We have begun the reopening process and how great it has been to see many of your faces! Below is a more in depth overview of the changes you can expect as we continue to proceed.
We have resumed our 4pm daily Masses Monday through Thursday at Little Flower. Also, our Friday 9am Mass at the Blackfeet Care Center has been moved to 4pm at Little Flower until the Care Center opens back up. Note that these Masses are in the church, not the chapel, due to social distancing regulations.
Weekend Masses will return to our normal schedule beginning tomorrow, Saturday, June 13 with Masses at East Glacier at 4pm and Little Flower at 6:30pm. And then on Sunday, June 14, Masses will be celebrated at 9am and 10:30am at Little Flower. Additionally, Word and Communion services will be celebrated at 9am at Holy Family Mission and 11:15am at St. Anne's in Heart Butte. Mass will resume at St. Mary's in Babb on Sunday, June 28 at 11am. Live steam and radio Masses will no longer be offered locally, but many options are still out there (see below).
As a bit of a side note, we did hang onto the palms that were purchased for Palm Sunday but could not be distributed. Therefore, we will begin distributing them at the Masses this weekend. Also, many of you wanted to bring in your CRS Rice Bowls, which is normally done in Lent but could not be done this year. So please feel free to bring them in now.
We also resumed Adoration/Confession/Divine Mercy Chaplet last night and will continue to do so each Thursday evening from 7-9pm.
Our worship will look and feel different as we have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safety of all who join us. See the letter to Little Flower parishioners attached below for an overview of the key changes. This letter will be distributed this weekend and letters appropriate for each of our other locations will be distributed as well.
The most obvious change is the restricted number of people who can attend services in our churches and the restricted seating arrangements. This means that you may not be able to sit where you did before and may not be able to sit by the people you sat with before. It also means that there is an upper limit for the number of people who can be in the church while maintaining appropriate distancing.
Hopefully these restrictions won't last long, but while they do, Bishop Vetter is still live streaming daily and Sunday Masses from the Cathedral at www.diocesehelena.org, so even if you are unable to join us at the church or not quite comfortable doing so, you can still participate in a live Mass. Vulnerable people are encouraged to remain at home for their own safety (vulnerable as defined by the Diocese means those who are ill and/or over 65 years of age). Please also note that you are still dispensed from the Sunday Mass obligation.
And last, but not least, a number of people have asked about First Communion and also Baptism prep. We don't yet have a timetable for either, but will communicate out to you asap once we do.
As always, feel free to call the parish office at 406 338-5775 with any questions. Also, if you sign up for this blog, you can leave comments on the blog posts. We really look forward to seeing you soon! In the meantime, God bless you all!
