Dear Parishioners,
The public celebration of Mass resumed on June 6. This reopening coincides with the partial opening of Montgomery County, and its movement to the yellow phase. We are delighted to welcome you back to the celebration of Mass and want to assure that we can reverently and safely worship God together. There are three principles governing the safety of the public celebration of Mass moving forward: sanitation, social distancing, and occupancy. Each of these principles is addressed throughout the directives below, which are effective for the duration of the yellow phase and based upon directives and guidelines established by the CDC and local and State government officials.

Mass Schedule

We will follow the normal weekend Mass schedule (5 PM on Saturday, 8 AM, 10 AM, and 12 PM on Sunday). We will continue to live stream Sunday Mass at 10 AM. 8 AM Daily Mass resumed June 8.

• All Masses, including daily Mass will be held in the main church.
• The church chapel will be closed during the yellow phase.
• The sacristy is closed to the public during the yellow phase. Only the clergy, lectors, and altar servers will be permitted in the sacristy at this time.
• Archbishop Perez has continued dispensation of the faithful from attending Sunday Mass during the yellow phase.

Saturday Confessions

• Please note that Saturday Confessions will be in the auditorium below the Church from 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM.
• Please enter through the side doors facing the main parking.
• Please note that church will be inaccessible via the back stairwells during the yellow phase. If you will be staying for the 5 PM Mass following confession, you will need to exit the auditorium via the side door facing the main parking lot and enter the church via the main front entrance.

Arriving for Mass

• Everyone must enter AND exit the church via the front entrance closest to the parking lot.
• The side stairwell entrances will be locked from the outside.
• You must wear a mask upon entering the church and the mask must remain on at all times.
• Upon entering you will need to sanitize your hands. Sanitizer will be available at the entrance of church, but you are welcome to bring and use your own.

Seating

• Our seating capacity during the yellow phase cannot exceed 50%, but will likely be lower in order to ensure that proper social distancing is maintained.
• Pews and flooring will be marked in order to maintain proper social distancing.
• Members of the same household will be seated together in the same pew.
• Please follow the directions of volunteers who will be on hand to direct you to a seat.

Reception of Holy Communion

• There will be a single file line for Holy Communion.
• Please observe any marking on the floor to ensure proper social distancing.
• Your mask may be removed just prior to receiving Holy Communion and then must be immediately put back on following reception of Holy Communion as you return to your pew.
• Holy Communion must be received in the hand during the yellow phase. If this presents a serious problem for you, please contact the priests at the rectory to discuss your situation.

Sanitation

• The church will be sanitized after each Mass. It will be closed 15 minutes following Mass and will reopen 15 minutes prior to Mass to allow volunteers sufficient time.
• If you are healthy, not at risk of severe illness, and willing to assist after Mass, please contact the rectory.
• Please note that lack of availability of essential cleaning supplies or volunteer may necessitate a future change in Mass schedule.

Should I Attend Mass?

As the Archbishop has dispensed the obligation to attend Mass for the faithful during the yellow phase, the decision to attend Mass is up to the individual. However, please adhere to the following when considering whether or not to attend Mass:

• If you are ill in any way, please stay at home.
• If you are fearful or nervous about returning at this time, you are not obligated to attend.
• If you are at risk for infection due to age or preexisting conditions, please stay at home.
• While the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday is dispensed, the obligation to keep the Lord's Day Holy is not. If you are unable to attend Sunday Mass, please make sufficient time for prayer or attend a virtual Mass.

Final Word

To sum up, during the yellow phase, we are returning to our normal Mass schedule effective June 6 and are following the directives of the CDC and local and State officials to ensure the health and safety of our parishioners using the sanitation, social distancing, and occupancy standards they have established. All those attending Mass will be expected to abide by the directives established to ensure the health and safety of others who are in attendance.

We are eagerly looking forward to the resumption of public Mass and to your return to worship the Lord with us.

Saint Albert the Great, pray for us!

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us!

What is resuming during the Yellow Phase?

• Weekend Masses will resume the weekend of June 6 & 7, and will follow our normal Sunday Mass schedule.
• Live Stream of Sunday Mass will now be at 10 AM via Facebook Live
• Daily Mass will resume on Monday, June 8, at 8 AM. Mass will be celebrated in the main church.
• Saturday confessions will now be held in the auditorium from 4:00 - 4:45 PM. Please enter through the side doors facing the main parking.
• Tuesday confessions will continue to be held in the main church from 7:00 - 7:45 PM.
• Scrip sales are now available M - F from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Saturday from 10 AM - 6 PM, and on Sunday from 9 AM - 12 PM. All sales are now in the rectory office.
• First Holy Communion has been rescheduled for October 3, 17, & 24, 2020 at 10 AM.
• Confirmation has been rescheduled for September 24, 2020 at 4 PM.
• Church will be open from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM Monday through Friday for prayer. Keep in mind that work on the church floor may be occurring during this time.
• Baptisms, Confessions, Marriages, and Funerals will take place as usual but with due regard for the limitation of participants and reasonable social distancing. Contact the rectory office at 215-947-3500 for information on those limitations.
• The parish men's spirituality group will continue to meet virtually on Friday mornings - for information contact Dennis M. Mueller.
• The parish women's spirituality group will continue to meet virtually on Thursday evenings - for information contact Christine Regan.
• The weekly parish Bible study will be offered virtually on Wednesday mornings from 9 - 10 AM - for information contact Dennis M. Mueller.

What is NOT available during the Yellow Phase?

• The church chapel will be closed during weekend Masses.
• Tuesday evening and Friday morning adoration remain suspended until further notice.
• Communion calls to hospitals, nursing homes, and the home bound remain suspended until further notice. However, priests will be available to celebrate the Sacraments for those in immediate danger of death.
• All meetings and events at the parish remain cancelled/suspended until further notice.
• The rectory chapel remains closed until further notice.

Virtual Masses

Daily Mass

• @ 8 AM on EWTN
• @ 8:15 AM with Bishop Barron
• @ 7 PM Daily Live Stream with Dominican Friars

Sunday Mass

• @ 8 AM on EWTN
• 9:30 AM Live Stream St. Albert the Great (Facebook Live)
• @ 11 AM with Archbishop Perez
• @ 12 PM on EWTN

Scripture Reflections

• St. Albert's Sunday Gospel Reflection
• Opening the Word on FORMED.org
• Free Magnificat Offer!

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

• 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Sunday St. Albert Rectory Chapel
• 9 AM - 6 PM on EWTN
• Perpetual Adoration (24 Hours Daily) - Holy Spirit Sisters of Adoration

Virtual Devotions

• 7 AM Daily Morning Prayer with Fr. Matt Guckin
  also available here
• 12 PM Daily Live Stream Rosary with Domincan Friars
  
• Stations of the Cross with Video
• Stations of the Cross - Text Only
• Divine Mercy Chaplet - Text Only
• Divine Mercy Chaplet - with Video
• 9 AM Daily Live Stream Divine Mercy Chaplet @ Miraculous Medal Shrine
• 3 PM Daily Live Stream Divine Mercy Chaplet with Dominican Friars

Virtual Formation

• FORMED.org Free Access. Register for Free! Already a subscriber? Login here.
• CIS Courses - Free Online Correspondence Courses through the KofC Catholic Information Services.

Saint Albert the Great Youtube Channel

• SATG Youtube Channel

O Mary,
You shine continuously on our journey
as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who, at the foot of the cross,
were united with Jesus’ suffering,
and persevered in your faith.

“Protectress of the Roman people”,
you know our needs,
and we know that you will provide,
so that, as at Cana in Galilee,
joy and celebration may return
after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the will of the Father
and to do what Jesus tells us.
For he took upon himself our suffering,
and burdened himself with our sorrows
to bring us, through the cross,
to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.

We fly to your protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from every danger,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.

The most common occasion for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when we cannot fulfill our obligation to attend Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation, whether because of illness or bad weather, or some other reason outside of our control.

You can make an Acts of Spiritual Communion at any time and make multiple times a day—even on days when we have been able to receive the Eucharist.

Each Act of Spiritual Communion that we make increases our desire to receive sacramental Communion, and protects us until we can receive Holy Communion sacramentally again.

ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION (St. Alphonsus Ligouri)

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

We are very pleased to inform you that the work of the Principal Search Committee has come to a conclusion and that our new Principal is Mrs. Sandra McDevitt. Mrs. McDevitt has a strong background in Catholic Education, and is the Vice Principal at Saint Katharine Drexel Regional School. Mrs. McDevitt is very enthusiastic about joining Saint Albert the Great School and looks forward to working with our children, parents, and faculty as we prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the new academic year. Mrs. McDevitt, in a letter to our school families, noted: “I come to you with 16 years experience as an educator. During this time I taught mathematics, social studies, language arts and honors math at the elementary and middle school level. In the last few years I have served as Vice Principal of Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic School. I have worked as a leader on Middle States Accreditation, Blue Ribbon application, as Curriculum Coordinator, on an Instructional Support Team (special education) and a Crisis Management Team. I have also worked in the actuarial field for 14 years and served in a leadership position.

“Along with teachers and staff, I will work hard to continue the tradition of excellence in a Catholic education. We will continue to use Positive Behavior Supports, Archdiocesan Curriculum guidelines, data driven instruction and challenging experiences for all students. We will continue to differentiate in the classroom to meet the needs of all students. We will foster a learning environment that is Christ-centered and rooted on our values of trust, honesty, integrity and respect. This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic excellence in a positive, fun and nurturing environment.

“I look forward to working with you as a team to help each student at St. Albert the Great Catholic School meet their goals and have a successful school year.”

We look forward to welcoming Mrs. McDevitt to Saint Albert the Great School. Please pray for her and for all of our dedicated Faculty and Staff!

Archbishop Pérez has issued a Pastoral Letter to mark the occasion of the Solemnity of Pentecost and the culmination of the Easter Season. Click here to read the Archbishop's letter.

Our pastoral staff has produced a series of videos for each set of the Mysteries of the Rosary. These videos include a reflection by a staff members for each mystery and the recitation of the Rosary prayers. These videos will be made available via our parish YouTube channel and links to the videos will be posted here, as well as on our Facebook and Instragram pages as they become available. Please be sure to subscribe to receive the lastest updates when videos are posted.

• Glorious Mysteries
• Sorrowful Mysteries
• Joyful Mysteries
• Luminous Mysteries

Registration for our Religious Education Programs begins May 15. We are offering an early registration discount of 20% off our normal rates from May 15 through June 30. After June 30, regular rates apply. We have several program options to choose from which include our traditional weekly CCD program held on Tuesdays from 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM, our Family Catechesis Option held the second Sunday of the month from 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, and our home schooling option. Details about these program options and expectations can be found on our CCD page.

Program Rates for 2020-2021

• $155 for first child ($125 with discount)
• $75 for each additional child ($60 ea. with discount)
• Max Cap per family is $305 ($245 with discount)

Beginning Wednesday, April 29, 2020, any child (18 & younger) will be able to receive free meals during the Corona Virus closures. Children will receive 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches with milk. Parents are able to pick up these boxed & bagged meals on their children’s behalf. The child does not need to be present. Pick up will be a drive by operation. There is no need to get out of your car. Just pop your trunk.

• Days: Mondays and Wednesdays
• Time: 10:30-12:00
• Where: St. Albert the Great Church (outside, in the big schoolyard)
214 Welsh Road
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006

Registration for our new High School Youth Ministry Program is now underway! The program is open to all high school youth attending Catholic, public, or priviate high schools in grades 9 - 12. Registration will keep you in the know with upcoming happenings and events. Click here to register online. Then be sure to check out our webpage or connect with us via Facebook and Instagram.