In light of the coronavirus, Pax Christi is taking steps to honor and protect parishioners. Please continue to pray for our community, the vulnerable, and anyone who may have contracted COVID-19. 

We are paying attention to the information offered by the CDC, as well as our city and state leadership, and are following the direction of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester under the leadership of Bishop John Quinn. Consequently, we have a lot of information to share and changes to announce. Our hope is that if you are a ministry leader, you will forward this to your contacts as well.

Bishop Quinn has suspended all public celebrations of the Mass beginning Friday, March 20, through May 15, his message to the faithful of our Diocese is attached. More updates from the Diocese can be found at their website, www.dowr.org. We know that this will impact Holy Week and the Celebration of Sacraments, and we will share our plans in the coming weeks.

Also through May 15th, we are suspending all gatherings at Pax Christi, except for select Outreach Ministries and those participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation. This includes Faith Formation and our Adoration Chapel, which is closed. Father has moved the Precious Body of Christ to the tabernacle in our church, which will remain open for prayer from 9am-5pm. 

We continue to be surrounded by parishioners willing to help, and this week a parishioner has provided guidance so that we can live stream Mass. I’m so grateful that we will be able to watch Fr. Will and Fr. The celebrate Mass in our church. We plan to have all of the information on our website in the next day or two. In addition to live streaming, Masses will be available via YouTube to watch later at any time via the link below. The Diocesan Masses will continue to be available every Sunday at 9am on channel 6; please note that on April 5th, Mass will move to channel 3 at 7:30 and MyTV at 3.2 at 9am.

Another blessing for our parish is that our Meal Ministry will continue in a new format. Volunteers intend to provide non-perishable food baskets to our parishioners most vulnerable to COVID-19. Once we have enough volunteers, we will begin collecting names for delivery. If you are available to help as a volunteer for shopping and/or delivering food, then please sign up here: https://forms.gle/JQfYxbFs2rk5Qvzr7  

For those who can’t access the bulletin on our website, please let them know that we can mail it to them. Just ask anyone interested to please call our office and leave their name and full address. We will begin mailing bulletins the week of Monday, March 23. We will also continue to share prayers and resources via our Facebook page www.Facebook.com/PaxChristi.

Please continue to stay in touch with us, let us know your prayer requests and how we can help you during this time. Remember to check in on those around you who may be alone or for whom the isolation will add even more stress to their lives. May you feel the peace of Christ in your life, and I pray for the health of you and your families. 

Sincerely in Christ,
Jessica