Reservations required for weekend services
Last week, Father Tom Paul, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish and Dean of the Eastern DuPage Deanery, announced the reopening of the parish for Masses and other celebrations.
Closed since the middle of March due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus, IC Parish has been live streaming Mass regularly for the faithful. As the Diocese of Joliet, in cooperation with the State of Illinois, has been moving toward safely returning to public gatherings, Father Tom has been working around the clock to be able to offer his parishioners the ability to attend Sunday Mass as a community.
In response to the guidelines released by the diocese for the protection of congregants, Father Tom immediately organized a committee of parishioners to study the documents and to customize a plan. Studying social distancing, effective communication, sanitizing the worship spaces between services, and the development of a protocol for entering and exiting, the committee was able to formulate a procedural blueprint.
While the plan addressed the physical aspects of the reopening, Father Tom’s paramount focus was on providing for the spiritual needs of his flock, even as he ensured that the committee addressed the means by which the threat of COVID-19 transmission could be minimized.
The result of this foundational effort is that IC will celebrate its first public Mass on Saturday, June 13, at 4:30 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Chapel. On Sunday, June 14, a Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m., also in the Chapel.
Please reserve seating for attendance at either Mass at [email protected]. Daily Masses, for which no reservation is required, will commence on Monday, June 15, at 9 a.m. in the Church. For more details, visit icelmhurst.org.
