From the Pastors,

There are two specific undertakings we would like to share with you this Friday.

1. The reopening of our churches for public masses and sacraments.

2. The ongoing pursuit of a more just and accountable Church and society for all.

We begin with the second.

Two weeks ago Frs. Michael and Mark, along with the support of the respective Parish Pastoral Councils, issued a statement on the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing violence and discrimination against people of color in our society. In that statement we pledged ourselves to concrete actionable goals and accountability. In the intervening time an ad hoc committee of the Social Action Committee, the Parish Pastoral Council Chairs of both parishes, parishioners of color, and the pastors have been meeting to formulate a way to begin to meet those stated goals and means of accountability.

The first step, in what will be a multi-pronged undertaking, is an invitation to all parishioners to participate in a three session ZOOM meeting. In those three sessions we will be listening and responding to the voices of three parishioners of color, using the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops 2018 statement of Racism "Open Wide Our Hearts" as a launching point.

We invite you to join this effort. The sessions will be on three successive Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 7:00pm, July 7, 14 & 21. There will be breakout discussions and sharing with a view to formulating specific concrete actionable goals for the parishes with clearly defined and ongoing mechanisms of accountability. More details to follow.

Reopening of our Churches for Public Masses

We are very much looking forward to celebrating masses again with you in our respective churches. Below find details regarding the INTERIM LITURGY SCHEDULES for each parish.

Please pay attention to the details as we try to reopen in a way that maintains the safety and health of all. PLEASE do not attend any masses or other events if you are sick, running a fever or coughing.

While the churches will be open for public participation in masses with communion, under the form of bread alone, the dispensation from the Sunday mass obligation is still in effect. If you are part of a vulnerable population you ought to feel free to continue to avoid public gatherings and participate in our communal liturgies electronically.

With appropriate social distancing regulations in place, we will not be able to permit no more than 25% of capacity for any specific mass (175 people at ABVM and 100 people at St Boniface). We do not anticipate exceeding the 25% of capacity in these early weeks of reopening but we will continue to monitor the situation and adapt as needed.

Fr. Mark Lane, c.o. and Fr. Michael Callaghan, c.o.
 

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Please keep the sick of the community in your prayers:
Tom Janczys, Ed McTee, Robert Varvi, Michael Erez, Lyn Montgomery, Mary-Fred Bausman-Watkins, John Nerjes, Fred Goodwin, Michele Key, Patty Evers, Anthony DeLuca, Estelle Miller, Ed Acerra, Marie Smith.

Rest In Peace:
Sister Shawn Carruth, Jim Sherwood, Captain David Dorn, Francis Lau, Patricia Hoffman, George Floyd, Msgr. John Tosi, Peter Kasuba, Michele Grant.

If you would like add someone to the prayer list email the parish office at [email protected] or go to the website https://oratorychurch.org/contact-us and complete the information there.
 

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Dominic Andreassi, Michael Antonucci, Anglisano Family, Sabino Antonucci, Edward M. Bacon, Jr., Oliver J. Blaber, Salvador B. Conde, Francisco Cruz, Mark Basil Donlin, Ferencz Eisenberg Sr., Ferencz Eisenberg, Jr., Theodore Roger Eoff, William Fissinger, Alexander Gallardo, William Kotapish, Gene B. LaMarre, Donald Angus MacLellan, Antonio & Pasquale Maisto, Nunzio Maisto, Stefano and Joseph Maisto, John J. McKeown, Anthony P. Meehan, Sr., Jerry Shey, Juan Rios, Frank Macchiarola, John Martini, Joseph Sessa, Gerard Slattery, Dr. Gil Vasquez.
  Richard J. Adams, Richard Carlson, James Dirks, Jim Fantaci, Leo Callaghan, John Hults, Eric John Hults, Stephen Maisto, John and Stephen A. Maisto, Arnold Mascoli, Sr., Arnold Mascoli, Jr., Joseph Picciano, Stephen and Andrew Sessa, Marc Shey. 
 

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Mass intentions available. 
If you would like to request a mass for someone living or deceased, mass intentions are available for the weeks or months ahead. Email [email protected].
Cards can also be mailed out.
 

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New Address for the Parish Office of the Brooklyn Oratory Parishes

Please direct all letters, checks, and inquiries by postal mail to: 
The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary & St. Boniface
64 Middagh St.
Brooklyn NY 11201
 

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