Due to the ongoing coronavirus health situation, St. Stephen the First Marty Church, located at 75 Sanfordville Rd. in Warwick, will be handling Christmas services differently this year.
Since re-opening in June, reservations have been necessary to attend Mass on the weekends to ensure proper social distancing in the sanctuary as well as adherence to capacity guidelines as set by the Archdiocese of New York and New York State. To that end, all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services will also require reservations in advance.
In order to welcome all who plan to worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, St. Stephen’s will be holding several Masses, some concurrently in the sanctuary and the school gym at the former St. Stephen-St. Edward School located on the St. Stephen’s campus.
Masses on Christmas Eve, Thurs., Dec. 24, will be held at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in both the church and school gym simultaneously. Midnight Mass will be held in the church only. On Christmas Day, Fri., Dec. 25, Masses, also in the church only, will take place on the regular Sunday schedule, 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The links to make reservations will be available on the website, www.ststephenchurchwarwick.org, in early December. Parishioners who have signed up for Flocknote will also receive sign-up information via email. Currently, links for weekly Sunday Mass reservations can also be found on the website beginning on Thursday mornings until 24-hours prior to the start of each mass.
For those who still do not wish to come to Mass for health reasons, St. Stephen’s will be live-streaming Mass at 4 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve and at 9 a.m. on Christmas morning. The livestream link will be available on the parish website, or on Facebook Live, facebook.com/ststephenwarwick. On an ongoing basis, Mass at St. Stephen’s is livestreamed each morning at 9 a.m.
Fr. Jack Arlotta, Pastor, and Fr. Reynor Santiago, Parochial Vicar, are looking forward to welcoming all who wish to worship at St. Stephen’s during the holiday season.
“I appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience as we work through these unprecedented times, and we look forward to a safe and healthy Christmas season,” said Fr. Arlotta.
For more information, visit the St. Stephen’s website or call the parish office at 986-4028.
Reservations will be necessary for all St. Stephen’s the First Martyr Church Christmas Masses in order to comply with social distancing and capacity guidelines.
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