May 11, 2021
Dear St. Mary Parishioners,
Well, it seems like we are finally emerging from this COVID tunnel. Cases continue to go up and down a bit, but vaccinations are more readily available. Overall, things are opening up, and some semblance of “normal” seems to be returning.
And for us as Catholics, as parishioners of St. Mary in the Diocese of Spokane, that means a return to the Sunday Obligation as well. It has been fourteen months since Bishop Daly has granted dispensation from the Sunday Obligation, and earlier this month, he declared with a great sense of joy and renewed mission that the dispensation will soon come to an end, the Sunday Obligation returning on June 6. Welcome back, everyone! May God bless all of us with an abundance of grace as we transition into the next phase of the “new normal.”
With this letter, I hope to convey several things. First and foremost: a warm and heart-felt welcome-back greeting to everyone. By now, most of us have made a return to the Sunday Mass, if only periodically or for the major celebrations (Christmas and Easter especially); a few still have remained at home and have been tuning in live-stream. All of us together are part of the St. Mary family, and all of us are welcome back to our spiritual home on June 6 when we return for Sunday Mass.
At the recommendation of the Diocese, the parish staff, and the parish leadership on both the Pastoral Council and the Finance Council, there are a few events and other initiatives to assist us during this welcome-back time of transition.
In the coming weeks leading up to June 6, I will send out follow-up messages to expand on our overall efforts of welcoming everyone back to the Sunday Mass. These will include tips on how each of us can extend a warm welcome to our family and friends in the parish, even to our non-Catholic family, friends, and neighbors, who during these days of COVID might have been missing a sense of hope and home. We here at St. Mary can offer everybody that hope and home for which we long.
We are also going to put together a couple of welcome-back events for the weekend of June 6, which is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and the concluding celebration of the Diocesan Year of the Eucharist that Bishop Daly called for last spring on Corpus Christi. Lou Turner, our parish and school Advancement Director, will be coordinating two welcome-back event receptions: an evening wine-and-cheese reception after the 5 PM Mass on Saturday June 5, and a brunch-theme reception after the 11:30 AM Mass on Sunday June 6. If the weather permits, both receptions will take place outside in our Mary Garden next to the school; in the event of poor weather, the receptions will take place in the school gym.
As for the 9 AM Mass on Sunday, June 6: immediately following that Mass, we will embark upon a Eucharist Procession around the perimeter of the south church parking lot. This is an ancient tradition in the Church that in recent years has enjoyed a growing come-back.
On Saturday August 14, the parish will host our first annual Parish Festival, to celebrate the occasion of our patronal feast day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That Feast is August 15 each year; this year, because August 15 falls on a Sunday, we will use August 14 and the Sunday Vigil Mass as the occasion for the Parish Festival. Mass will be at 5 PM like normal, and the Festival will begin immediately following Mass. As of now, the hope is that we will host the Mass outdoors on the school field, and barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs will be served after Mass on the blacktop on the west side of the school building. Everyone is invited to bring other things to share if they would like. We will have parts of the field set up for outdoor games and activities for everybody. The Festival will conclude with a brief Luminaria prayer service on the south church parking lot. More information coming soon, so please stayed tuned.
And lastly, there are many questions that people will have as we get closer to June 6. What does “Sunday Obligation” even mean? Will masks still be required? Will social distancing still be required? What if I have the vaccine? What if I refuse to get the vaccine? What if Bishop Daly says one thing but Governor Inslee says another and President Biden and/or the CDC says still another thing? Soon, I hope to provide a sort of FAQ resource to help address these and other questions. Again, please stay tuned.
Welcome back, everyone! The great and glorious day of our return is coming soon, and I look forward to getting to see all of you again. God bless you all!
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffrey R. Lewis