WHAT IS REQUIRED OF US?

In compliance with the Centers for Disease Control, Los Angeles County Department of Health and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we must…

Hold services for no more than 100 persons (including clergy, hospitality/Eucharistic ministers and sacristans) on campus at any one time.
Livestream remains the primary vehicle for attending Mass, especially for vulnerable individuals who have chronic health conditions or who are age 65 or older.
Maintain our facilities to protect the health and safety of our parishioners, including disinfecting the Church between services as well as other high-touch surfaces on the campus.
Require that everyone wears a protective mask covering their nose and mouth while on campus and wash their hands and use hand sanitizer as needed..
Permit access to each weekend and weekday Mass on a reservation-only basis.
Secure contact information for each attendee as well as an attestation about health status as part of the reservation process.
Maintain an attended and specific traffic flow into Mass, designated seating order to allow contract tracing and Church exit strategy.
Ensure that there will be no congregating before or after Mass and, at all times, enforce social distancing of at least six feet between individuals (other than household members).
Eliminate the use of items that involve contact, such as hymnals and worship aids, and ask that worshippers refrain from singing or making physical contact during the Mass.

HOW WE ARE COMPLYING

Protecting your health and safety

Our main goal as a community is to support and foster an environment that ensures health and safety of all in our midst. First and foremost, we encourage all those in at-risk categories to stay safe and stay home; making a spiritual communion from home ensures the safety of all. Individuals in at-risk categories may include the following:

Individuals 65 years and older
Those with chronic health conditions [Hypertension, heart/lung disease, diabetes, auto-immune deficiencies, obesity]
Anyone exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19

if you are in a higher risk population group, or if you have any hesitations about coming to the Church for Liturgy at this time, we invite you to refrain from attending and make a spiritual communion from home. Please remember that Archbishop Gomez has dispensed everyone from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until further notice. That means, it is not a sin that we are missing Mass.

MAKING A RESERVATION

We are required by LA County to keep track of contact information for everyone attending, should contact tracing be necessary.

Registration Portal: stmonica.eventbrite.com

Each individual person attending the Liturgy will be required to register. Households who have been sheltered in place together may register as a group for up to a family of 6. Households larger than 6 must first call the Parish Office at (310) 566-1500.

When you register, you will be required to provide the full name, email and daytime phone for each individual that will be in attendance. Each registration is nontransferable.

You must be able to say reply NO to the following questions:

Do you have a fever of 100.4 degrees?
Do you have a sore throat?
Coughing or sneezing?
Body aches?
Shortness of breath?
Loss of taste or sense of smell?
Cared for someone ill with COVID 19, or in contact with anyone diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID 19? (It is essential that anyone who is exhibiting signs of COVID 19 or who has been exposed to the virus within the past 14 days not attend the Mass.)

If you answer NO to all these questions, then you will be able to complete your registration.
(Please note: each individual must be able to answer NO at the time of registration and each individual will be asked these questions again at the doors of the Church before entering.)

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email.
You can either print out a copy or show a copy on your device – it will be scanned for the purpose of identifying seating location in the church.

Households are families or individuals living together who have sheltered in place together.
People living at different addresses must register separately.

ARRIVING FOR MASS

We ask all attendees to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water before leaving Home. We recommend you bring hand sanitizer with you. We will also provide sanitizing stations outside the Church.
If you are driving, you will enter from the Washington entrance and you will be directed to a parking space. Every other spot will be marked off. You will be asked to show your reservation confirmation at the entrance of church parking. Only the surface parking lot will be used.
Plan to arrive 30-40 minutes before Mass in order to accommodate the check-in and parking process. Doors will open 15 minutes before the Mass time.
Each individual, ages 2 and up, will be required to wear a face mask. If you don’t have one, we will give you one. It is required by Santa Monica City Ordinance that you wear your face mask for the entire time that you are on St. Monica campus and during the entire Liturgy. (The mask must cover your nose and mouth)
Social Distance must be respected at all times. Families can walk in together in line and sit together. Everyone must follow the pavement and floor markings, keeping a minimum 6 feet of social distance at all times.

CHECKING IN FOR MASS

Have your reservation confirmation pulled up on your device or printed out so it can be scanned at the front entrance of the Church.
There will be only one entrance and one exit. Follow the signs for the line to enter the church (California Ave Sidewalk and down the driveway – social distance marked on sidewalk/pavement).
Before entry – Each individual will be asked to respond to the self-screening questions:

-Do you have a fever of 100.4 degrees?

-Do you have a sore throat?

-Coughing or sneezing?

-Body aches?

-Shortness of breath?

-Loss of taste or sense of smell?

-Have you Cared for someone ill with COVID 19, or in contact with anyone diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID 19 in the last 14 days?

ENTERING AND BEING SEATED IN THE CHURCH

Social distance of 6 feet is marked in the seating and on the floor of the church and must be respected.
You will be directed to your seat by hospitality minister or parish staff – you must sit where you are directed. You may not choose your own seat.
The church will be seated from the front to the back (similar to seating on an airplane.)
There will be no additional seating once Mass begins. Households must enter the church together, or you will be asked to stand aside to wait for the rest of your household.

PARTICIPATING IN MASS

There will be no congregational singing – people may hum along through their masks, but masks must remain on for the duration of the Liturgy.
There will be no worship aids or bulletin handouts.
The collection basket will not be passed. You will be asked to place your offering in the basket on the way to your car, and we encourage signing up for online recurring giving at stmonica.net/give
During the welcome, the sign of peace, there will should be no physical contact with those outside your household.

RECEIVING COMMUNION AND EXITING THE CHURCH

Communion will be ministered to you at the conclusion of the Liturgy with your masks in place.
The procession for Communion will be a single file line in the center aisle from the front of the church to the back. Everyone will be asked to maintain proper social distance.
You will approach the Eucharist Minister with your mask in place – hold your hands in front of you and the Eucharistic Minister will give you the Body of Christ, then you will move 6 feet to the side (in the marked spot), consume the host, then exit the church to return to your car and exit the property.
- Communion will ONLY be given in the hand. The Archbishop has asked us out of an abundance of caution and backed by medical professionals’ advice, to not offer Communion on the tongue – the risk of contagion is too great. The Communion cup (Blood of Christ) will not be offered.
There should be no congregating or socializing on the patio after the Mass. There can be no bake sales at this time. People are asked to go directly to their cars and return home. The priests and staff will not be able to greet you on the patio at this time.

Thank you for your cooperation!

We want to thank you for your cooperation and diligence in caring for all of our community, especially at this time where gathering still poses a risk to some of the members of our community. At this time, other meetings, ministry meetings and social events are not yet permitted.

The Liturgy is first – it is the source and summit of our Catholic Life – and the hunger in us, that burning desire for Communion and our hunger to return to the community gathered, that is palpable and is evident in our spiritual communions made from home. The Body of Christ gathered for Liturgy in prayer and worship is steadfast in our longing to be together.

If you are staying safer in your home, continue to participate by livestream. We are blessed to be a community that is no stranger to the livestream and we continue to stand in solidarity with those that will need to continue to participate from home for the foreseeable future. We will continue to reach out to God in prayer, whether it is through the rosary, Lectio Divina, Liturgy of the Hours, or Christian meditation. God is with us and he awaits our full participation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What about Children’s Liturgy of the Word?

For the opening phase of coming back together, we will not be having Children’s Liturgy of the Word on campus – it will continue as a produced video on the stmonica.net/mass web portal. For parents with small children, for the time being, you may want to consider having the adults attend Mass at different times. No large backpacks or oversize bags will be permitted in the church – no exceptions. This is for the safety and security of all.

What about confessions?

Confessions are being scheduled by appointment only.

Confession Schedule:

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Monday through Friday

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm Saturdays

*There are no confessions on Sundays, church holydays and public holidays.

E-mail with your preference for date/time and we will do our best to accomodate you.

Please note: confessions will be heard outside, providing for the health and safety of both penitent and confessor, in complete privacy.

We had a baptism scheduled, what now? What about RCIA?

Scheduling for the Sacraments of Initiation for Adults and children who have been prepared for their Easter Sacraments will begin shortly.

Infant Baptism will also begin scheduling soon. All Celebrations must adhere to our new guidelines and policies.

My wedding was postponed, does this mean we can schedule it now?

Weddings continue to be scheduled on a case by case basis, with limits on the number of attendees. All celebrations must be in adherence to our new guidelines and policies.

What about my loved one's funeral?

At this time, we are prepared to corrdinate for gravesite services.

Will Holy Grounds also reopen?

Holy Grounds Coffee Shop is now open daily: 7 A-12P.

Reopening St. Monica