St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish News
June 25, 2020
Dear St. Mary Star of the Sea Parishioners-
I am grateful to God for all of you as I answer the Lord’s call to move to Rapid City and become the new bishop there. My eleven years at the Cathedral and my six years at St. Mary Star of the Sea and Our Lady of Mercy have been a blessing that I will always remember. You will always have a special place in my heart as will all the people of the parishes I have been assigned to over the last 31 years.
The mixture of emotions of saying “good bye” and seeing what God has in store for me in Rapid City has been an interesting experience. I guess I was pretty comfortable in my priestly life up to now. I have preached about how God often works in ways that call us out of our “comfort zones.” Now I have to practice what I preach.
Thank you for all the cards and gifts. I’ll try to get thank you notes out in the coming weeks. You have been most generous.
As I leave on this Sunday afternoon to head west I promise that I will always remember where I came from (which is why I included symbols of the Iron Range and the Diocese of Duluth in my Coat of Arms) and will keep all of you in my prayers. Please pray for me as well.
God bless you always, Fr. Peter
EPISCOPAL ORDINATION LIVE-STREAM:
View the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Peter Muhich by Archbishop Bernard Hebda in the presence of Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Papal Nuncio to the United States, on Thursday, July 9 at 11 AM CST. Go to the Rapid City Diocesan website at www.rapidcitydiocese.org.
For those who are unable to view the live-stream from home, we will be offering a viewing of the ordination in the Social Hall at the Cathedral. Please call 218-728-3646 if you plan to attend!
WISH FR. PETER FAREWELL:
Thank you to everyone who RSVP'd for Fr. Peter's Farewell Party this Saturday, June 27. While we can no longer accept reservations for the light meal, please feel free to either walk by or drive by to say goodbye to Father Peter between 6 PM and 7 PM across the street from the Cathedral in the Holy Rosary parking lot.
GUIDELINES FOR FAREWELL PARTY:
During this time of social distancing due to the coronavirus, the State of Minnesota has put out guidelines for us to follow when providing food and beverages at an outdoor gathering. Please review the following guidelines before attending the event.
Fr. Peter will be situated near the middle of the Diocesan Pastoral Center parking lot entrance available to greet all guests, whether driving by or in person.
A professionally catered light meal will be available to those who RSVP’d in the food tent near the school. There will be multiple volunteers at the event both directing “traffic” and assisting in the food tent. All volunteers will wear masks and will regularly sanitize their hands. Acrylic panels will be present between those serving the food and guests.
To assist in having a predictable event that is as safe as possible for all in attendance, we ask that anyone taking part in this event:
- Please wear a mask when not eating or drinking.
- Use hand sanitizer after Mass and before and after eating.
- Maintain six feet of distance between you and those not in your household.
- Please follow designated traffic flow by following signs and arrows. Volunteers will be available to assist.
- Please avoid congregating at entrances, in the tent, hallways and bathrooms of the school, etc.
- Before attending, read the following questions found on the State of Minnesota Health Screening Checklist. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions, please stay home.
- Anyone who is considered high risk is asked to consider not attending the event.
5 PM Mass attendance: If you attend the 5 PM Mass, exit through the main doors of the Cathedral and cross the street at the crosswalk. Parking is available in the upper lot. Please do not park in the lower Holy Rosary lot.
Handicapped parking: Available at the Wallace Street entrance and in the lower Holy Rosary lot near the Diocesan center.
Restrooms: Holy Rosary school will be open for restroom use.
Drive-by: If you plan to drive-by, enter the parking lot at the lower entrance near the Diocesan center. You will take an immediate right and after saying goodbye, you can exit the middle entrance/exit. Please wear a mask when conversing with Fr. Peter.
Walk-by: If you plan to walk by after Mass, start at the Wallace/4th Street crosswalk and walk down the sidewalk past Holy Rosary to Fr. Peter. Please wear a mask when conversing with Fr. Peter and maintain social distancing in line and when saying goodbye.
Meal: If you RSVP’d for the meal, go directly to the food tent to allow those driving by and walking by to say goodbye to Fr. Peter. Once you are done eating, you will be able to join the line to say goodbye. Please maintain social distancing and wear a mask when conversing with Fr. Peter.
- When arriving at the food tent, a hostess will seat you. As with restaurants, a table will sit 4 people or 6 if part of one household.
- Tables will be sanitized between guests.
- Depending on the amount of traffic and how many people we are able to seat at once, guests will either be asked to wait at their tables or to join the line to say goodbye to Fr. Peter once they are finished eating. Thank you for your flexibility!
If you are not able to attend the gathering, but want to send well wishes to Fr. Peter, his new address is:
Bishop Peter Muhich, P.O. Box 678, Rapid City, SD 57709-0678
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER:
Come and join Deacon Dick outside in front of the Mary statue every Wednesday at 6 PM to pray the Rosary and Sunday scriptures, weather permitting.
CLEANING MINISTRY:
Help is needed cleaning the church after weekend Masses. Cleaning supplies and gloves are provided. You are encouraged to bring and wear your own mask. Many hands make light work!
HOLY WATER BOTTLES AND HAND SANITIZER:
We have a limited supply of both at the church!
For holy water bottles, please bring your own. It should be clean inside and out. A little remaining paper on the outside of the bottle is acceptable. If you need more than a small bottle, bring your own filled water bottle and ask Father to bless it.
For hand sanitizer, if you have any at home, please bring your own supply to church. It will assist us in helping you to stay healthy!
PARISH NURSE OFFICE HOURS:
Parish Nurse Nancy Turchi holds office hours Tuesdays from 1 PM to 5 PM each week. She can be reached at 218-722-3078 ext. 13.
WEEKLY BULLETIN:
The Sunday bulletin for June 28 includes the weekly stewardship report and Mass intentions for the week ahead.
A limited number of paper copies are printed and placed at church entrances. If you know of someone who does not have internet access, please let them know that the bulletin will be available at church entrances. If they prefer to have the bulletin mailed to them, please ask them to call our office.
FORMED.ORG:
Formed Pick of the Week: Saint Peter. As a dedicated follower of Christ, Peter spreads the message of the Gospel across the land. As the tension between Christians and Romans grows throughout the film, Peter and Paul meet and join together in preaching about Christ.
Sign up for free at formed.org/signup.
STEWARDSHIP, OFFERTORY COLLECTION, & FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
Thank you for your continued financial support of our parish. Your contributions have enabled us to continue the important work and mission of St. Mary Star of the Sea!
As the option for public Masses resumes, you will now have the opportunity to make your contribution when you attend a weekend Mass. Out of an abundance of caution, the ushers will not be bringing collection baskets through the pews. Instead, we will place a collection basket at the main entrance of the church where donations can be placed before or after Mass.
Contributions can also be mailed or dropped off at the parish office at 325 E. 3rd Street Duluth, MN 55805 or made through our online giving platform at https://www.duluthcathedral.com/ and clicking on the Giving Tab, then St. Mary Star of the Sea Fund. Please contact Lauren McCracken, Business Manager at 218-728-3646 or lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org if you need assistance.
UNITED CATHOLIC APPEAL
During these challenging times “You are the Light of the World.” The work of Christ and the mission of the Church continue within our parish and diocese. You make this happen. Please prayerfully consider a gift to the United Catholic Appeal this year.
There are various giving options for you to choose from depending on how you prefer to contribute. You are able to mail your gift in the envelope enclosed in the recent mailing or give throughout the year by using your yellow UCA envelopes. If you would like to donate to UCA online, please contact Lauren McCracken at 218-728-3646 or lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org to set this up. You change lives, including your own through your prayer and sacrificial generosity. Thank you for the gift you are to this parish community!
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
Please continue to support us however you can, especially with your prayers. We are still here! For the month of July, due to the holiday weekend we are meeting July 9 and 16 at 6 PM in the Social Hall. Social distancing will be observed. If you do not have a mask of your own please let us know. We look forward to serving our neighbors.
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us.
Questions? call Dcn. Jim at 218-348-6258 or email dcn.jim.philbin@duluthcatholic.org.
CATHEDRAL JOB OPPORTUNITY:
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary is hiring a part-time (20 hours/week) Building Maintenance/Assistant Boiler Engineer. This position includes assisting in building operations, and maintaining the boiler, equipment and grounds at the Cathedral and Stella Maris Academy - Holy Rosary Campus. Please see the full job description.
To apply, send a cover letter and resume to Lauren McCracken at lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org. Questions can be directed to Lauren via email or phone at 218-728-3646.