Pastor's Letter-- October 25, 2020

The challenges of living in the midst of a pandemic continue to manifest themselves for our parish and local community.

With cases back to our highest level, it is imperative that we work as Christians for the weakest among us by mitigating spread, even while continuing in responsible ways to embrace the most important aspects of being human: faith, relationships with family and friends, and pursuit of the good (both personal and common). Our parish continues to see a rise in attendance for Mass on Sundays, with the 9am and 8pm being that larger Masses. In order to accommodate these crowds and to prepare for Christmas, we are beginning to use the gymnasium of the parish center for overflow with a live-feed video and about a hundred extra seats. Attending in this space allows for a safer experience that still makes Communion available (we will send someone to the gym to administer the sacrament to everyone), and as a space set apart from distraction, will hopefully still be very prayerful.

I’ve still received no reports of our parish Masses causing spread of the virus. If you know of someone or believe you may have been present with an asymptomatic case of COVID-19, please let our office know. We promise to keep confidentiality. This is simply to help us do our best for the parish and local community.

I had a wedding this weekend that has done a tremendous job making the whole process responsibly safe for everyone involved. I am impressed with the sacrifices made and the courage under difficulties that the couple has shown. Although nothing like they hoped, they made the best of it and showed that with the right perspective, things can be done in a “new normal” that allows the most important things to be pursued without sacrificing the health of the public. As we approach the time of election (with significant numbers voting early already) it is important for us to do our best to inform our consciences on our vote. As always with politics, there are a wide array of perspectives on the issues at hand and even on what issues really are worth considering. Some of these perspectives would be very far from the view of our faith. So we must take care with what we are allowing to inform our minds and hearts, for we can easily be led astray in a society that, under the idea of “separation of church and state,” is explicitly non-religious and thus non-Christian.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” I highly encourage exploration of the resources of our US Bishops so that you may see where the Church’s perspective truly lies. Please check their website USCCB.org or our own new website (it’s amazing) at the “faithful citizenship” page under the tab “Serve with Us”.