Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the Gospel of John, we hear the story of how Jesus, traveling through Samaria, encountered a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and asked her for water to drink.  John wanted to use Jesus’ thirst and weariness to lead us into the mystery of God’s thirst for us, for his profound desire to gather us and to slake our own thirst for life.  With deep gratitude for God’s desire for us, I’d like to highlight Bishop Joe Vasquez’ joyful invitation for us to come back to in-person participation in the sacraments and the life of the parish.  To this effect, on May 23, 2021, Pentecost Sunday, the temporary dispensation to attend Sunday Mass, which was granted due to the pandemic, will be rescinded.  All of us are called to come and participate in-person in the Sunday Eucharist, unless there is a serious reason that excuses one from attending, even without a dispensation. For example, anyone for whom attending Sunday Mass would pose a serious health risk (including anyone who is positive for COVID-19 or needs to isolate because of COVID-19 symptoms) is excused from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.  Of course, individuals may still request a dispensation from the Sunday obligation from their pastor for any type of serious illness or other serious reasons. 

And as we make this transition to full in-person participation, we will continue to evaluate the safety practices that we implement to help keep us safe as we worship together.  For the time being, we continue to encourage sanitizing of the hands and wearing masks during Mass.  We will trust you to exercise prudential judgment regarding social distancing, as we remove the ropes off the pews.  

As your pastor, I would like for you to look beyond the obligation of attending Sunday Mass, to perceive God’s delight in being with us in his house, and to share his life with us.  Let’s come together without fear to receive the peace that only the Lord can give us. 

Yours in Christ, 
Fr. Sang Quan, Pastor

April 24, 2021 Letter from Bishop Vasquez