Serving the Swannanoa Valley since 1936
CURRENT COVID RESPONSE
As of Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2021:
1. All indoor seating areas are open: nave of the church and overflow area (no ropes).
2. Social distancing is available outside. Please bring a lawn chair. Communion will continue to be given at the front steps of the church.
3. Ministers of Communion are no longer wearing masks and are no longer using sanitizer between households.
4. All Masses are now including congregational singing.
5. We will continue to station offertory baskets in the occupied areas.
6. The options of receiving Communion from the chalice and extending the Sign of Peace remain omitted until further notice.
7.The faithful retain the right to receive Communion on the tongue or in the hand.
8. All Masses will be live-streamed to our YouTube channel.
Also, as of Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2021, the general dispensation from attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation has been narrowed to include only those who remain vulnerable to the corona virus. Tor details on this, and to find out if you are dispensed, please read the F.A.Qs. in the Decree from the Chancery.
Blessing Your Home on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord
What is "Chalking Our Doors?"
Sunday, January 7, 2024, is the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, one of the oldest of all Christian feasts. It is also known as Three Kings’ Day. It commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child.
Marking our doorways with blessed chalk is a centuries-old Epiphany custom and visible way to dedicate our homes and the New Year to God.
The inscription this year is:
20 + C + M + B + 24
“20” and “24” stand for the new year (2024), of course. The plus signs represent the Cross. CMB are the first initials of the traditional names given to the Magi — Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They also abbreviate the Latin Christus mansionem benedicat, or “May Christ bless the house.”
To mark your home, you will need two things: Chalk that has been blessed by a priest and a prayer.
We will have blessed chalk for you at the entrance of the church during the Jan. 6-7, 2024 weekend Masses.
Blessing Your Home
As you prepare to mark the front door or porch, say the following:
The Three Wise Men, Casper, Melchior and Balthasar, followed the star of God’s Son who became human 2,022 years ago. May Christ bless our home and be with us throughout the New Year. Amen.
Then, as you make the marks, offer the following prayer:
Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of Your presence. Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of Your love. Grant that we may manifest Your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch. May we grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of You. Guide, comfort and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.
Note: The chalk you use has been blessed and should be treated as such. If you no longer have a use for your chalk, you may return it to the office, or bury it into the ground.