April 2, 2020   

Dear Brothers and Sisters, given Governors “Stay Home” order, we have closed the Church until further notice & Archbishops guidance.
   
Our Governor has issued an order that all in Washington state are prohibited to hold gatherings of any size. In obedience to his authority and trusting that it is in the best interest of saving lives, the church will be closed temporarily. Please note this closure includes the cancellation of adoration and confessions until further notice. 

Jesus is still available in all the tabernacles of the world. Please keep your adoration hour at home, uniting your heart to His. Pray for an end to the corona virus, for all who are suffering, and for God's holy will to be done.
   
Parish Offices are closed for now, but accepting phone calls 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. We are available for you, so don't hesitate to call! Staff are working from home but will be checking emails and phone calls left on their office phones. If you have trouble reaching staff call the main office number and Betty will help you to get in touch with that staff person.

We have about 2700 families in our parish and we will be reaching out via phone calls to see how you are doing at this difficult time. We also want to make sure we are aware of any needs you may have that we may be able to assist with, and also let them know how they can connect with St. Stephens during this coronavirus situation. Fellow parishioners will be making the calls and will identify themselves as being from St. Stephen the Martyr.

St. Stephen’s Reach Out Ministry has been calling parishioners to see how they are doing at this difficult time, and to see if they need any assistance we may be able to provide.  If you haven’t received a call, it may be because we have an incorrect phone number for you!  Many people have given up their land-line phones for cell phones, and we don’t have those numbers—but would like to.    If you haven’t received a call from a fellow parishioner by April 8thplease call Betty at the church office (253-631-1940) to let us know how you are doing and to update your contact information.

During this time period when we are restricted from celebrating Mass publicly, St. Stephens is live-streaming Mass from the rectory. You can find links by clicking the image below. 

The current Mass schedule is: Sunday at 9:00 AM; Monday – Thursday 6:30 PM; Friday & Saturday 8:30 AM

You can find the readings for Mass here.

Please pray with our whole parish the weekly Prayers of the Faithful.

Please note our special Mass times below:

Palm Sunday, 9:00 AM

Holy Thursday, 7:00 PM

Good Friday, 3:00 PM

Easter Vigil 8:45 PM (Saturday)

Easter Sunday 9:00 AM

The suspension of public Masses will seriously impact our weekly collection. Like most parishes, 90% of our revenue comes from the generous support of our faith community. This generosity supports the many ministries of the church as well as maintenance of the building and grounds, utilities, insurance, and payroll. Please remember our parish in your prayers and by making your regular donation. You may donate through the mail or drop off donations during office hours, weekdays from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Consider signing up for electronic giving by clicking here. 

If your loved one is in need of anointing, please call the St. Stephens parish office to make arrangements for Fr. Ed or Fr. Jockim to visit. If the person in need of anointing has or is suspected of having COVID-19, we will assist you in connecting with one of the dedicated Priests the Archdiocese has commissioned to administer sacraments to COVID-19 patients.

Are you interested in being part of a Small Faith Sharing Group of 2-4 people or families?  Fr. Ed would like to encourage individuals and families to consider forming a Small Faith Sharing group to come together by using 4-way-Call, Skype, or Zoom.  Jesus told us in Matthew 18:20:  "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  During this challenging time, we want to help you form your own Small Faith Sharing group or we can help connect you with others who are interested in being in group. Groups would connect remotely, 1x a week or every other week; to check-in, pray together, share scripture, and share ideas how to cope with the "Stay-at-Home" order.  
As part of the Reach Out ministry started in March, to connect with parishioners once the Parish had to be closed, we want to support you by helping you to form Small Faith Sharing Groups and/or provide prayer, scripture or other spiritual resources for the groups and we have a Tech Team that can help you to learn 4-way-Call, Skype, or Zoom as ways to meet remotely.  Please email the Volunteer lead for this ministry: Justine Olawsky at: Justine.Olawsky@gmail.com or Anne Merklin(Staff) at : sstmassociate@gmail.com. to tell us how we can support you and help you get started or answer questions!

Here are some online resources to help you stay connected during this unprecedented time in our world.

Catholic Current from USCCB (United States Corporation of Catholic Bishops)
Rosary: Sacred Heart Radio
Stations of the Cross: Busted Halo   
Bishop Mueggenborg's Sunday Gospel Reflections:
Sacred Heart Radio  (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - after the 1pm Rosary) Download Weekly Reflections 
Mass Readings and Prayer Resources
Mass from the Vatican: Pope Francis' morning Mass will be broadcast live. You can view it in real time and find English narrations at 7:00am Central Eastern Time on www.vaticannews.va.
At Home With Faith: Click here  or  marriagefamilylife.seattlearchdiocese.org 

    

During this time of the Coronavirus, the Archdiocese is strongly encouraging Parishes' with Food Bank volunteers to transition to younger than 60 yrs. to work at the Food Bank. We are have started a Drive-By Food Bank system to protect and limit the contact of our volunteers and those in need.  We are following all the CDC guidelines to protect our volunteers and Food Band participants, including, those helping on inventory and bagging of food.  The Food Bank and our Outreach services are considered "essential services" during these challenging times and need your support!  Please consider volunteering for one shift to help our Parish with this important ministry!

Volunteers are Needed to:  Distribute the pre-made food bags during our food bank hours and to buy, separate, sort and bag the food.  Most importantly, our Food Bank volunteers act as a warm welcoming presence to all those who we are serving.  If you are interested in volunteering with the Food Bank Ministry, please contact Betty Brock: babrock@q.com.