Dear Parishioners and Friends,
I trust that most of you, if not quite all, are safe and enjoying good health. My brother priests and I here in the rectory are in good health.

Thank you for your expressions of concern for us; we greatly appreciate your support. And I must thank the many, many parishioners who have continued your financial support;it is a tremendous help to us as we seek to meet our obligations. In addition to mailing your contributions or dropping your envelopes in the office mail slot, you can now make your contributions electronically. Elsewhere on this website and on our Facebook page, you can find instructions about doing that.

The practice of isolation and social distancing, while vitally necessary, is also a penance. As I read the accounts of Jesus in the Garden, pleading with his disciples to stay awake and pray with him, I realize how very much I and the other priests miss having you gathered around us in prayer. While we are still able to offer Mass privately, we bitterly regret that we cannot share Communion with you. And the prospect of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum without our accustomed ceremonials – and without your presence – is a terrible privation.

Live-streaming has become all the rage; and pastors, especially, are innovating with the celebration of Mass and various devotional exercises. It has managed to keep people connected, even though partially and imperfectly. Thank you for your feedback on our Facebook page. We will live-stream some of the ceremonies of Holy Week and the Triduum; but some of them really are too complex for one or two priests to carry out alone. The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday, for example, and the Easter Vigil; so we recommend you follow them on television or on-line from Rome or from our diocesan cathedral. NET, EWTN, and Catholic Faith Broadcasting (the former TELECARE) will all carry the services.

Please note that our diocesan bishop has mandated that blessed palms NOT be distributed to the faithful at this time. And, of course, Easter water will not be available.