August 8th/9th

Sign-up and Guidelines for Mass this Weekend

We are happy to welcome you back to St. Lawrence Church.  For the near future each weekend Mass will be limited to 100 parishioners. You must register to attend the Mass of your choice.

Please CLICK HERE for the link to registration.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. No walk-ins are permitted at the door. The only way to register is by clicking on the link above.

Please sign up for only one Mass. When you select a Mass time, hit “Submit and Sign-Up” at the bottom of the page and you will be directed to a page where you will fill out your name, email, phone, and the number in your party. Then hit “Sign Up Now." You will receive a confirmation email.

You can change your reservation if space allows or cancel up until Noon on Saturday.  Please be respectful of keeping your reservation as no one will be able to assume your reservation unless you cancel in a timely way.

Please keep in mind that the obligation to attend Mass remains suspended, and that those who are vulnerable or sick currently should not attend.

All members of the congregation need to wear face masks, and every effort should be made to maintain social distancing while in Church.  Pews that are blocked off should not be entered, and please recognize that it may not be possible to sit in familiar places.  Families may sit together in a pew but for much of the Church a limit of four people will be enough for each pew.

Entrance to the Church will be only from the main front entrance. Exit from the church will be possible from every exit.

For the near future hymnals and missalettes will not be available, and singing will be limited to the cantor.

Staff and ushers will be present to assist. We ask that you make every effort to arrive at Mass early, in plenty of time to check in and be seated before Mass begins. Given our normal capacity of 700, the Church should easily accommodate 100 for each Mass.

Also, daily Mass at 9:00 am, Monday through Saturday has resumed.  PLEASE NOTE that the Saturday daily Mass will now be at 9:00 am.

We ask your patience and understanding as the Parish does its best to abide by the mandated guidelines.

The Catholic Practice of Making a Spiritual Communion
(Excerpted from a longer article) 

St. Thomas Aquinas taught that Spiritual Communion is “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing Him as if we actually received Him.” Think of it! You can have your own private “audience” with Christ in Spiritual Communion or in front of the Blessed Sacrament! Countless Saints and theologians throughout the centuries have extolled the virtues and great spiritual benefits we can receive from this time spent with our Lord. Remember, however, that you can “turn toward the holy tabernacle” and receive Jesus in your heart from anywhere you might happen to be, at any time, day or night!

SAMPLE PRAYERS Here are some sample prayers for making a spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

Another version reads:
Oh Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where You live hidden for love of me. I love you, O my God. I cannot receive you in Holy Communion. Come, nevertheless, and visit me with Your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sanctify it. Render it like unto Your own. Amen.
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

St. Jean-Marie Vianney once said “when we feel the love of God growing cold, let us instantly make a Spiritual Communion. When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God.” We can indeed be grateful for that!

All events at St. Lawrence Parish
are canceled/postponed until further notice.
 

    CONTINUE YOUR OFFERTORY
 

Sign up for
  
(Click on icon to go to Online Giving)

Call the Parish Office if you would like help setting up your account. 

If you prefer you can mail your weekly offertory,
we will continue to pick up the mail daily.

For detailed information and resources from Bishop Caggiano and the Diocese of Bridgeport
concerning the Novel Coronaviris COVID-19, please click here:https://www.bridgeportdiocese.org/

Bishop Caggiano has offered the

following guidelines concerning Sacraments:
 

Baptism: At this time, Baptisms may be held as scheduled, however, the rules of social distancing and limited numbers in attendance will be adhered to.  If you wish to reschedule to a later date in the spring or into the summer, please call the Rectory Office.
The celebration of future Baptisms will be decided as the date for each Batism draws near.

First Communion: While there is no need at this point to cancel Masses of first Communion scheduled after April 30th, Parishes must be prepared to reschedule if necessary.

Confirmation: All Confirmations in the Diocese scheduled to take place before Easter Sunday will be postponed.  This does not include St. Lawrence Parish Confirmations which have not yet been scheduled for this year.

Weddings and Funerals: The celebration of weddings and funerals may continue, but the Rites should be celebrated outside of Mass.  Also, guests will be limited to immediate family and close friends only and social distancing guidelines will be adhered to.

Regarding Funerals, a Mass for the Dead can be celebrated in private for the deceased at the nearest possible date following death, or, if the family desires, a public memorial Mass could be celebrated at a later date for the repose of the soul of the deceased and the consolation of family.

Anointing of the Sick and the Sacrament of Reconciliation: Priests may offer Anointing of the Sick and the sacrament of Reconciliation as requested, but these two sacraments will be offered with an abundance of care for the wellbeing of all involved.  Please contact the Rectory Office for more information or with requests for these sacraments.

RELIGIOUS ED NOTICE:

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, closing of Shelton schools, and the Directives of Bishop Caggiano, all Religious Education classes, workshops and retreats are canceled and/or postponed until further notice.  
At this time we do not have any information regarding First Communion.  We will notify families of any decisions concerning First Communion at a future date after we receive updated information from the Bishop.