IMPORTANT - OPENING UPDATE

Dear Our Lady of Ransom Family,

First of all, I want to thank those of you who have gone out of your way to offer positive feedback on my Friday letters, especially the one from last week. I think it is a sign of a good and holy longing you have to press into the new Catholicism that is materializing (because it certainly isn’t due to my typo ridden, ridiculously long letters). 

The good news is that this is a short letter. The reason why is that I want you to read the attached information that Cardinal Cupich sent out this past Wednesday. It speak for itself. 

It’s important for you to understand that the information you may have heard on the news is inaccurate and incomplete. It was only late last night that we received information on the required “certification process” that will allow a parish to reopen. With the complexity of that process, I cannot guarantee a date that Our Lady of Ransom will enter into the initial stages of opening. Our staff will be taking the weekend to carefully read the detailed 30-page plan (not included in this email) to get a grasp of the full extent of what is being asked of us. Next week, we will begin to discuss ways to pull together the considerable resources and manpower that will be required for this undertaking. What is being asked of us is, frankly, overwhelming, given our resources are already stretched to the limit. In your charity, I need you to remember that, since we have been confronted with a process that is highly detailed on an operations level, your patience will be needed as to when the Church will be opened. We cannot do so until we have fulfilled every detail of the Archdiocese requirements. Thank you for your understanding.

He is Risen!

Fr. Matt