I hope this message finds you and your family continuing to stay well during these very challenging times.

As I mentioned previously, at the present time almost all of our activities at The Basilica, with the exception of the celebration of the sacraments, are being done virtually. However, given our success in regard to opening The Basilica for daily and Sunday Masses, it makes sense that we explore whether or not we can resume other activities on our campus.

In this regard, a little over a week ago we resumed our 7:00am Mass Monday through Friday. You don’t have to pre-register for this Mass, but you will need to register on-site prior to Mass.

Beginning Sunday, September 27 we will resume our 4:30pm Mass on Sunday afternoon. As with our 11:30am Sunday Mass and our daily Noon Mass, you will need to pre-register to attend this Mass. You can do this via our website or by calling the parish office. We ask people to pre-register so that we will have your contact information in the unlikely event that we need to do contact tracing. We will continue to livestream our 9:30am Mass on Sundays.

We have also begun to consider resuming some activities on our campus on a case by case basis. Our standard will be ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of the participants or attendees. When there are activities on our campus, we will use the same protocols we currently use to check people in for the celebration of daily and Sunday Masses, weddings, and funerals.

As I mentioned last week, one of the activities that definitely is not taking place virtually is the ongoing maintenance of our beautiful Basilica. This past week we began some masonry restoration work on the west exterior wall of The Basilica above the doors near the Mary Garden. This work is needed to seal the mortar and prevent further water damage.

As part of this project, we will also install an additional 10-12 moisture monitors in the church interior, and evaluate next steps for moisture testing and work needed to continue to dry out the church interior. We are very blessed and fortunate that this work is being paid for by The Basilica Landmark.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about anything that is happening at The Basilica, please contact me at the parish office or send me an email. My contact information is available on our parish website.

As always, if you would like further information about our protocols or if you have questions or concerns, please contact me at the parish office or send me an email. My contact information is available on our parish website.

Thank you for your continued prayers and your financial support. Please know they are appreciated more than you know.

God of all hope we call on you today.
We pray for those who are living in fear:
Fear of illness, fear for loved ones, fear of other’s reactions to them.
May your Spirit give us a sense of calmness and peace.

We pray for your church in this time of uncertainty.
For those people who are worried about attending worship.
For those needing to make decisions in order to care for other
For those who will feel more isolated by not being able to attend.
Grant us your wisdom.
Holy God, we remember that you have promised that
Nothing will separate us from your love – demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ.
Help us turn our eyes, hearts and minds to you.
Amen

I hope this message finds you and your family continuing to stay well during these very challenging times.

As I mentioned previously, at the present time almost everything we are doing, with the exception of the celebration of the sacraments, is being done virtually. And we anticipate that this will continue for the foreseeable future.

However, given our success in regard to opening The Basilica for daily and Sunday Masses, it makes sense that we explore whether or not we can resume other activities on our campus. In this regard, yesterday we resumed our 7:00am Monday through Friday Mass. You don’t have to pre-register for this Mass, but you will need to register onsite prior to Mass.

One of the ministries we have resumed is the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confessions will be heard in the chapel from 9:00 to 10:00am. Our protocol for this is posted on our website under the sacraments tab, or you can call the liturgy office for information.

We have also begun to consider resuming some activities on our campus on a case by case basis. Our standard will be ensuring the safety, security, and well being of the participants or attendees. When there are activities on our campus, we will use the same protocols we currently use to check people in for the celebration of daily and Sunday Mass, and weddings and funerals. We will ask for a list of attendees and their contact information ahead of time, in the unlikely event that we need to do contact tracing.

One of the activities that definitely is not taking place virtually is the ongoing maintenance of our beautiful Basilica. This week we began some masonry restoration work on the west exterior wall of The Basilica above the doors near the Mary Garden. This work is needed to seal the mortar and prevent further water damage. As part of this project, we will also install an additional 10-15 moisture monitors in the church interior, and evaluate next steps for moisture testing and work needed to continue to dry out the church interior. We are very blessed and fortunate that this work is being paid for by The Basilica Landmark.

As always, if you would like further information about our protocols or if you have questions or concerns, please contact me at the parish office or send me an email. My contact information is available on our parish website.

Finally, as I have mentioned previously, in the event that there is an outbreak of COVID-19 traceable to The Basilica, we will need to reconsider the decision to open The Basilica for public worship. Also if there is a surge in cases of the Coronavirus, we will follow any directives and restrictions from the city of Minneapolis or the state. I will alert you as soon as possible, should either of these things occur.

Thank you for your continued prayers and your financial support. Please know they are appreciated more than you know.

God of life,
you have promised to be with us always,
Help us to be aware of your presence in these difficult days.
Give us
clarity in our minds,
strength in our work and discernment,
rest as we sleep,
peace in our minds and hearts.

Be with those
who need your help
and help us to do share your love our families, our friends, neighbors, our co-workers, and all those we encounter.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.