COVID-19 update… at 3:33pm this afternoon, I received word from The Diocese of Springfield that Bishop Paprocki has extended a dispensation from the obligation for Catholics to attend Sunday Mass as of today until further notice. At the same time, the parishes are urged to continue offering Mass and the sacraments and to encourage the faithful to maintain the holiness of Sunday by optional attendance when it is relatively safe for them to do. For those not attending Mass, they are strongly encouraged to engage in alternate practices of prayer and devotion.
I will continue to offer all the Masses on the regular schedule until and unless I am prevented by illness myself. We have the right to gather and exercise our religious liberty in all circumstances, and while those who are a stricken should stay away for the good of the community and their own good, all the more does the Catholic community need to do what it does best in praying for all in need in this time of vulnerability to disease and illness.
PSR classes are officially called off per the bishop’s order, but because our PSR was planning to go to confession tomorrow between the 8am and 1030am Masses, we suggest that PSR families DO come and avail themselves to the sacrament as they were planning to do.
No announcements about next Friday’s fish fry or next weekend’s confirmation are expected until after the weekend.
We place ourselves in the loving providence of our Savior through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, and in union with those throughout the world stricken by this disease or prevented to practice their faith freely, due to war, terrorism, hatred of the faith, and other violence.