Since time immemorial singing and chanting has been part of our worship of God. The Bible tells us that even the angels sing as they announce the birth of our Lord Jesus to the simple shepherds. Whether our hearts are burdened by sorrow or bursting with joy, we sing. To give God fitting honor and sing well, it requires hard work, great effort and talent. This is why Saint Augustine says “to sing is to pray twice.” 

Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 health pandemic, you are asked to refrain from singing out loud at Mass for the time being, in order to reduce the spread of this disease. This drastic measure is taken out of an abundance of caution to protect the health of those who come to Mass, since COVID-19 typically spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking. Everyone who attends Mass is already required to wear a face mask which acts as another level of protection.

Thus, starting the weekend of July 11-12, we will discontinue the printing of the lyrics for the hymns of our Sunday Mass in the parish bulletin and we will not post them on our website either. The cantors, however, will continue to sing at our weekend Masses and all of us are invited to sing along SILENTLY in our hearts. 

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and patience as we deal with this horrible disease together.