First Communion Masses, May 2021

1. SIGN UP FOR THE MASS TIME YOU WANT:
   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0944A8AD2CA02-first
   Indicate which Mass your family will attend so that we have 16 families or fewer at each Mass — this is on a first-come, first-serve basis.  In this Step, please only sign up for 1 slot, because 1 slot = 1 family regardless of family size or number of First Communicants in this step only.
   Some families have been pre-registered for this step only by Ms. Hohner, but must still finish steps 2 and 3:
   • Students in Queen of Angels School cohorts.  If you need to swap to the opposite cohort because of a conflict, please contact Ms. Hohner to arrange a trade.
2. VOLUNTEER FOR A ROLE TO HELP OUT:
   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0944A8AD2CA02-volunteering
   Volunteer someone from your family to serve and help at one of the First Communion Masses to help make these events possible.
   • Roles include helping with Livestreaming, greeting or ushering the people during the Mass, or sanitizing the church after the Mass.
   • This DOES NOT have to be at the same Mass when your student is receiving First Communion. Some will prefer to get the volunteering done on the same day so they only need to come once, while others would prefer to enjoy the day of their student’s First Communion and work on a different day.
   • Parents in Queen of Angels School may also count this time with the Church Reopening Team for their required service hours.
3. GUEST REGISTRATION ON EVENTBRITE: (see separate links for each date below)
   Actually sign up each attendee/person who will be present at the Mass, giving their names, phone numbers and email addresses (if they have them). This includes the First Communicant(s), their parents and siblings living in the same household, and the godparent(s) chosen for First Communion; no additional guests, please, as it will make socially distant seating nearly impossible.  Be sure you are signing up for the same date and Mass you named in Step 1 or that matches your class cohort.  All Masses below will be held in Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside.
   • Saturday, May 1 – Religious Education (CCD) students
     • 11 a.m. Mass
     • 2 p.m. Mass
   • Saturday, May 8 – cohorts from Queen of Angels School
     • 11 a.m. Mass for Ms. Callinan‘s cohort / Room 206
     • 2 p.m. Mass for Ms. Scherer‘s cohort / Room 215
   • Saturday, May 15 – Religious Education (CCD) students
     • 11 a.m. Mass
     • 2 p.m. Mass
       

ADDED 3/9: If you are interested in receiving First Communion instead at St. Matthias Church with the 2nd Graders of St. Matthias School on Saturday, April 24, please contact Ms. Hohner who is making a list for Mrs. McGovern’s consideration.

WHO CAN ATTEND?

PLANNING FOR THE MASS

• Clothing: Wearing white is traditional for First Communion, especially for girls.  We know shopping for new clothes and shoes can be difficult during the pandemic, so any color of church-appropriate, special occasion clothing would be fine. We only ask for you and your child to agree on what will be worn, knowing that most families will likely choose the traditional route, and to avoid jeans, shorts, and hoodies.
  • Masks are necessary but do not need to be fancy.
  • Traditional clothing for girls: white dress, veil, tights or ankle socks, nice shoes.
    • Headgear: Real flowers are discouraged because of allergies. Tiaras and artificial wreaths are permitted, with or without a veil.  A simple hair bow is also nice.
    • Hands: Gloves are not allowed during the Mass and especially when receiving Communion.
  • Traditional clothing for boys: collared button-down shirt, necktie, dress slacks, nice shoes.
    • Suits: While a suit is nice, a suit jacket, sweater or sweater-vest could be worn with the shirt and tie.
    • Headgear: Hats should not be worn during the Mass.  If you have a fedora, sombrero, newsboy cap or other hat for taking photos, please keep it at home or in the car.
• ADDED 3/9
  Banners: We will not be using banners this year at the Mass, which in past years had been made by each family and hung on the end of the pew (bench) in church to mark the child’s assigned seating.
  • Each family will have a simple card placed on the end of the pew We have been asked by the Archdiocese to use disposable (single-use) or disinfectable (more permanent) signage at church. Banners are neither.
  • Collecting the banners to put in order and hang also presents a huge challenge at a time when items brought from home are not being collected at school and most of our First Communicants are on remote learning.
  • If you wish to make a banner because older siblings did for their First Communion, please contact Ms. Hohner to get a white piece of felt, while supplies last.  Or cut your own, 12″ by 18″ inches, and hem one of the short ends (sewing or hot glue) to make a channel for a wooden dowel to hang it.  Please do not bring the banner to church, but keep it at home.
• Photos: You may only take non-flash photos from your seat during the Mass, or outdoors or at home after the Mass. Students will not be able to pose for photos in the church after the Mass.
• Candles: A candle, a Bible or prayer book, and/or a rosary might be a traditional gift from godparents in honor of a First Communion day.  There is no particular role for them at the Mass.   If you have items to be blessed by the priest after the Mass, please mention this to an usher at the dismissal.
• Arrival times will be staggered to make sure that our ushers can seat everyone quickly.
  • Families with students’ last names A through L should arrive 30 minutes before Mass 
  • Families with students’ last names M through Z should arrive 15 minutes before Mass
• ADDED 3/9
  Nametags: Each child will be provided with a stick-on nametag printed with their name.
  • We ask that the children wear these during the Mass so they can be identified by the ushers and particularly so that the celebrant can call them by name at the time that they receive Communion.
  • If you prefer to not use a stick-on nametag, please provide your own plastic nametag holder.  Stick-on paper nametags (2″ x 4″) are being used this year because they require less handling than a name badge in a plastic holder.
• Streaming: A Livestream of each Mass is planned via Facebook Live. Helping with this effort is one of the roles we ask for volunteers to fill in Step 2 of the registration process above.
  • For May 8, both Masses will be streamed on the Queen of Angels School Facebook page.
  • For May 1 and May 15, a link will be available closer to the date of First Communion.  Our recently united parish is in a renaming process and we may be using a different Facebook page by May.
  • ADDED 3/9: A concern has been expressed that Facebook is not a platform with which grandparents are experienced to access on their own. Other relatives not attending the First Communion could be enlisted to help out as tech support for grandparents viewing remotely.
    • You should not need to be logged in to Facebook or even to have a Facebook account to view the streaming video of the Mass if the video is set to Public.  We are confirming this by testing it on different devices that are not signed in to Facebook. So far, the results have been different on mobile phones (video plays) and than on computers (log-in screen appears).
    • We are also looking into instructions for accessing the video in the Facebook Watch TV app that may be available on an internet-connected TV (for example, through a cable TV package), though this probably requires using a Facebook account.

HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS due to COVID-19

So that on First Communion day we can focus on the joy of receiving Jesus and coming to the table of the Lord, it is best that we know in advance about the efforts that this will require of all of us in this year’s First Communion celebrations.

ADDED 3/9: These guidelines, and all of our planning for the Masses, are based on guidance from the Archdiocese of Chicago as part of the COVID-19 response.  Though the situation of the pandemic may continue to improve as more people are vaccinated, the guidelines now in place will not be relaxed unless the Archdiocese changes the policies for liturgical events and events involving children.   This seems unlikely between now and May since current policies are listed as being effective through June 30, 2021.

• Everyone attending must:
  • Be registered on EventBrite to attend (see Step 3 above).  Please give the names of each individual and at least 1 phone number and email address per household.  This is for possible contact-tracing in case someone was sick at the Mass. Registration closes automatically at 10 p.m. the Friday evening before the Mass, if you need to make changes.
  • Have their temperature checked when they arrive.  This is required for child-centered events for Religious Education programs and Catholic schools, though it is not for Sunday Masses.
  • Use hand sanitizer at the door and before receiving Communion
  • Wear a mask during the Mass, covering their nose and mouth (only babies under 2 years old can go without a mask)
  • Move through the church according to social distancing and the aisle markings
  • Follow the directions of the ushers while being seated before Mass and while approaching to receive Communion
  • Sit in the assigned seat and only take personal photos or videos from there during the Mass (no flash)
• The priest celebrant of the Mass, and the Deacon if one is present, will use hand sanitizer and will wear a mask and a face shield when distributing Communion.
• The First Communicants can follow along with the Mass in their personal Mass books they receive after the Rite of Enrollment in March.   There will be no printed worship aides, hymnals, or program booklets.
• What CANNOT happen at the Mass this year:
  • Families visiting one another at their pews before Mass begins.  Once seated by the usher, please stay in your own pew as assigned.  We have gone to some effort to make sure households are seated socially distanced from one another, so please do not undermine this work which is for your safety.
  • Singing by the congregation.  Music will be provided by the cantor and organist to enhance our prayer.
  • Group or individual photos taken by a professional photographer.  Please do not invite your own professional photographer or videographer.  We hope to stream each Mass on Facebook Live.
  • Using First Communion banners (even if your child made one in Spring 2020)
  • Procession of the children into the church at the beginning of Mass
  • Children proclaiming the Readings or parts in the prayers of the Mass
  • Children gathering on the steps of the sanctuary to listen to the Homily and dialogue with the Celebrant
  • Children carrying flowers or the gifts of bread and wine to the altar
  • Families remaining in the church after Mass to take photos

SUGGESTED PREPARATION MATERIALS
(especially if your child’s First Communion was delayed from May 2020)

• Review the meaning of the Mass (steps 1-2) and how to receive Communion (steps 3-4).
  1. Watch this Mass review video on YouTube.  It may also help to go through the parts of the Mass using the black or white Mass book from Rite of Enrollment, or this PDF which looks back at the main parts of the Mass.
  2. Take this Mass review Quiz on Sporcle.  Scroll down to the green box that says “PLAY QUIZ”.  You do not need to make an account on the site.  You can also take the quiz more than once if needed.
  3. Watch this video on YouTube about how to receive Holy Communion under normal conditions, when there is not a pandemic.  This is a very thorough instruction on how to receive with reverence and using good procedures that you can use throughout your life.
  4. Then go through these steps in English or in Spanish with illustrating photos for how to receive Communion specifically during the pandemic, including using hand sanitizer, receiving only in your hand, and when to adjust your mask so you can consume the Eucharist when you are at least 6 feet away from the priest or minister.  These procedures will be used at the First Communion Mass and anytime you come back to church for Mass during the COVID-19 pandemic.