Blessed Sacrament Parish – Blessed Sacrament, Albany, NY

There will be no Mass at Blessed Sacrament the weekend of August 1-2 or for the next several weekdays.

At Blessed Sacrament, we have been taking some time to re-evaluate our parish’s compliance with state and Department of Health guidelines and mandates to ensure your safety. Please rest assured this is a voluntary pause. We look forward to seeing you soon at Blessed Sacrament.

We are updating and improving our safety plan based on our experience from the six weekends we have had Mass. During these six weekends: no positive test or quarantines. We collected contact tracing forms at all Masses and haven’t had call to anyone about positive tests for the corona virus. Our closure was about time needed to re-evaluate our compliance with state mandates.

One component of our plan to safely return to Mass was to identify and train Ambassadors to assist before, during and after Mass. The Ambassadors escort parishioners to appropriately distant seating, direct them when leaving their seat to receive the Eucharist and exit the church as well as sanitize once parishioners have left. We have volunteers and are in need of more to be able to fulfill all these tasks and maintain safe environment. If you would like to help, please contact Fr. Joe at 518-482-3375. There is a training session scheduled for Monday, August 3rd at time 12:15 pm and 6:15 pm in the Church.

We want to ensure that Blessed Sacrament continues to be a safe place to gather and give thanks and praise to God.

Thank you for your commitment here and at home using masks, social distancing, hand sanitizer and exercising care. All of this, done together, pays off for everyone.

While Blessed Sacrament Masses are on pause, please remember:

-We’ll have Mass available on our YouTube Channel which is embedded in our website www.blessedsacramentalbany.org) and Facebook page on Saturday at approximately 7pm.

–You can attend Mass in a nearby parish:

All Saints: 518-482-4497

Cathedral: 518-463-4447

Mater Christi: 518-489-3204

–Bishop Scharenberger’s dispensation remains in effect for those who are unable to come to Mass or who do not feel comfortable returning at this time.

Blessed Sacrament Church will be open for private prayer weekends from 8:30 am – 1 pm and weekdays from 7 am – 2 pm. Our Parish Office will be open weekdays from 9 am – 4 pm with partial staffing.

May you and your families continue to be safe, Fr. Joe

Rev. Augustine Tufail Obituary

Reception of the Body of Rev. Augustine Tufail – July 13, 2020

Liturgy of Christian Death and Burial for Rev. Augustine Tufail – July 13, 2020

To our Blessed Sacrament Community,

Long-awaited word has come! We’re beginning the process of reopening our parish communities and returning to celebrating Mass next weekend, June 13th and 14th.

As we return to Blessed Sacrament, there will be some features of parish life that will be different on a temporary basis. For example, we’ll enter and leave church through one entrance, there will be social distancing and wearing masks, we’ll be using 25% of our pew capacity, there will be contact tracing and more. I will be sending a letter to your homes this week with more information.

Many of you are anxious… you can’t wait to come back for Mass. Please know that I have a team of people dedicated to planning a safe return to our public Masses. I will need your help! I will need about 7 to 8 ushers at each of our four Masses to help guide everyone through our safety-driven changes. If you would like to help us at this time, please come to Blessed Sacrament this Tuesday or Wednesday at 12:30 pm or 6:30 pm. Thank you for your support!

Some of you are anxious… you may feel uncomfortable and unsure about returning during these early weeks. Please know that the dispensation from the obligation to attend weekly Mass remains in effect, so those who feel vulnerable or uncomfortable can continue to watch our Sunday Mass on our website and Facebook page. The safety of our parish family is our paramount concern. We are working to ensure we meet safety standards for everyone.

Please keep us in prayers as we work this week to complete all our preparations. Thank you for your patience. I will keep you in my prayers. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. This weekend, please join us for our Mass uploaded to our parish website and Facebook page at approximately 9 am on Sunday.

Blessings and be safe, Fr. Joe

The church is open daily from 7 am – 2 pm for private prayer. Please use parking lot entrance.

We have added a YouTube Channel for Blessed Sacrament!

Our channel contains our Sunday Masses

Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time – August 2020

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 2020

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary time – July 2020

Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time – July 2020

Fourteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time – July 2020

Thirteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time – June 2020

Twelfth Sunday In Ordinary Time – June 2020

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – June 2020