Dear Parish Family,
We want to let you know that the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), together with Fr. Bill, is taking the coronavirus emergency very seriously. The PPC met virtually on Friday evening March 13 and outlined below are the plans we have put into place to safeguard our parish community.
Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Francis Chin, Kerin Coughlin, Carol De Santis, Josephine Dongbang, Mike McGowan, Phil Murray, Jane Olson, Donna Whiteford
Masses and Church Events
As per the parish email sent on Friday afternoon March 13 to all parishioners for whom we have email addresses, healthcare professionals and the diocese have provided guidance on how to manage during this emergency so that we all do our part to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
In summary, the Bishop has 1) Dispensed with the obligation of attending Sunday Mass until further notice, 2) Public Masses, sacraments, and funerals will continue to be held with caution to protect personal health, 3) To limit large public gatherings the Family Faith Formation, RCIA, and other group activities and events are suspended in person; where feasible, St. Charles will be organizing opportunities to continue these activities online, and finally 4) Diocesan schools and academies will be closed beginning next week.
We recommend that all parishioners use common sense when deciding whether or not to attend mass.
- Parishioners in the at-risk groups, senior citizens (parishioners over 60 and certainly those over 70-80), those with underlying conditions, e.g., diabetes, or less than robust immune systems are encouraged to stay home.
- Any parishioner that does not feel well is also encouraged to stay home.
- When attending mass, please remember to 1) use the hand sanitizer provided on entering and leaving the church and 2) maintain social distancing (keeping at least 3 feet from others to avoid being in range of droplets from coughs or sneezes) while attending to help mitigate spread of the virus.
We kindly ask that any parishioner or visitor that is diagnosed with the coronavirus and who has attended mass at St. Charles immediately notify the Parish Office (718-625-1177) so that we may notify parishioners that may have been exposed during the mass.
All in-person Meet and Greets and other social activities are cancelled until further notice.
Church Cleaning
- The church interior, including exterior doorknobs, etc. was cleaned comprehensively on Saturday, March 14.
- The church interior will be cleaned each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- If the parish is notified that a parishioner or visitor has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, we will immediately have the church interior cleaned comprehensively.
- Hand sanitizer will be placed at the rear and side church entrances for all parishioners to use when they enter and leave the church.
- Priests, Eucharistic Ministers and lectors will continue to use hand sanitizer on the altar as has been our ongoing practice.
Help for Homebound Seniors and Others
We would like to support those parishioners that may be homebound or those in at-risk groups that should not venture out at this time.
If any parishioner needs help getting groceries or other supplies, we will have a list of volunteers that are willing to shop for you. Please call the Rectory at 718-625-1177 and let us know.
Parish Communications
As you are all aware, the coronavirus emergency is a fluid situation. The goal of Fr. Bill and the PPC is to update the parish family when the situation changes. We are only able to communicate with those parishioners that have provided their emails. If you are not currently receiving our parish emails but would like to, please call the Parish Office and provide your updated information.
In addition, if we are able, we would also like to communicate emergency situations via text. Currently we have mobile numbers for some parishioners, but we often are not aware if the phone number provided is a landline or mobile. If you would like to participate, provide your mobile information to the Parish Office to help us in this effort.
NYC Communications
Ever since 9/11, New York City has provided updates and services on NYC.gov where all residents can check for updates on a wide variety of topics including now, the coronavirus emergency.
You are also able to register for the city’s notification system, called Notify NYC at http://notify.nyc to send you text, email, phone, Facebook, Instagram and other alerts to keep updated on this emergency and many topics that impact our daily life in NYC.
Streaming Mass from St. Charles
Starting this weekend, the Parish will stream the regularly scheduled Masses live via Zoom.
Instructions for Joining via Zoom –
[Zoom meeting details removed from website for security reasons]
Collection to Support Catholic Charities Food Assistance
One of Catholic Charities’ services is providing nutritious meals to seniors. Because of the state of emergency in NYC, Catholic Charities Centers are unable to have guests enter to receive meals. Take away baskets of healthy food are being provided instead. Catholic Charities has also expanded its outreach efforts to meet the growing need caused by the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, Catholic Charities is facing substantially increased demands on its resources.
We support Catholic Charities in its ministry. If you are able to contribute financially, we encourage you to donate online at https://stcharlesbklyn.weshareonline.org/CatholicCharitiesFoodCollection.