To my parish family,
I pray this message reaches you with the grace and peace of our Lord. In the midst of the worries and fears with the coronavirus illness (COVID-19), it is important to remain strong in our faith and place our trust in our Lord first and foremost.
We have received a number of calls and questions regarding COVID-19 and our response as it relates to our Liturgical Celebrations and other gatherings. For the last two weeks, we have already taken a number of precautions at the parish to promote the safety and health of our parishioners and will continue to be proactive in this regard. Some of those initial precautions have already been posted on our website and can also be found on our Facebook page. Furthermore, in light of ongoing update and recommendation from the Bishop’s Office and in response to some of the recent local closings and precautions, we want to update St. Faustina’s precautions to include the following:
Liturgical Celebrations
- At this time, all Masses and liturgical celebrations will still be celebrated as planned.
- Any parishioners who are uncomfortable about attending Sunday Mass due to the coronavirus are excused from the obligation to attend. We are currently working on the possibility of livestreaming one of our Sunday Masses and will get that information out by Saturday. In the event we cannot livestream at St. Faustina, we will post a link to find another parish that is streaming.
- In addition, if a parishioner is in the higher risk category due to current illness, age, or suffering from a chronic health condition or compromised immune system, they are also asked to remain at home.
- For the time being and in the interest of our brothers and sisters who are homebound, we will suspend communion to the sick. But if you have special need, please reach out to the parish office. The clergy are here to serve and support you, especially in times of need.
- We will also suspend for now the laying on of hands and healing prayers after masses on the third Sunday of the month.
- During the Offertory, we will no longer have parishioners carrying the bread and wine to the front and will instead leave those on the credence table in the sanctuary.
- Our front and interior doors to the church will remain opened before Mass, minimizing the need for individual parishioners to use their hands to open the doors.
Formation Events
In conjunction with the recommendation from the Archdiocese and in line with the closing of our local school districts, we are doing the following:
- Cancelling all Faith Formation (Youth and Adult) events and gatherings from March 15-22. This includes:
- Life Teen, RCIA (March 15, 22)
- Baptism Preparation (March 16) - will move online
- Elementary Faith Formation (March 16 & 17)
- Tuesday Morning Bible Study (March 17)
- Apologetics, Dark Night of the Soul, and Youth Ministry (March 18)
- Divine Mercy Cenacle (March 19)
- High School Confirmation Retreat (March 20-22)
- Edge and Sacrament Preparation (March 21)
- Those that were scheduled to attend the retreat will be notified regarding the new process as well as the discussion of refunds on Monday.
Other Gatherings
- Lenten Fish Fry has been cancelled
- If you have questions about your own ministry gathering, please contact your ministry leader.
We will continue to monitor the situation and update accordingly. Those that are affected will be contacted by their coordinator/facilitator/ministry leader with an update on home study alternatives during the week. In the meanwhile, we encourage you to stay engaged with our different channels of communication. In particular, we will be updating the following regularly regarding any and all updates related to our parish and the COVID-19 situation:
- Flocknote - https://StFaustinaCCTX.flocknote.com/everyone
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saintfaustinachurch/
- Website - https://saintfaustinachurch.com/
In times like this, I call on our community to be prudent, patient, charitable and remain strong in our faith. Let us continue to pray for one another and for the healing and well-being of all, especially those affected by the virus. Jesus, I trust in you!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Dat Hoang
Pastor
Reflection on Sunday's Readings
In ancient times, access to a reliable well was essential. Without a steady supply of clean water, life would be difficult, if not impossible. In this week’s Gospel, we see Jesus sitting by a well in the country of Samaria. It’s noon, and we can assume that he is hot and tired. We know he is thirsty, because he asks a woman who is there drawing water to give him a drink. Enjoy this reflection through our free account with Formed.org.
1st Reading - Exodus 17:3-7
2nd Reading - Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
Gospel - John 4:5-42
Upcoming Dates:
March 13 - Stations of the Cross (6:30pm)
March 14 - Dedication of our Monument to the Unborn (after 5pm Mass)
April 9-12 - Easter Triduum (see above image for schedule)
