moving forward, but we are excited about the ability to bring our family back home to the parish. As I mentioned earlier, we are beginning a new Purification Team that will be instrumental in sanitizing the Church throughout the day, especially after any and all Masses. If you are interested in helping be a part of this new team, please consider visiting our website for more information: https://saintfaustinachurch.com/purification-team. It is a beautiful way to serve and to give the community in the times of need.
We continue to pray for you during this time of transition, especially for your health and safety. We thank you all for your patience you have exhibited during these last few weeks, and look forward to seeing you back home soon.
In Christ,
Fr. Dat
Pastor
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Queridos Amigos,
Espero y rezo para que cada uno de ustedes permanezca sano y seguro durante esta crisis pandémica. Han sido seis semanas muy difíciles , y he extrañado ver a la comunidad aquí en la parroquia. El Padre David Michael , yo personalmente, y nuestro clero estamos ansiosos por ver a nuestra comunidad parroquial reunida nuevamente en nuestra iglesia, y también estamos especialmente emocionados de reunirnos con algunos de nuestros nuevos feligreses virtuales. Como ya sabrá, el Gobernador Abbot habló el lunes pasado y levantó la orden de quedarse en casa para nuestro estado, además de otorgar permiso a algunas empresas para comenzar una reapertura lenta. En estos lugares permitidos por las autoridades se incluyen todas las iglesias, a las que se les ha dado permiso durante esta Fase 1 , para abrir al 25% de nuestra capacidad .
El Cardenal DiNardo esta compartiendo con nosotros todos los lineamientos que afectan a las parroquias a medida que comenzamos a reabrir de nuevo. Si bien estamos extremadamente entusiasmados y ansiosos por dar la bienvenida a nuestra comunidad , hemos decidido adoptar un enfoque cauteloso para garantizar que todas las medidas de seguridad y los ministros adecuados estén en su lugar para nuestra comunidad al reunirnos alrededor de la mesa del Señor.
Comenzamos con Confesiónes, este sabado 2 de Mayo en los siguientes horarios: 9:00 am a 11:00 am y 3:00 pm a 5:00 pm
Este sabado (2 de mayo) de 9-11 a.m. y 3-5 p.m. en la Iglesia.
Estamos tomando precauciones adicionales en este proceso, que incluirá el distanciamiento social adecuado mientras esperamos dentro (y fuera de la Iglesia). Tenemos ministros listos para darle la bienvenida y ayudarlo con las nuevas medidas vigentes.
Hasta nuevo aviso, estamos pidiendo a todo el clero, el personal y los feligreses a partir de los 10 años de edad , tendran que usar dentro de todas las instalaciones de nuestra Iglesia una máscara cubre bocas en todo momento. Además, les pedimos que sigan las instrucciones de los Ushers y acomodadores para ser ubicados en su silla de forma adecuada.
Al finalizar su confesion , le pedimos que se vaya tranquilamente y haga su penitencia en casa. Esto nos permitirá el espacio para el distanciamiento social adecuado y la desinfección adecuada de los asientos.
Misas – Mayo 3 Domingo : 11:00 am (Inglés) y 1:00 pm (Español) On line
Nuestras misas del domingo 3 de mayo se seguirán transmitiendo por Internet, y todavía estaremos celebrando estas misas a puertas cerradas a la comunidad . ¡Esto nos dará la oportunidad de prepararnos de manera más eficiente y cautelosa para nuestra semana de regreso a casa!
" Semana de bienvenida " 4 al 10 de mayo
No podemos esperar a que nuestros feligreses vuelvan a casa , ya que los hemos extrañado mucho. Nuestra mayor preocupación en este momento es la seguridad de todas nuestras familias y visitantes. Estamos trabajando diligentemente con nuestro equipo de acomodadores y hospitalidad para asegurarnos de que su regreso a nuestra parroquia sea lo más seguro y cómodo posible. Debido a esto, le pedimos que sea muy paciente y flexible con nosotros durante esta Fase 1 de retorno con las medidas de seguridad que implementamos de acuerdo a las pautas fijadas por las autoridades.
En primer lugar, le pedimos que antes de venir a la iglesia, por favor tome un momento para visitar nuestro protocolo de salud, esto es una lista de pasos a seguir para comprobar su estado de salud, la podra encontrar en nuestra página web y tambien en los correos electrónicos con los que nos comunicamos con usted.
Si experimenta alguno de los síntomas, le pedimos que se quede en casa y participe en la misa de forma remota. Como se mencionó anteriormente, las pautas de seguridad esperan que todos los mayores de 10 años , incluidos el clero y el personal, usen una máscara para la Iglesia. Excepto para el próximo lunes 4 de mayo en que nuestra iglesia estará abierta de lunes a jueves en el horario de 9:00 a.m.- a 4:00 p.m. para la oración personal, y el viernes de 9:00 am a las 12:00 pm. Esto incluirá nuestra Hora Santa de la Divina Misericordia a las 3:00 pm, que se ofrecerá en la iglesia principal en lugar de la capilla.
Además, lo invitamos a unirse a nuestras misas diarias, los dias lunes 6:30 pm , de martes a viernes a las 8:30 am ,asi como los dias jueves a las 6:30 pm. (Misa en Español)
Lo alentamos a que se una a nosotros un poco antes de el horario programado, ya que estamos trabajando con nuestros ushers para llevar a nuestros feligreses a sus asientos, y también tendremos que asegurarnos de no superar nuestro límite de 250 asistentes. Estamos trabajando con nuestro nuevo "Equipo de Purificación" para desinfectar nuestras instalaciones regularmente durante todo el día, incluso después de cada una de nuestras Misas. Mientras que la parroquia estará abierta para misa y oración, nuestra oficina parroquial permanecerá cerrada para los visitantes. Todavía se puede contactar a nuestro personal en sus extensiones de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico apropiadas.
El próximo fin de semana (9 y 10 de mayo) , volveremos a nuestro horario normal de misas de fin de semana.
(Sábado - 5pm, Domingo- 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm (español), y 4:30 pm)
Invitamos a nuestra comunidad parroquial a unirse a nosotros. Cada una de nuestras familias tendrá la capacidad de hacer una reservacion para asistir a una de nuestras misas de fin de semana a partir del miércoles a las 10 a.m., tendremos mas detalles sobre este proceso disponible en nuestro sitio web después de este fin de semana. Si no tiene acceso a una computadora o necesita ayuda con este proceso, comuníquese con nuestra oficina y uno de los miembros de nuestro personal podrá ayudarlo.
Para mantener nuestro límite de visitantes en el 25% autorizado y permitir que más feligreses de nuestra parroquia puedan asistir a Misa vamos a pedir a nuestras familias que consideren acudir a Misa de los fines de semana solo una vez durante el mes de mayo . Esta es solo una solicitud temporal y se seguirá evaluando a medida que avancemos.
Una de las cosas que el Cardenal a solicitado, es la importancia de recibir la comunión en las manos y no en la lengua. Cuando se acerque, mantenga la distancia adecuada de 6 pies con la persona frente a usted. Una vez que reciba la comunión en la mano , por favor hagase a un lado, y moviendo suavemente su máscara consuma la comunion antes de volver a su lugar. Con respecto a el ofertorio, lo alentamos a que continúe dando a través de Internet o mensajes de texto para la seguridad de nuestros ministros y contadores de dinero. Esto se puede hacer visitando https://membership.faithdirect.net/TX676 y creando una cuenta o enviando un mensaje de texto con el monto de su oferta al 346-220-1045 usando nuestro código de iglesia TX676 . Para aquellos que no pueden hacerlo, colocaremos la caja de recolección en el nártex para que dejen sus ofrendas al ingresar a la iglesia.
Es importante destacar que el Cardenal DiNardo en la carta que nos comparte habla acerca de que “ la obligación de asistir a misa los domingos y días festivos permanece suspendido .” En este momento de la pandemia, no estamos obligados a asistir a Misa en persona si es vulnerable o se siente incómodo , y tenga la seguridad de que continuaremos transmitiendo en vivo nuestras misas entre semana y las dos Misas de fin de semana . El cardenal DiNardo también afirmó que “ todavía se recomienda que las personas, especialmente aquellas de 65 años o más o que sean vulnerables, se queden en sus hogares y que no participen en vivo. Aún más urgente, si tiene alguna razón para creer que puede estar enfermo o expuesto al COVID-19, ¡quédese en casa como un acto de caridad para los demás! "
Equipo de purificación
Obviamente habrá nuevos desafíos y oportunidades para que sigamos adelante, pero estamos entusiasmados con la capacidad de traer a nuestra familia de regreso a la parroquia. Como mencioné anteriormente, estamos comenzando un nuevo Equipo de Purificación que será fundamental para desinfectar a la Iglesia durante todo el día, especialmente después de todas y cada una de las Misas. Si está interesado en ayudar o ser parte de este nuevo equipo, considere comunicarse con Jeff Thigpen Jeff@civilsearch.com . Es una manera hermosa de servir y dar a la comunidad en los momentos de necesidad.
Continuamos orando por usted durante este tiempo de transición, especialmente por su salud y seguridad. Les agradecemos a todos por su paciencia que han exhibido durante estas últimas semanas, y esperamos verlos pronto en casa.
En Cristo,
Padre Dat
Pastor