• This past weekend we welcomed 249 people to the three Sunday Masses (last week 219), so the numbers are gradually increasing as people become more confident about returning.
• Steubenville Conferences had to cancel all their excellent conferences this summer, and instead offered a “Night of Hope” for tens of thousands. Watch the recording here to strengthen your hope.
• “Love Reaches Everywhere” is a very moving 30-minute film with Gerald Butler on Mary’s Meals, worth watching.
• Amazing story of twin brothers saved from abortion who became Catholic priests. How many others might there have been if abortion were illegal?

• This past weekend we welcomed 219 people to the three Sunday Masses (virtually unchanged from last week’s 220). Please make every effort to arrive well before Mass begins. The health protocols make entering church more time-consuming than in the pre-COVID days, and it’s also respectful of the Lord, the others in church and also the volunteers who have to leave their pew every time someone arrives.
• Let us give thanks for living in Canada, imperfect as it might be, and may we never take our faith for granted: Chinese Christians told to replace Christ with Mao
• The “Support after Abortion” free virtual conference begins today. Register here.
• Men: break free of porn at www.strive21.com, designed by Matt Fradd. 19.000 men are now registered, it’s 100% free and you can be as anonymous as you want.

• This past weekend we welcomed 220 people to the three Sunday Masses (last week 197).
• We also celebrated on Sunday afternoon the first baptism in many months. The usual baptism schedule of one group celebration per month is currently suspended: each child’s baptism will now be celebrated in a separate ceremony. Call the parish office for more details.
• Mass in the time of pandemic has its advantages, as one couple wrote this week: “Just a little note to express our thanks for being able to attend Sunday Mass and to have the opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist again. Also our sincere thanks to all the volunteers helping you make this possible. Despite the smaller number of worshippers and the required distancing, we felt . . . an enhanced feeling of peace and calm and a heightened sense of reverence. . .” Others have expressed similar reactions and appreciate remaining in their place for Communion. Our challenge will be to maintain the reverent ambience once things return to pre-COVID norms.
• Esperanza Donovan, our Parish Catechetical Leader since late 2019, has resigned effective August 15 for family reasons. We thank her for the faith-filled creativity she brought to her work, and wish her well in future endeavors.
  If you or someone you know is interested and qualified to prepare our children for the sacraments, write to me at psabbath@gmail.com
• Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners, we were able to pay for our new and efficient cleaning machine and plenty of cleaning product for it.
• Local Virtual Catholic Summer Camp for children 7-10
• The Pillars Trust Fund is seeking an executive director
• The diocese is looking for someone to help translate from French to English Archbishop Lépine’s talks, letters, etc., from the confinement period for an online book. If you would like to be part of this team, contact Judy at jwong@catholicaction.ca with your name and phone number.

Here’s a brief update on our first weekend open for business. We welcomed just under 200 people at the three Masses combined:
4:30 Saturday: 66
9:00 Sunday: 81
11:00 Sunday: 50

(Our weekday Masses are drawing between 30 and 40 people, not far off our previous numbers.)

We did not mind smaller numbers the first weekend as it allowed us to find out what works and doesn’t in terms of the logistics. Summer attendance is always lower, and many people are still not well or vulnerable or nervous. In any case, it was wonderful to see people we had not seen for so many months, and to feel the emotion of those back in their spiritual home was very moving.

Our protocols were generally favourably received, with positive comments from a number of health professionals. We appreciate the encouragement, as the logistics are complex and there is always a certain amount of criticism no matter what we do.

People were very generous in volunteering to wash the pews after Mass, but we cannot impose on them every week. We recently learned about an “electric fogger machine” already being used in a number of Montreal parishes and, following a demonstration and some research, we have ordered one. It permits the whole church, not only the surfaces but also the air, to be sanitized rather quickly after each Mass by just one or two persons, with a non-toxic, quick-drying spray.

The cost is just over $1,400, and we have already collected half that amount. If you would like to contribute to this machine, which will likely be in use for quite a while, and again in the future, even if just at flu season, there are three ways to do so:
1) Click here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/24758, and choose the “Sanitizing Machine” fund,
2) Drop your contribution:
       a) In the parish office mailbox
       b) In the “Donation Box” at the back of the church

Speaking of volunteers, we do still need some for greeting, ushering, etc., at both weekday (8:30 a.m.) and Saturday/Sunday Masses. If you can help, join us this Wednesday evening, July 15, at 7:00 in church or contact Joe @ (514) 941-7914.

We look forward to welcoming you back to your spiritual home this weekend, after four months, for Sunday Mass.

Wondering what to expect if you attend this weekend? The West Island Community News Blog visited the parish this week and filmed a great little video explaining it all.

Here’s the latest Mass schedule:
-- Saturday, July 11: Sunday Mass resumes at 4:30 p.m.
-- Sunday, July 12: Sunday Mass resumes at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. (also livestreamed for now for those unable or unwilling to attend in person at www.becket.ca).
-- Monday, July 13-17: Weekday Mass continues Monday to Friday @ 8:30 a.m.

In preparation for your visit this weekend, please read the following carefully:

• The Archbishop has suspended the Sunday Mass obligation for the time being, so if you are sick or not ready to return, you might consider attending a weekday Mass where there are fewer people present.
• Mass is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive 15-20 minutes early to secure a place. You will be greeted upon your arrival. Please follow all the instructions of our trained volunteer greeters and ushers as you enter and as you leave. Most of us don’t like someone telling us what to do and where to sit, but it is all for your health and safety, so let’s all exercise Christian patience and humility.
• Please bring a mask with you. If you don’t have one, we have some available. We have lots of hand sanitizer stations, but you might want to bring your own as well to use in the pew. Washroom visits are discouraged except for urgent situations.

Read the latest Grapevine newsletter and other diocesan news and information.

Here’s the news you have all been waiting for! The church will open, but in phases. Please read this carefully and pass on the information to those in your circle who may be interested:

• Friday, July 3: The church will be open for personal prayer and Eucharistic adoration from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, with our priests available for confessions.
• Saturday, July 4: The church will be closed.
• Sunday, July 5: Church closed. Mass will be livestreamed at 11:00.
• Beginning Monday, July 6: Weekday Mass resumes Monday to Friday @ 8:30 a.m.
• Saturday, July 11: Sunday Mass resumes at 4:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 12: Sunday Mass resumes at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. (also livestreamed for now for those unable or unwilling to attend in person).

Here's a handout with helpful information for your return to church. In addition, please note

• Everyone will be excited to see their friends after so long, but for health reasons, please avoid socializing for the time being.
• Singing is discouraged to reduce the risk of infecting others.
• Masks are obligatory: please bring your own if you have one. If not, we will provide one.
• Confessions will be heard in the parish hall. The line forms in the Narthex.
• Trained volunteers will be on site to assist you in every circumstance.

From the Archdiocese of Montreal: “Pending a significant expansion of “deconfinement” (i.e. most places of worship being open, without a limit on participants), the Archbishop relieves the faithful of his diocese of any obligation to be physically present for Sunday Mass on church premises, until further notice.”

Men's Conference with Fr. Larry Richards, Dan Burke and many others, beginning Tuesday, July 7

Read the latest Grapevine newsletter and other diocesan news and information, including a pastoral letter from Archbishop Lépine

We can’t wait to see you!