St. Mel Church

MESSAGE FROM BISHOP JAIME SOTO - COMING BACK TO THE TABLE

May 29, 2020

"The Catholic community in the Diocese of Sacramento will be able to celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, around the sacred altars of their parish churches on Sunday, June 14th. I am lifting the heartbreaking suspension of public celebrations of the Sacrifice of the Mass starting on Monday, June 8th. This will help pastors ready the churches for the glorious Feast of Corpus Christi. Parishes that are prepared to implement all the necessary public health protocols may begin offering Mass with the Faithful on June 8th."

Please click here to read the Revised Coming Back to the Table from Bishop Soto.

May 20, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ:

The Acts of the Apostles begins with the Ascension of the Lord to the right hand of the Father’s throne in heaven. Luke described the scene of Jesus being lifted up, “a cloud took him from their sight.” (Acts 1.1-11) The lingering, longing look of the disciples’ gaze fixed on the sky revealed their sense of loss. Their master had seemingly left them behind. As they stared up at the sky, two angels came to chastise the gloomy group. “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” The followers of Jesus were reminded that the Lord Jesus would return. With these words of encouragement, the disciples returned to Jerusalem. The scripture tells us, “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus.” (Acts. 1.14)

The cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic has hidden from our sight the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Lord Jesus offered in the Sacrifice of the Mass. We miss contemplating His closeness to us. We hunger to hear His merciful words entrusting Himself to us. We yearn with open hands and hearts to receive His most precious body and blood. Like those disciples in the Acts of the Apostles our gaze lingers with longing over the empty churches with silent altars waiting to fill our souls with the presence of the Risen Lord. I have much admiration and gratitude for all those who have “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer” with one another and with Mary, the mother of Jesus. The words of Jesus which conclude the gospel of Matthew give us confidence in our prayerful vigil, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt. 28.20)

We have endured a long Lenten Season that was more penitential than expected. The Easter Season continues to test Christian patience. This has been a spiritual journey that has tried everyone’s faith. The Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, continues to assure us. Do not be afraid. With His rod and His staff, He will lead us through the “valley of the shadow of death”. He will soon set a table before us.

The difficult precautions intended to stop the spread of the coronavirus have been prudent and necessary measures. Lives have been saved and the health of many, especially the most vulnerable, have been safeguarded. This effort is still not over. Justifiable fears linger. Continued calls for caution should be heeded. The sacrifices made by those who have been afflicted and those who care for them, especially health care workers, should be honored by our sustained vigilance.

My brother priests and I are preparing to resume the public celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass. The date for lifting the suspension of public Masses has not been set but there are reasonable hopes that it will be soon. Much depends on the prudent, practical, personal measures each of us takes to maintain physical-distancing and other hygienic precautions. Returning to the Table of the Lord will incorporate these measures so that both the health as well as the holiness of the faithful can be nurtured. The steps to be taken have been outlined in the presentation, “Coming Back to the Table”. Please review this material. Prepare yourself both physically and spiritually for coming together around the Lord’s altar of sacrifice.

Join me, Bishop Weigand, and my brother priests in praying for the Lord’s mercy to end the pandemic. The sacrifices we make and sufferings we endure unite us ever more closely to the one saving sacrifice of Christ. May the Lord of tender mercies purify us and prepare us to receive the Bread of Life more worthily.

Holy Mary, mother of mercy and mother of the Church, pray with us and for us.

Respectfully,

+Jaime Soto
Bishop of Sacramento

Click below to read the Decree from Bishop Soto, dated Tuesday, March 17th, regarding suspension of the public celebration of Sunday and weekday Masses. Please note that all activities have been cancelled at St. Mel. The Adoration Chapel is also closed until further notice.

Bishop Soto's Decree

The link below will direct you to the Diocese of Sacramento Coronavirus page. This is where you can find the most up to date information regarding cancellations and guidelines.

https://www.scd.org/coronavirus

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

The Parish Office is open limited hours. Please call or email the office and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you. 916-967-1229 [email protected]

Check out the St. Mel Facebook Page for live stream Mass 9:00am Sunday and 11:30am weekdays

Click below

FATHER ALDRIN'S LETTER TO PARISHIONERS

May 29, 2020

Dear Parishioners,

Good afternoon!

It is with great joy and anticipation that I am sharing that Bishop Soto has announced all parishes will be allowed to celebrate their first Sunday Mass on the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 14^th. The first weekday Mass will be Wednesday, June 10th at 8:30 a.m.

As we begin to plan to open our church to celebrate the Mass, I ask for your continued patience as we take the necessary safety precautions and follow the guidelines given by the diocese. Because of these measures the number of people allowed to be in church will be greatly reduced. Also, similar to other steps taken in our everyday life, social distancing and wearing masks are strongly recommended. In addition, those who fall into the categories of over the age of 65 or anyone with a vulnerable condition, should remain at home. For this reason our live stream of the Mass will continue indefinitely.

Before we can open our church, we need a team of younger volunteers willing to help us. Without this help, we cannot open the church safely. We’re looking for volunteers, perhaps husband and wife teams and young adults willing to help us with this unique process. Think about helping and spread the word to others because the time is now to help St. Mel. I need you and we need each other. There will be a training session for volunteers on Saturday, June 13th. You can sign up to help by going to our parish website www.stmelchurch.org or contact the parish office.

The pandemic is not over yet and like no time before we are asking those who are physically able and under 65 to please consider making a special commitment to help the church. We sure need it now. This is our first pandemic together. Let’s create a wonderful story about how the parishioners at St. Mel responded to the pandemic of 2020 and helped each other get through the biggest global disaster of our time!

Updates will be published on the St. Mel website often.

God bless and continue to be safe and healthy!

Fr. Aldrin

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

To aid in the reopening of St. Mel Church, the parish is asking for volunteers, who are under the age of 65 and NOT subject to at risk health conditions, to help our Usher and Greeter Ministries. These volunteers would help our parish community to enter and exit the church, find appropriate social distancing seating, and other similar duties during weekend and weekday Masses.

A training class is scheduled for Saturday, June 6th at 9:00am. Other training dates may be added if needed. You can sign up for training, and to help at a weekday or weekend Mass, by clicking here.

Volunteers must be Safe Environment compliant to assist.

Please contact Head Usher Patrick Wagner 916-995-4281 if you have any questions.

MASSES AND CONFESSIONS RESUMING

Father Aldrin is happy to announce that Masses and Confessions will resume beginning Wednesday, June 10^th at 8:30 a.m. For now, there will be no 8:30 a.m. Mass on Saturday morning. The first weekend Masses will be celebrated on Saturday, June 13^th at 4:30 p.m. and at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 14th. Volunteers will be at the doors to assist each parishioner to find an appropriate social distancing seat. Please note that all side doors will be locked. You must enter the church through the main vestibule doors. Due to social distancing guidelines, the church’s capacity has been reduced. The morning Masses will continue to be live streamed via Facebook Live. Thank you for your understanding as we begin this process of coming back to celebrate Mass together.

Beginning Saturday, June 13^th, Confessions will be heard in the St. Jude Room on the second floor of the Adoration Chapel building. Confessions begin at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 10:30 a.m. Please line up on the sidewalk next to the church building on the south side of the church (school side or grassy hill side). There will be social distancing markings on the sidewalk. Father is asking that all those coming to Confession to please wear a mask.

Please keep in mind for all gatherings at St. Mel that if you are sick, do not come. Stay home and be well. If you do come to Mass and Confession, please wear a mask and practice social distancing.

PRIEST ORDINATION

Deacon Ryan P. Mahar will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 6^th. Please keep him in prayer as this momentous day approaches. Cards can be sent to the Office of Vocations, 2110 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95818, addressed to Fr. Ryan Mahar. Congratulations Father Ryan!

CONFESSIONS

Please click here to read Making an Act of Perfect Contrition. This can be used when it is not possible to approach the Sacrament of Penance

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Due to COVID-19, the St. Mel Adoration Chapel is closed. You can worship Our Lord with Eucharistic Adoration live via EWTN. Click here to be taken to the EWTN Chapel.

Attention Parishioners!

In order to stay connected with you, the Parish Staff is working to update cell phone numbers and email addresses of all parishioners. With this information, we would be able to send texts and emails to make sure you are aware of cancellations and other important information. Please email your cell phone number and email address to [email protected] Thank you and God Bless.

CATHOLIC FUNERAL & CEMETERY SERVICES

The Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services, a ministry of the Diocese of Sacramento, has provided us with information regarding Funeral Masses and burials during the pandemic. Please click here to read the CFCS Community Digest.

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Bulletins

Sun, May 31st
Sun, May 24th

Click the Faith Direct logo below for a safe and simple way to support St. Mel Church with online giving. Weekly offerings can also be mailed to:

St. Mel Church

PO Box 1180

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

MASS TIMES

Saturday Mass
4:30 p.m. Vigil

Sunday Masses
8:00 a.m.

Weekday Mass
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m.

Holy Days of Obligation
8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Confessions in St. Jude Room
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

OFFICE HOURS

Due to COVID-19, the office is open limited hours. Please call the office, 916-967-1229, or email [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Monday - Friday
8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m.

Closed for Lunch Noon - 1:00p.m.

OUR SCHOOL