September Changes
September will bring a number of exciting changes to Saint Mary’s Parish. Change is difficult, and it brings problems we do not anticipate when we make the changes. But we have done our best to prepare for these changes, and so I ask your patience and indulgence.
Although we have tried to anticipate what will happen, the law of unintended consequences assures us that there will be bumps along the way. So please be patient, and if you feel the need to blame someone, please blame me and no one else.
So what are the changes that are coming? You already know most of them, but allow me to review them for you:
First, the religious education program for grades one through six will hold classes at St. Mary’s School on Sunday mornings in two sessions: 8:15—9:20 and 10:40—11:45. Parents have been registering their children for these sessions since last spring. If you have not yet registered your children, you should do this as soon as possible. Second, on September 1, we will begin the 9:30 AM Mass on Sundays. This Mass will continue throughout the year, even when there is no religious instruction. All parishioners are welcome to this Mass, which we are inaugurating so that that parents and children attending religious instruction can conveniently attend Mass either before or after religious instruction. Third, the adult choir that has been singing at the 8:00 AM Mass will move to its old spot at the 11:00 AM Mass, and the contemporary choir that has been singing at the 11:00 AM Mass will move to the 9:30 AM Mass. The 8:00 AM Mass, like the 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday, will have a cantor to lead the congregation in singing. Fourth, On Sunday mornings there will adult enrichment programs before and after the 9:30 AM Mass, in the Parish Center, to which all parishioners are invited. You will find the complete schedule for this program in this bulletin. Fifth, beginning September 8, there will be a coffee bar at the Parish Center before and after the 9:30 AM Mass to which you are invited every week. It is not necessary to participate in the adult enrichment program to enjoy coffee with others. Sixth, since we anticipate heavier traffic than usual before and after the 9:30 AM Mass, we will institute some new traffic patterns. Later this month you will receive a detailed handout about these. What follows is a summary:
Entrance into the main church parking lot will be on the south side (rectory side) of the church, and exit from the church will be on the north side (school side of the church).
Parents of children in grades 4-6 will drop off children on the south side of the school, and parents of children in grades 1-3 will drop off children on the north side of the school and then accompany them into the school.
There will be reserved parking for parishioners with special needs near the church.
Much of the parking in the north parking lot will be for Religious Education before and after the 9:30 AM Mass. Parking, however, is available in the main church lot, the entire Town Hall Lot, the Post Office Lot, and the Church Office Lot on Massaco Street.
All fire lanes must remain open by the sides of the school and church. Please do not, under any circumstances, park in these lanes.
Seventh, there will be a new religious education/youth program for our middle school high school students on Sunday evenings entitled “Edge” for middle school students and “Life Teen” for high school students. Twice each month, these programs will be preceded by Mass for teens.
As you can see, there will be many changes in September. Parking will be our greatest challenge, and it is here that we need your assistance and patience most. There will be police and volunteers to help with traffic flow, but we need your cooperation. Remember, safety first—the safety of our children and of all of our parishioners.
There will be problems in the month ahead as we adjust to this new schedule, unintended consequences we did not anticipate. So please be patient and remember that the purpose of these changes is to enable our children and their parents to attend Mass at St. Mary’s so that we can become a more vibrant community. If you see ways in which we can solve the problems that arise, do not hesitate to let me know. Let’s make Saint Mary’s our place to belong, to believe, and to become!
Father Matera