Frequently Asked Questions During COVID
SHORT ANSWER:
Lectures are held at St. Mary of the Mills's Keesler Parish Center.
The address is 800 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707.
We are right off I-95 exit 35A or off Route 29 exit 13 towards Laurel.
There are parking spaces right in front of the Keesler Parish Center. There are spaces on the street and at the parking lot for St. Mary of the Mills Church.
Since there will be many women attending, and the parking lot can get quite full, carpooling is encouraged!
Watch for any fire hydrant and don’t park in front of or too close to them.
- If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone awaiting test results or who has tested positive, please do not attend. If you are in a health risk group, you can listen to the speaker from the comfort of your home. As usual, we will be uploading the talks to the TASTE website.
- If you come to TASTE, please don’t forget to bring your mask and wear it for the duration of the program.
- Consistent with what is being done in Mass, there will be no singing.
- While Marian always encouraged hugs, we will need to practice virtual hugs and social distancing. When this is over, we will joyfully return to warm, Marian-like hugs!
- If you go to the 9:00 am Mass at the Keesler Parish Center, please know that there will be a gap between the end of Mass (about 9:45) and the start of TASTE (10:15).
- The church is open for private prayer and you are welcome to walk over to the church to pray during this period.
YES. St. Mary's would be grateful for any donations as well as help to raise awareness for the issue.
- St. Mary of the Mills Parish Pantry provides supplemental groceries each week to those facing hunger in the Laurel community. The church relies on donations to feed the hungry at their door.
- You don’t need to wait for a food drive! Bins are located in the church vestibule to receive donations when you come to Mass and deliveries are also accepted at the parish office.
Items currently most in need include:
- Canned meats (tuna, Vienna sausages, SPAM, potted meats, canned chicken)
- Meat soups, chili, and beef stew
- Pork n’ beans, baked beans
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Pasta and sauce, canned spaghetti-o’s/ravioli
- Canned fruits and vegetables
- Instant rice, potatoes, and other sides
- Instant oatmeal, cereal, granola bars
- Cup of noodles, ramen, and macaroni & cheese
- We cannot take expired food, open packages, bulk sizes, or glass jars.
No, we have women of all ages coming.
You will be missed, but will have access to the talk on the web site. You can listen to it at home so that you can participate in the following week's small group discussion. You can also preview the Reflection Questions and information on the web and/or from the weekly email.
Yes, we'll have temporary name tags for unexpected guests. We ask that they register online for next time so that we have some kind of idea how many women are coming. You are always encouraged to bring friends! To register, go to www.tasteprogram.com/registration
You will want to bring a notebook and pen. We also encourage you to bring your Bibles. You should have access to a Bible and a Catechism at home for your Reflection Questions. A great online version of the catechism is http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm.
Absolutely. We welcome all to our liturgies and we highly encourage you to come. You will not be able to receive communion (for reasons we can explain in person) but you are welcome to walk up to the altar with your hands folded across your chest and receive a blessing from the priest.
No, TASTE is free but if you can afford it, a $5 or more donation is very appreciated. We do not receive money from any parish. We have many expenses to cover. These include: speaker's fees and gifts, copying, name tags, library books purchased, postage, CDs, travel costs for speakers, airfare (has gone way up), supplies, bookmarks, prayer for priests booklets, perfect attendance incentives...