Dear Friends,
In the year 304, the Roman Emperor Diocletian launched one of the most brutal persecutions the Church has ever known. It was at this time that Roman officials in North Africa surprised a group of about fifty Christians who were attending the Sunday Eucharist. The group was arrested and put on trial. A record of their interrogation has survived the ages. It records that a Christian man named Emeritus, the owner of the house in which the Eucharist had been celebrated, was asked why he had permitted a forbidden gathering to take place in his home. Emeritus answered, "Without the Day of the Lord, the Mystery of the Lord, we cannot exist”. Commenting on this incident, Benedict XVI observed, “(Emeritus' answer) is not obedience toward a law of the Church felt to be external to one’s self, but an expression of an inner necessity and desire…” I thought of this incident this morning as I celebrated a private Mass for you and the people of our parish and for your intentions, and I reflected on Emeritus' words, "Without the Day of the Lord, (the Sunday), Mystery of the Lord (the Eucharist) we cannot exist". We are certainly living in an extraordinary and historic time. I, and several other priests I have spoken with, cannot recall when the public celebration of the Eucharist had been suspended before for the safety and protection of our people. Yet, we know that this is the right thing to do in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. But a part of me also wonders if this is a strange grace being given to us. God is always present to us and nothing is outside of His providential care. Perhaps this Lenten "fast" from the Eucharist is given to us so that we might be reawakened to what Benedict called the "inner desire and necessity" for the Eucharist; that it is not just an obligation imposed on us but inwardly necessary. We are branches of the Vine of Jesus Christ. We are rooted in Him, draw our life from Him, and apart from Him, as Emeritus declared, we cannot exist. May this extraordinary time in the life of the Church deepen our hunger and thirst for Jesus, the Bread of Life and the Living Water! In his directive to temporarily suspend the public celebration of Mass until at least April 3, Bishop Checchio also encouraged pastors to consider exposing the Blessed Sacrament for a period of time during the day. But he also reminded us that "praying in large groups, however, should be avoided... participants should be encouraged to observe social distancing practices, recommending 3-6 feet of space between participants, for any event inside church spaces." Beginning this Friday, March 20, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the church from 12:00-3:00pm, the hours of the Passion of the Lord. We will continue this every Friday during the same hours until we are directed to resume the public celebration of Mass. We are choosing this day and these hours to honor the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord which we celebrate in the Eucharist, but also as a way of limiting attendance so we can conform to the regulation that bans groups larger than 50 people from assembling in the same place. A sign-up sheet will be available on the parish website for those who want to commit themselves to prayer during these hours. If you chose to come, please remember to maintain social distancing from others in the church. The church will be open for visitation and prayer on weekdays from 7:00AM-2:00PM, on Saturdays from 10:00AM-12:00PM, and on Sunday mornings from 8:00AM-12:00PM. I encourage you to come for prayer during these times, especially on Sunday morning. Please be mindful to maintain good distancing from others in the church and that we must limit groups in the church, especially on Sunday mornings, to less than 50. We will continue to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday mornings from 11:00am-12:00pm in the church. However, confessions will not be heard in the confessional but in the church sacristy (to the right of the altar) so that priest and penitent are not in a confined space and can maintain the recommended social distancing of 3-6 feet of space between them. A confessional screen will be set up in the sacristy for those who prefer this method of going to confession. Lastly, I am canceling Stations of the Cross for the time being. This traditional Lenten devotion tends to draw a larger group of people, which is unadvisable at this time. If the public celebration of Mass is permitted after April 3, then I will reschedule the devotion for the remainder of Lent. I will have more updates coming to you in the next few days. including what we're doing to increase our digital presence to our parishioners. Let me end by thanking you for your vibrant faith during this uncertain time. The Lord is near to us and so we have a reason for courage and hope. Let us continue to pray for one another, for the sick, their care-givers, and those whose livelihoods are threatened because of COVID-19. Servus, Msgr. Joseph G. Celano Pastor