​Dear Parishioners of St. Mary’s,
If you are like me, you are probably desperate to see the sun again, though, perhaps, the weather lately has fit many of our moods – kind of cloudy and dreary.  Many things have quickly changed in our lives and that also includes how things function at the parish.  Similar to what I did last week, I wanted to write to all of you with a few practical things to keep you informed on what is going on “behind the scenes” and what practical steps we are looking at or implementing during this time of trial and then also to include some thoughts on a spiritual side.  I am hoping to do this weekly and, in addition, we will be doing a few other things as well over the next few weeks, more of which is included below. 

1. First, I wanted to say “thank you!” to all of those who have been mailing in their weekly contributions to the parish and those who have been giving online.  When we opened the mail and saw many envelopes sent through the mail my heart was moved – we do need your contributions at this time, the parish, like everyone, has financial obligations and so your generosity in helping us meet them is much appreciated.  We are, under the guidance of the Archdiocese, coming up with a plan to function financially during this time and, in the meanwhile, are working very hard to keep expenses down to the best of our ability. 
2. Secondly, I want to also thank you for your patience as the parish pivots to a different way of doing things – every day seemed to bring new guidance, new timetables, new restrictions, etc., it involved many, many decisions behind the scenes.  One of the most frustrating elements was not knowing how long this would be going on for, if it was just a couple of weeks we would move one way, if we are looking at a couple of months, we would go another way.  As things become more clear that allows us to plan better for the future and so we are working on doing that now.
3. As part of that planning process, we’d like to let you know how we plan to communicate with people – please note that the parish website will be the primary method of communication, please check that regularly for details and information.  We do have some parishioners’ e-mail addresses and so we are also trying to send out e-mails on a regular basis, however, we don’t have everyone’s e-mail address, so please keep your eye on the website.
4. Now that we have a sense that things will not be resolved for a number of weeks, we can make some decisions on what to communicate to all of you, both on a practical and spiritual level.  Our plans include the weekly online publication of the bulletin, a weekly note from me, the posting of a Lenten video from me (which was previously going out to the school families, but will now be posted for everyone), and we are looking at the possibility of recording a Sunday Mass beginning the Sunday after Easter and posting it online if the suspension of public Masses goes longer than Easter – it would be a simple Mass, but one which would hopefully allow people stay connected to the parish.  In the meanwhile, the Cathedral will be broadcasting Holy Week Services from there with the Archbishop – we would encourage those who would like to, to view those, as being united in heart with the Archbishop is a great sign of our unity as Catholics no matter which parish we call home.
5. I would like to open the church up more frequently for private prayer.  We had to make some changes with the Adoration Chapel in order to conform with the Governor’s orders and also to prevent more than ten from gathering there at once.  Beginning this Wednesday, April 1st, the church will be open for private prayer every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00-Noon.  This is in addition to it being open during the time of confessions, which will continue at Noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at 9:00 on Saturday morning.  We would ask that no more than ten people be in church at the same time and that people not come if they have a fever, a cough, or any symptoms of illness and to maintain space from one another in the church itself. 
6. Finally, I would like to encourage everyone in the parish to start praying the Rosary at Noon on Fridays – this way we can be united in prayer even if we are separated by distance.  I would suggest that each decade be given a particular intention – in reparation for our own sins, for the end of this pestilence, for the protection of ourselves and our loved ones, for guidance for our ecclesiastical and civil leaders, and for the repose of the souls of those who have died. 

Now for a few spiritual thoughts on everything that is going on:

1. Prayer and penance – prayer and penance – prayer and penance.  This has been the constant refrain of the Church during times of pestilence and disease – we must do them.  Add more time for prayer to your routine, fast more frequently, do not give up on your Lenten penances – situations like these are like a fork in the road – we can either become more fearful or more confident, we can either become less faithful or more so, we can either turn away from God or to Him. 
2. This morning I was reading a book from Fulton Sheen, it’s called “The Seven Virtues” and he discusses the virtues in light of the Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross.  In one chapter, he discusses the importance of fortitude and patience, both of which are virtues which our time calls for, so I thought I would include what he writes: “The shock of sorrow comes only to those who think this world is fixed and absolute, that there is nothing beyond.  They think everything here below should be perfect.  Hence, they ask questions: ‘Why should I suffer? What have I done to deserve this?’  Maybe you did nothing to deserve it.  Certainly, Our Lord did nothing to deserve His Cross. But it came, and through it, He went to His glory.  The virtue to be cultivated, then, by such souls is what is known as patience.  Patience and fortitude are related as the convex and concave sides of a saucer.  Fortitude is exercised in the active struggle with dangers and difficulties, while patience is the passive acceptance of what is hard to bear.”  These words are applicable to us right now as well – fortitude and patience.  He goes on too to discuss the reality of suffering and bearing our sufferings well, “In the business world, we contract debts and recognize our obligation and duty to acquit them.  Why should we think that in the same moral universe we can sin with impunity?  If, then, we bear the imprints of the Cross, instead of complaining against God, let us occasionally think of offering them up to God for our own sins, or for the sins of our neighbors.”  These are very wise words and help us to understand and interpret things that are unfolding on a supernatural level, because, I believe, God is telling us something right now and asking something of us – He is asking of us (very directly) to what all of Lent has been asking us to do – which is to turn to Him, to strive for holiness and for our hearts to be converted more completely to Him.  If we allow this reality to do that, then this trying time will also be a time of grace for us. 
3. Please know that you are in my prayers, every day and numerous times over the course of the day and are remembered in particular at the consecration at the Masses I celebrate. 

 
Live Jesus!
Fr. Peter

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We certainly find ourselves in a very strange and unexpected situation and as I am writing this I am looking out at an empty parking lot on a Sunday when usually it is full of cars, who would have thought this was how things were going to unfold just a couple of weeks ago?  I thought I would take this opportunity to greet all of you and let you know that you are in my daily prayers and to also bring you to speed on a few things and then share a few of my own reflections on things that have been going on in our world and in our country.   
First, to address a few details on things:

1. For those who of you have had scheduled Mass intentions for loved ones over these two weeks, know that these Masses are being offered by Fr. John, Fr. Dave and myself – so that the graces of those Masses can continue to help the souls of the faithful departed. 
2. Aspecial thank you to those who have been coming to Perpetual Adoration, especially to those who have stepped up to fill hours for people who are not able to make it.  This October will see the 35th Anniversary of Perpetua Adoration here and knowing there are people so faithfully praying is a true comfort in this time of challenge.  I am hoping that we can maintain Adoration perpetually as long as possible and through the entirety of this situation, however, we will have to keep watch both on our ability of the Chapel to have people taking regular hours as well as any developments on the civil side of things. 
3. I know that there many people who are, right now, facing the loss of income, you are very much in my thoughts and prayers, I am sure this produces much anxiety and concern about what the future will hold for you and your family and we certainly understand that people may not be able to be as generous as they have been to the parish.  At the same time, the parish is working on ways of managing our own cash flow and watching our expenses carefully to try and make it through this time.  Can I ask everyone who has not seen a decrease in income due to the Coronavirus to continue to give where at all possible?  The parish, thankfully, was in a very strong financial position going into this, but even the best of financial positions will be hurt by a long term decline in offertory – we would like to be able to continue to provide, especially, for our parish and school staff during this time.  You can donate online, through the mail or dropping offertory off in the Rectory mail-slot.  As I said before, I know many people and families are feeling a financial crunch, so I certainly understand that some will not be able to give what they have been giving. 
4. Thank you for your patience with the changes in our normal parish operating schedule and rhythms, every day seems to bring new guidance and new decisions that need to be made, we are trying to make them prudently with both an eye to the current circumstances as well as preparing for what may come next.  Of course no one knows, at this point, how long this will last, and we continue to take one day at a time while also trying to look to the future and to be prepared.

As I have watched the news develop and things unfold, I have been trying to discern what it is that the Holy Spirit is asking of us in all of this and a few thoughts have come to my mind and heart that I would like to share with you as you too think and pray.  I am convinced that the Lord is trying to teach us something in the midst of all of this – I have no doubt that God has permitted this to come upon us for a reason, and I see various reasons that He has.

1. I think the first is to reorient us back to God.  No one can deny that our society (and too often ourselves as individuals) have lost sight that He is the center of all things and this attitude and disposition has even seeped its way into parts of the Church.  I believe God is reminding us that He MUST be at the center of all things and when He is not things go astray.
2. Secondly, I think He is reminding us that our first love should always be Him.  As we see so many things which we too often place our love in are being shut down, we are reminded that they are never enduring – good food, sports, fashion, entertainment, shopping, financial achievement, etc. all of these come to an end – what does endure is our love of God and we must orient our lives, once again, with Him and our love for Him at the center of our lives. 
3. Thirdly, I think the Lord is reminding us that we need to hunger for His presence in the Eucharist – we can all take His Real Presence in the Eucharist for granted.  By not being able to regularly receive Him, I believe He is reminding us to never take the Eucharist for granted, and, along with that, to never receive Him in the Eucharist unworthily.  The Church teaches that when one receives the Eucharist in the state of mortal sin, they grievously.  This has been lost sight of in a world that diminishes the reality of sin.  I have found it interesting that right now, with the public celebration of Mass ceased, with priests struggling to get into nursing homes or hospitals to anoint the sick, that the one sacrament which is still readily available is the Sacrament of Penance – I think this is a sign from the Lord that we have not availed ourselves of that sacrament enough.  This time can teach us to hunger for the Eucharist and to make sure we only receive Him while in the state of grace.  
4. Fourthly, I think the Lord is asking us to slow down – our culture is full of constant activity and that is not conducive to prayer or self-reflection or even solid family life.  This virus is forcing us to slow down, to spend more time with our families and makes time for prayer.  There are holes in our schedules right now, holes in our daily routine – with what will we fill them?  With technology?  With movies and television?  With anxiety and worry?  We are being asked to take these holes and to fill them with prayer and with love of neighbor and with love for our families and friends.
5. Finally, I believe the Lord is calling us to repent of our own sinfulness, our own selfishness, our own self-absorption.  When we are confronted with an illness that causes suffering and possibly rather sudden death, we recognize our own mortality and how our time here on earth will only go for so long – are we prepared? 

I believe that God is asking us to do some real soul searching, as a culture, as individuals and how we live out our Catholic faith and how faithful we are to it.  It’s a challenging time – it is the Lent that none of us would have asked for, but that God is allowing us to experience – for our good.  In light of all of this, we must also trust God and turn to Him more fully and completely and to not be afraid.  May we hold closely in our prayers all those who are ill and their families and, in particular, those who have died.  Please know that I am praying for all of you, most especially at Mass.  I hope this time passes swiftly, but whatever may come, or for however long it may last, may we use it to draw closer to God and allow Him to convert our hearts more fully.  We can take great assurance that Christ always wins.  May we, through His mercy, be given a share in that victory.

Fr. Peter

I wanted to take a few moments to update the parish on a few initiatives and projects that will be unfolding at St. Mary’s, as well as in the Archdiocese over the next few months. 

The first project I would like to mention is the state of the ceilings in the aisles of the church.  As you can see (if you look up!) they are in sorry shape - water-stained, broken tiles and in a few places the tiles are starting to fall down.  The ceilings in the cry rooms as well as in the shrine areas to the front of church aren’t looking much better and the time has come to replace them.  Beginning in the next few weeks you will see at least one set of these tiles removed as the replacement process begins.  The new ceilings in the aisles, the cry rooms and the shrine areas will be much more fitting for church and will also include new lighting for the Stations of the Cross, as well as the statues of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the Sacred Heart in the shrine areas. 

In addition to this work on the inside, you may also have noticed the beginning of some work on the outside.  We have a truly beautiful campus here at St. Mary’s, unfortunately, the one area which has been neglected is the most visible part of our property – the corner of Crescent and Juneau.  Over time, it has become overgrown and worn out.  Over this spring and summer we will be landscaping that part of the property so that the beauty of that corner matches the beauty of the rest of our parish campus.  Work has already begun by clearing out some of the old brush and a few trees to make space for the new design, which will also incorporate some of the standing trees that are already there.  In addition, our school community has been busy raising money to fund, as a component of this, the creation of an outdoor learning space for the school children.  This outdoor learning space will be another addition to the innovative ways our school teaches our children.  Recently, we have added a MakerSpace, a Literacy Center, and a new Grade School Science Lab and this will be one more tool our teachers can use to educate our school children.  Finally, along with this landscaping, we are also hoping to purchase new parish signs.  If you have noticed our current signs, they are beaten up and weathered, with holes in them and repairs from where they have cracked in the past.  It is our hope that all of this will be completed by the end of summer and in place for the beginning of the new school year. 

I would also like to take this chance to fill you in on the upcoming Archdiocesan Capital Campaign.  Over the past year or so the Archdiocese has been looking at the possibility of a capital campaign to provide needed funds for some of the ministries of the diocese, as well as to provide opportunities for individual parishes to benefit from some of the monies raised.  With the approval of the Archbishop, a the campaign has been launched and each parish will be given an overall goal, with 60% of the funds staying at the parish level to be used for parish capital needs and with the other 40% going to support some of the needs of the Archdiocese.  The campaign will unfold over two years or so with the parishes moving through the campaign in four separate groups.  St. Mary’s has been asked to be part of the group that will begin in the second half of this year.  You will be hearing more about this campaign in the coming months, but I wanted to alert you to it now.  My own hope is that every parishioner can contribute in order to make this campaign a success.  Along with this, the Archdiocese is also working with the Catholic Leadership Institute to conduct a survey of parishioners throughout the Archdiocese that will help give those who are leading archdiocesan planning a “snapshot” of where Catholics and parishes are at this moment in time to assist them in planning for the future.  Everyone is invited to take part in helping the diocese compile this information.  You can look in the bulletin for information on how to do so.
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Finally, our hopes to retire the last of our parish debt look to be near fulfillment.  We are on track, barring anything unforeseen, to retiring the last of our debt by the end of this fiscal year (June 30, 2020).  This is truly noteworthy and will be the first time in over a decade that St. Mary’s is completely debt free.  We have found ourselves in this position because of our Debt Retirement Appeal, which ran from 2012-2015, but also because some parishioners have continued to contribute to debt retirement even after the campaign finished.  Their generosity not only helped us retire the debt sooner than initially anticipated, but also saved the parish money on interest over the life of the loan.  I want to thank everyone who has contributed to retiring the debt and those who have continued to do so – if you are new to the parish or were not in a position to give in the past, you still can, as every extra dollar for debt retirement helps the entire parish!  Thank you to all who have contributed and continue to contribute to the financial well-being of the parish!