The first week of July have significant holidays that commemorate the birth of two nations, USA and Canada. This week let us remember both countries in our prayers for peace and continued friendship; that Americans and Canadians strive to be the witness to Christ in their countries and the world. That they continue to work to influence their governments to act from a place that reflects Christian principles and attitudes, and that we pray and work for justice and peace in our countries and throughout the world. Join us for Mass on these days; Wednesday, July 1, at 8 am and a special celebration on Saturday, July 4, at 8 am.
We have now had four weeks of services and our parish offices have reopened with limited hours. As I mentioned at the onset of the openings, we would be reviewing our protocols and make adjustments to fit the needs of the parish. Initial requirements to limit our seating capacity at Mass to 25% has been increased to 50% seating. Our regular weekend Mass schedule can very easily accommodate this change and the needs of the parish. Therefore, starting with the July 4 weekend we will discontinue the Saturday 6 pm Mass. I want to express my gratitude to all ministers for their willingness to support this additional service. Established protocols regarding social distancing, cleaning and the wearing of facemasks in the church and parish offices remain in effect. We thank you for your compliance with these safety measures.
Our own Sacred Heart Major Seminary is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. This event certainly calls to give thanks and to celebrate. So, the Seminary and Archdiocesan family invites everyone to join in on June 26, 2020 for the Archbishop’s Gala online! As usual, there will be: remarks from Archbishop Vigneron, the Rector will provide a State of the Seminary report, raffle tickets, and much more. The event is free of charge. Please visit archbishopsgala.com for more information.
One of the blessings that grew from the pandemic was the shared daily prayer. We rallied around the Lord and his Mother in prayer when we could not come together as a parish community. We prayed the Angelus and later Regina Coeli at noon, we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily at the hour of mercy, and we prayed the Rosary in the evening. We meditated during Adorations, walked the Stations of the Cross. We celebrated Mass with the school every Wednesday and Sunday Masses every weekend. What a blessing it was to pray together. What a blessing it was to enter your home via livestream on Facebook and be with you during this difficult time, providing a sense of community, and mutual support. I am very grateful to each of you for your participation, prayers, care and support. It lifted me up, I hope it did the same for you. As we open our church for the liturgical celebrations, devotions and return to business, daily prayers of Angelus, Divine Mercy and Rosary will discontinue. Beginning on June 18 the Rosary will continue to be prayed temporally via Facebook once a week on Thursday evening at 8:30 pm. Everyone is invited to participate.
The season of Easter is over but the commission of evangelization continues on as we live out the Paschal Mystery (dying and rising). We return to Ordinary Time – although nothing is ordinary anymore. We see and experience the pandemic and its fallout; demonstrations and rioting in our cities stuns us; Pentecost Sunday the Archbishop’s announcement challenges us to go deeper in our understanding of the Church and its role in today’s society. In all of this we are invited to look for and see the big picture of the public life and ministry of Christ given to us by the evangelist rather than seeing only one aspect of His life (birth, suffering, death and resurrection). We will use the Gospel of Matthew to guide us, and we will follow.