Guidelines for Mass in
St. Peter the Apostle Church

Thank you for understanding and observing the following instructions and guidelines to ensure the health and well-being of all the faithful who participate in the celebration of Mass during this pandemic.

• People experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 should stay home since the obligation to attend Mass remains suspended. We will not take temperatures at the doors of the church.
• Masks must be worn by all people over the age of two who want to enter the church. Please bring your own masks.
• Entrance/Exit is through the center doors of the church which will remain open, weather permitting.
• No congregating by the doors of the church before or after Mass. Observe social distancing on the plaza in front of the church.
• Seating is limited with some pews taped off for proper social distancing. Our seating capacity is 150. If the pews are filled, people may stand along the walls of the church until we reach our overall capacity of 180. If we reach overall capacity, people may be asked to attend a later Mass.
• Ushers will greet you at the door to make sure that masks are worn. Masks are to be worn except when receiving Holy Communion.
• Sanitize hands using the two sanitizing stations by the interior doors when entering leaving the church.
• Please enter only when all members of your party are present to assist with seating. The pews are marked for social distancing. Family members may sit together.
• The Children’s Room is closed until further notice.
• The Children’s Gospel Program is suspended until further notice.
• Please try to limit the use of the public restrooms before and during Mass.
• We ask that you do not sing, to prevent the spread of the virus through droplets.
• We will not have a choir until further notice. The Masses with music will have a musician and cantor.
• Hymnals and Bibles are removed until further notice.
• QR cards will be on the back of the pews so that you can follow the readings on your smartphones.
• Two large collection baskets will be by the last row of pews for your offerings. The small baskets will not be passed around and there will not be an offertory procession. The QR cards will also connect to our online giving page for electronic offerings.
• Please pray the Our Father without holding hands and merely nod or wave at the Sign of Peace.
• Priests and Deacons will sanitize their hands before offering Holy Communion and wear masks during the distribution of Holy Communion.
• Eucharistic Ministers bringing Holy Communion to the homebound may wait by the tabernacle after Holy Communion as usual.
• Please depart after Mass quickly so we have time to sanitize the church between Masses.
• Printed bulletins will not be available until further notice.
• The Eucharistic Adoration Chapel will remain closed until further notice. 
• All Daily Masses will take place in the church, not Our Lady’s Chapel.
• On weekdays, the church will remain open after the Daily Masses until 5:00 p.m. for Eucharistic adoration and private prayer. On Saturdays and Sundays, the church will remain open after the morning Masses until after the last evening Mass. However, the church will be closed to the public during funerals, baptisms, weddings, or any other liturgical services.

• Our new permanent weekend Mass schedule is as follows: 

Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (Spanish).
Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.
Confessions on Saturdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. by the Baptismal fon

New Rectory Office Hours

Parish Rectory Office Expanded Hours

Dear Parishioners:

Step by step, we continue returning to "normal" parish life as much as possible. A few weeks ago, we opened the rectory office for two afternoons each week. It is now time to take the next step. Starting this Wednesday, November 4th, the rectory will be open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (4:00 p.m. on Fridays) for normal parish business such as requesting Mass cards and sacramental paperwork. Some staff members will continue working on a staggered schedule. We will not be open on any evenings at this time. You can continue to contact clergy and staff through email or leaving voicemails. Please continue praying for the end of the pandemic. Stay safe!

Peace,

Fr. David

 

Invitation to join WeShare 

at St. Peter the Apostle Parish
 Make a Donation via
Online Giving 

https://stpetertheapostle.weshareonline.org 

1. Select the collection you wish to donate to (“Sunday Offertory” or “Second Collections”). 
2. Select recurring or one-time donation as applicable. 
3. Enter your preferred payment information (1st time). 
4. Enter your contact information – very important in order to get a temporary password via email. 
5. Access the email, log-in and create your personal password, then click "My Payment Sources"
6. In this screen, enter your preferred payment information (2nd time) and save this as a “saved payment source”.

That’s it. You can return at any time via the log-in function to edit your donations.
 
Frequently Asked Questions: 
Q: Do I need to re-enter my payment information if I wish to make a future donation? A: No – if you followed all of the above steps, just “click” on the “Saved Payment Source” button and WeShare will use this payment option to fund your donation.

Q: Which payment methods are accepted? A: Checking/savings accounts, debit and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX) are accepted. 

Q: Do parishioners receive receipts for their donations? A: Yes, all contributors enrolled for online giving will receive receipts via e-mail. 

Q: Is WeShare safe? A: Yes. WeShare implements the safest security standards for online transactions; they are certified with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) as a Level 1 Service Provider. 

Q: As a FaithDirect participant, must I re-enter my payment and donation information again? A: Yes. Although Saint Peter’s designed the WeShare giving templates to mirror FaithDirect where possible, WeShare is an entirely different platform that does not permit the carryover of this data. 

 "Important Parish Updates"

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Rectory Office Closed to the Public

For the health and welfare of parish staff and parishioners, effective immediately, the Rectory Office is closed to the public. Mass card requests and other requests can be made by calling 973-334-2090. Thanks for your cooperation as we get through these troubling times.

 

Peace,

Fr. David

 

Have you heard about the give-back program we are participating in? Ave Maria Press, a non-profit Catholic publisher, will give our parish 30% of the proceeds from each purchase. You shop and we benefit! Please consider shopping at avemariapress.com for your Christmas gifts and stock up on books for birthdays, graduations, and other sacramental celebrations and holidays. It's SIMPLE and SAFE and you get FREE SHIPPING! Use our code STPETER at checkout at avemariapress.com. Please share this code with your friends and family too.

Holy Hour of Adoration

In addition to our Friday night Holy Hour, starting this Thursday night, October 8th, we are starting a simple Holy Hour of Adoration from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. Our priests and deacons will take turns leading the Holy Hour each week. Please join us for this opportunity to spend some time with our Savior. Masks required.

Request a
Mass Card

WEEKLY E-EDITION

Diocesan Ministries Appeal