Confirmation and First Communion at St. Anthony Church scheduled for Saturday, March 21 is going to be postponed until a later date based on an announcement expected from the Diocese of Springfield later on today. We have no idea of when this event might be rescheduled, except that it depends on the clearing of the health crisis and then finding a new date on the bishop’s calendar.
The Red Cross Blood Drive scheduled for St. Dominic’s on Wednesday, 1-6 is ON! The Red Cross expresses a severe need for blood and encourages healthy donors to come out and donate. Walk-ins welcome, appointments preferred at 1–800-RED-CROSs. Those entering the facility will be screened for flu symptoms.
We are planning to have our Fish Fry on Friday, 4-7pm at St. Anthony’s as “drive through only”. We expect that there will be screening for those working the event.
Mass on Tuesday and Thursday mornings (730am) will continue as usual with Adoration of Tuesday until noon as usual. There is no Wed AM Mass at St. Dominic’s as it is the previously-scheduled spring break week (indeed, no Mass at St. Dominic’s until school resumes,) but the Wednesday evening Mass will be held as usual at 6pm.
There will be no Bible Study/Soup Supper on Wednesday evening. There will be no Griefshare on Thursday evening.
Mass on Friday at St. Vincent Home will be dependent on conditions at the home and may likely be “private”. A notice on this event will be forthcoming.
The parish office is open 8a-3p M, Tu, W and from 8a – noon on Thursday. The office is closed on Friday, per previous schedule adjustments.
The regular weekend schedule will take place next weekend. Parishioners who are concerned about their health, who have even the slightest sense of illness, or who otherwise have just cause are reminded to please stay home. We hope to have broadcasting capabilities via social media by the weekend and the TV Mass is on KHQA at 1030 am on Sundays, as well as through EWTN and other outlets. The Diocese of Springfield has announced that Bishop Paprocki has dispensed the faithful in the diocese from the obligation to attend Mass until further notice, while asking the priests and parishes of the diocese during this time to continue to offer the sacraments with appropriate countermeasures against disease. We will do our best in this regard, but one should consider such attendance “at your own risk”.
All of these events and activities are all subject to further directives from proper civil or ecclesial authority. It is a very rapidly-changing environment in which it is hard to plan. Starting after hours today in the parish office, our phone system will include a notice with all of these news messages, and I am expecting to be able to edit the web page myself later on this afternoon.
May God protect us in his mercy!