Hello everyone! It is good to see more people coming back to Masses on the weekends. After Easter Sunday, we’ve had at least one Mass at both parishes where we were pushing our social distancing limits, which is a good “problem” to have. Whether it is good weather or more people being vaccinated, people are starting to feel more comfortable coming to Mass. However, we are not out of the woods yet so please continue to wear masks and socially distance. If attendance at Mass continues to increase, we will have to be creative about what to do. At ICC, you may sit in the choir loft on either side of the organ pipes. On the side behind the organist, you will have to go through the back room behind the pipes. We may have to consider opening the St. Anthony Center and have people watch the Mass on the television, then come to the church to receive communion. At OLL, you may sit in the west transept area by the sacristy, including at Fr. Jeffrey’s Masses. There are some seats available in the balcony as well where a whole family could sit. The Saturday vigil Masses tend to have less people still so that’s also an option (although this Saturday at OLL, we have first communion so there might be 30 extra people there!). I will continue to monitor the numbers and will try to make appropriate adjustments.
Congratulations to our First Communicants at OLL who will receive first communion this weekend!
This weekend is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Please pray for more priests and religious! If you know of anyone who might make a good priest or religious brother or sister, please encourage them by telling them so. If they do not think they are holy enough, just remind them that St. Padre Pio said, “You don’t have to be worthy; you just have to be willing.” They can talk to me or Fr. Jeffrey or either deacon, or the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Columbus, Fr. Bill Hahn at whan@columbuscatholic.org. They, or parents, can learn more at this website: http://www.seekholiness.com/ (even though it’s quite outdated). Please pray for those 3 men soon to be ordained as priests for the Diocese of Columbus on May 29th: Eugene Joseph, Stephen Ondrey, and Jacob Stinnett.
This week, starting on Monday, I will be taking the week off so there will be no weekday Masses at OLL. There might be Adoration on Tuesday evening if one of the deacons can do it, but no confessions. Check the website for an update.
Next weekend, May 1st and 2nd, I will be in Philadelphia to finish my bioethics certification. Fr. Jeffrey will be saying all the weekend Masses. That also means there will be no First Saturday Mass at ICC. When our Lady at Fatima asked us to make the five First Saturdays devotion, she didn’t say specifically to go to Mass on Saturday morning. She just said the first Saturday of the month. If, through no fault of your own, you can’t make it to a Mass on Saturday morning and it is your intention to keep the devotion, you might be able to fulfill the devotion by going to Mass at the Saturday vigil, or possibly even Sunday morning.
Congratulations to Steve Johnson who was chosen by the Catholic Men’s Ministry as the Catholic Man of the Year in the whole diocese. Most of you know who Steve is and if you don’t, you at least know him as the one who started our Mass livestreaming using his own laptop at the beginning of the pandemic. He has done so much for both of our parishes that when I nominated him, the panel voted unanimously for him in the first round of voting.
Have a great weekend!
The livestream of the Mass for this Sunday, April 25th, will be from OLL at 11am.
Attached are the bulletins and the worship aid.
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us!
God bless!
Fr. Ed
