Love of God and Neighbor Greetings in the Lord! The last weeks have been challenging for all. I remain united with you in the daily Mass I celebrate in the rectory, with and for your intentions, especially for the sick and those caring for them. I’ve been calling parishioners with the help of our seminarians Mark Beukema and Drew Langton and am inspired by the ways you’re caring for each other – checking in with neighbors, sewing masks for nurses, and grocery shopping for the elderly. I miss you very much and look forward to when we can be together again! But the Lord is near. This remarkable Lent was no surprise to Him, and He’s journeying with us day by day. Let us look to Him, speak to Him, listen to His voice, and grow in our obedience to the two Great Commandments: Love God and Love our neighbors. Let's do that more and more!
Email Contacts I really want to use this time to develop our email contacts. If you would be so kind, please send me an email with your name in it at [email protected] from your preferred email account, and we can add you to the list to receive email communications from me.
Faith Formation Plan As we heard today, school buildings will be closed for the rest of the school year. We're looking into the most user-friendly way to provide Faith Formation sessions to our students and parents. Catholic publishers are making their online content free right now until June 30th, so we are going to find the most user-friendly one available and get it into your hands soon!
Holy Week Plans Public Masses have been suspended until at least April 13th and likely until the end of April. This means we will broadcast our Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday liturgies on our FACEBOOK page. Those who have been preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments will not receive them at the Easter Vigil but at a later date. I also think of those preparing for First Holy Communion and Confirmation (and their families). We may be able to proceed as originally scheduled, but we can't say yet. I’m working on organizing a Procession around Ishpeming with the Eucharist on Easter Sunday, to offer the Lord’s blessing as He passes through your neighborhood. Stay tuned!
Virtual Catholic Conference I encourage you to sign up for a free Virtual Catholic Conference happening online this weekend. Sixty of the best Catholic speakers will be presenting. There’s a men’s conference and a women’s conference. You can watch the sessions at your own pace throughout the weekend. Sign up today!
Other Sacraments Until we’re able to meet publically again for Mass, any Baptisms will be limited to ten people. For Funerals, we can have a small Committal Service at the cemetery and plan a Memorial Mass later. For the Sacrament of Confession, if you are feeling overwhelmed, fearful, etc. because you have not had a chance to make a good Confession, please call me to talk, and we can arrange a safe way to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession outside. All those who wish to make a good Confession should make an act of contrition and a firm purpose of amendment and trust in the Lord who is rich in mercy. I am able to give Anointing of the Sick to those who are seriously ill and in danger. Please contact me should you, a family member, or a friend need that Sacrament. It is still uncertain whether the hospitals or nursing homes would let me in to anoint someone with COVID-19, as they are experiencing a shortage of personal protective equipment.
Eyes on Jesus! In this difficult time, the evil one tries to lead us to frustration, anger, and division. He wants us to focus only on what we’re missing, the lack, the absence, the darkness. But the Holy Spirit directs our eyes to Jesus and inspires us to imitate His patience, kindness, sacrifice, self-denial, generosity, fidelity, mildness, goodness, and love. God is still present and active in our midst. In the absence of the Eucharist, the pain and suffering we bear is God’s invitation to a greater receptivity of His love and work in our hearts. If we use this time well to draw closer to God and one another, we’ll be able to benefit even more from the Eucharist when we receive it.
CARES Act Some good news is that the recently-passed federal CARES act provides for cash payments of up to $1,200 per person and $3,000 per family. This payment should be coming in the mail to you in the next couple weeks. The Act also provides $600 per week for unemployed workers in addition to the aid received from the State of Michigan. This should be a huge help for most people.
Social Distancing Let’s keep praying and stay close to Jesus during this time, to help limit and reverse the spread of this virus. We’re probably weeks before the peak occurs nationally. The more we cooperate with social distancing, the sooner we’ll be able to ‘get back to normal.’ Come, Holy Spirit!
During this time, I can always be reached with the contact information at the top of this page. Please let me know of your needs this way, or at ishpemingcatholic.com/help. My prayers are with you, and please pray for me!