COVID-19 Parish Updates

July 6, 2020 - Parish & School Office Will Be Closed July 13-24, 2020
Our Business and Parish offices will be closed for the Summer from July 13 – 24, 2020. Normal Summer hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) will resume on July 27th.

July 2, 2020 - Parish Office Closed To All Outside Visitors
Fr. Lewis has been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and continues to adhere to the state and local recommendations.

While Our Lady of The Atonement Catholic Church is considered an “essential business,” Fr. Lewis’ first priority is the continued safety of his employees and parishioners.

Public health officials continue to advise that social distancing is the most effective strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  As such, Our Lady of The Atonement Catholic Church's Business Office will be closed to all outside visitors including walk-ins until further notice (Please note, that daily and Sunday Masses will continue as scheduled).

Should you need to contact someone in the parish business office, please see the directory below.

• For parish or school matters contact Mr. Martin Scott, Business Manager
• For accounting contact Mrs. Sandra Alejo, Accounting Clerk
• For school payments or church tithes contact Mr. Dan Patrick, Account Representative
• To contact Fr. Lewis, Fr. Jenkins or to schedule a baptism, wedding or funeral contact Ms. Erica Lizama, Executive Assistant 
• To make a charitable donation contact Ms. Amelia Nieto, Director of Development and Communications

Fr. Lewis appreciates your support and understanding of his decision.
 
 
July 1, 2020 - Daily and Sunday Masses 
With the recent rise of Covid-19 cases, we will continue to adhere to the directives of state and local authorities and take the necessary safety precautions, namely proper social distancing spacing, disinfecting all pews and the altar rail after every Mass. We will also have hand sanitizer available in the Narthex.

For those of your who will join us for Mass, we ask that you:

• Please wear a mask;
• Continue to sit in every other pew;
• Families may sit together in a pew, but if there are two or more families in the same pew there must be a six foot space between each family;
• Please follow the ushers instructions, they will direct the flow of traffic to and from the altar rail;
• At the conclusion of Mass, please remain seated until the usher directs you to leave the Church; and 
• The collection plate is located in the Narthex of the Church.  

For parishioners over the age of 65, those who have pre-existing conditions and those that prefer to remain at home, we will continue to live stream our daily and Sunday Masses on our parish Facebook page and YouTube Channel (Atonement Mass) and upload them to our Mass Videos page.

Please note that Bishop Lopes has communted the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until further notice. 


June 2020 - How To Fulfill Your Sunday Obligation During COVID-19 Restrictions

Bishop Lopes has commuted the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until further notice. This means that the Sunday obligation of the Christian faithful is met through one of the two following pious practices:

     a.  Prayerful reflection upon the Sunday Scripture readings, concluding that time
          by the recitation of the Prayer of Humble Access or the Anima Christi;

     b.  The recitation of the Rosary as a family;

Having the obligation to attend Sunday Mass commuted does not mean you have a day off, like taking a day off work. It is still The Lord’s Day, The Day of the Resurrection. 
 
Below are the prayers you need to fulfill your obligation as well as prayers for making a “spiritual communion.”
 
Prayer of Humble Access
We do not presume
to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in thy manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy 
so much as to gather up thy crumbs under thy Table.
But thou art the same Lord
whose property is always to have mercy.
Grant us therefore, gracious Lord,
so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ,
and to drink his Blood,
that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his Body,
and our souls washed through his most precious Blood,
and that we may evermore dwell in him,
and he in us.
Amen.
 
Anima Christi   (As taken from St. Gregory’s Prayer Book, page 32).
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from Christ’s side, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus, hear me;
Within thy wounds hide me;
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee;
From the malicious enemy defend me;
In the hour of my death call me;
And bid me come unto Thee;
That with thy Saints I may praise Thee;
Forever and ever. Amen.
 
Prayers for Spiritual Communion (As taken from St. Grgory’s Prayer Book, page 230)
In union, dear Lord, with all the faithful at every altar of thy Church where the blessed Body and Blood are being offered to the Father, I desire to offer thee praise and thanksgiving. I believe you are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. And since I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, I beseech thee to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself unto thee, and embrace thee with all the affections of my soul. Let me never be separated from thee. Let me live and die in thy love. Amen
 
I worship thee, Lord Jesus, and kneeling unto thee, as thou didst come to Mary, I pray thee come to me, I beseech thee, and unite me to thyself. Though I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, yet I believe that thou art able, even when received by faith and desire only, to heal, enrich and sanctify me. Come thou spiritually into my heart. I desire to unite myself to thee with all the affections of my soul. Possess me wholly; let the consuming fire of thy love absorb me, and thy presence abide so intimately in me, that it will be no longer I that live, but thou that livest in me. Come, Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart. Amen.