Correction:
In my e-epistle yesterday I wrote that the church will be open every day from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM for private prayer. That will not be the case on Sundays. The church will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM. On Sundays it will be open from noon until 7:00 PM
Mass without a congregation
I just said my first mass without a congregation this morning. I know that it is important that the mass continue being said for the sake of the parish and the Church as a whole. However, I found not having the faithful there with me to be unsettling. As a matter of fact, during the mass I saw someone come to the front door of the church and finding it locked, turned away. I felt tears coming to my eyes as I saw that. I know that this has to be and Fr. Barry and I will continue making sure that the mass continues. At the same time I ask for your prayers that things return to normal as soon as possible.
Sunday mass live-streaming
Do watch your e-mails on Saturday. As soon as we have set it up and have tested live streaming of the Sunday masses we will send out the link so that you can watch it and participate in actual time. It will also be posted on the parish website so that you can access it later if you like.
Adoration Closure - An Explanation from Fr. Barry
The priests and parish staff have received concerns and questions regarding the temporary closing of the adoration chapel. Some further explanation and clarification may be in order:
Definition of Terms:
Adoration: The acknowledgment of God as Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists. Through worship and prayer, the Church and individual persons give glory to God, acknowledging His infinite and merciful Love. The first commandment of the law obliges us to adore God: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve," says Jesus, citing Deuteronomy.
Eucharistic Adoration: Silent private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament housed within the tabernacle or the monstrance.
Exposition: The liturgical rite of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a monstrance or a ciborium and either placed upon an altar or carried in procession. Adoration also occurs during exposition.
Note: It is not required for the Eucharist to be exposed in order for the Lord to be adored. God's presence in the tabernacle can be adored, and, in fact, this practice is strongly encouraged in every parish and may be observed over an extended period of time.
The temporary adjustment to our parish practice--moving from the adoration chapel to the main church--is in place because the tabernacle is secure (and truly must be secure according to the Canon Law). The monstrance for Eucharistic Exposition is not secured. Thus, whenever there is exposition, it is strictly required that at least one, though preferably at least two, people are always present – that the sacred species may always be attended to, and therefore, protected from any risk of theft or desecration.
In this current climate, we cannot guarantee that the Eucharist will be attended to at all times in the chapel. Some members have canceled their hours of adoration out of a prudent desire for their safety and the safety of others. We understand that it is a sacrifice for many, but the protection of the Eucharist is paramount.
Consequently, the church will be open for extended hours from 9:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 Noon to 7 PM on Sunday. The Eucharist will remain, as always, present in the tabernacle in the church for adoration.
Book Recommendations
I have thought of late that if I could just get on a spaceship and go to another planet for a while I would just do that. However lacking a reliable spaceship I find that books provide another means to escape into other “realities” at least for a while. With that I offer the following reading recommendations for those of you who, like me, can be ”transported” to other times and places by a good book.
Eskens, Allen, The Shadows We Hide:
Eskens is the author of The Life We Bury, which I recommended some time ago and which I know many of you have read. I just downloaded this novel and just started reading it so I can’t say much more than the first chapter hooked me right in.
Eskens, Allen, Nothing More Dangerous.
This is a stunning small town mystery/coming of age novel. Boady, an unhappy 15 year old becomes friends with a new boy in town named Thomas. Boady is white and Thomas is African American. Set in 1976 in a very closed small town in Minnesota Eskens writes of racial tensions that come to a head because Thomas’ father has been sent to take over a factory that is the major employer in the town. That factory had been controlled by a family that pretty much controlled the lives of everyone in the town. This is a disturbing but very compelling novel.
Jiles, Paulette, The Color of Lightning,
By the author of News of the World, this is another meticulously researched, well written novel set in post-Civil War Texas. It is a wonderful account, based on actual people of that time, of the lives of early settlers in the face of continued incursions by hostile forces. JIles’ narrative and character development in her novels are superb.
Geye, Peter, Wintering
This tale is set around two events in a man’s life. His name is Harry It begins with his walking off into the Minnesota woods and disappearing. In the aftermath of that his second wife, Berit and his son by his first wife remember an episode thirty years before when Harry and his son Gus, spent the winter in a shack after they became lost on an expedition into the Minnesota borderlands. This is a deeply moving and compelling novel about human relationship with love, loss and all the rest that often confounds us in our ordinary lives. After reading this book my first thought was that I had just read a literary masterpiece.
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