stmaryjoy Announcements, From Paul Zbytowski, Mass

Church Open May 16th and 17th

Hello everyone,
This weekend, May 16th and 17th, Father will again have the Parish open for private prayer, and Confessions. The doors will be open from 3 pm to 6 pm on Saturday, and Father will hear Confessions from 4 pm to 5 pm (again, we will use the Cry Room, not the normal Confessionals). We will also be open on Sunday from 9 am until noon, and Father will hear Confessions from 10 am to 11 am (again, in the Cry Room).

We will also resume public Mass on Wednesday, May 20th at the normal Noon Mass time, and it will be followed by Adoration until 3:00 pm. We will have the normal 8:30 Masses on Thursday and Friday, as well as weekend Masses on Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th. I will send something out on Monday letting everyone know more details on the 23rd and 24th.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

  1. No one is under obligation to come to Mass until after Sept. 6th, so if you feel more comfortable staying home and staying safe, PLEASE do.
  2. The Archdiocese is specifically asking people 65 or older and those with compromised immune systems to stay at home for their safety.
  3. If you are sick, PLEASE STAY HOME.
  4. You will be required to wear a mask (or other face covering) while at the Church. This is for everyone’s safety, not just yours.
  5. Seating will be limited to 200 people at one time. Once we are at that number, additional people will not be allowed to stay.
  6. We will NOT be using the Cry Room for seating during Mass. Please sit in the main part of the Church. We will be using it as a Confessional for the time being.
  7. We will have Communion at Mass, but distribution will look different. I will send out something at the beginning of next week to explain exactly what that looks like at St. Mary’s.
  8. We will be regularly cleaning the Church for everyone’s safety.
  9. For a second layer of protection, please use the available Cleaning Wipes to clean the area that you will be praying at, and dispose of the wipe in the trash can when you leave.

God Bless you,
Paul

stmaryjoy Announcements, Christian Service, From Paul Zbytowski

Mini Pantry

This spring, our Christian Service Commission was planning on starting a Mini Pantry at our parish so that if people needed emergency food after hours, there was a place that they could come to get it. There is more information about this movement at Little Free Pantry. We were planning on making a fancy box like posted in the header (image is from Here), but with everything that has been happening in the world, it has not happened.

Since I, and the group, are still worried about people having emergency food we set up a 20200408_144830low tech version of this at this time. It is a simple plastic tote with some food in it. It is there if someone wants to grab food, or if they want to drop off extra food. I know someone could just drive up and grab it, or that someone could make a mess by leaving food all over the place, but I think we have to do something to make sure our parishioners, and community members have access to food at this time. If you or someone you know needs something,  please take advantage of the food. If you have something to drop off, please make sure it fits in the tote, and will stay dry.

20200408_144815Hopefully things will get on track again soon, and we can make something more permanent. Until then, I hope everyone stays safe, and uses every precaution to keep others safe as well. If you want to help with this project, even more than food, I ask that you pray that the food will find the people who need it, and that everyone will be able to feed themselves. After that, if you feel like you want to do more, feel free to drop non perishable food.

God Bless each of you,

Paul

stmaryjoy Christian Service, From Paul Zbytowski

Our Sister Parish

I am not sure how many of you gave any thought to Pakistan before Fr. Shafique was named our pastor, but I am going to give you a quick history lesson so you will better understand a project that we will be working on over the next few years. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world. Because it is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China in the northeast, it is an important ally of the United States.

Christianity in the area now known as Pakistan goes as far back as the preaching of the 10896209_874867122577426_7392899030213795209_oapostle St. Thomas. Unfortunately, in an area dominated by other world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Sikhism) the church never got a strong, long term footing. Even with the work of missionaries in the 1500’s, it was not until the 1800’s, and the rise of the British Empire that the Catholic Church finally found fertile ground. Because of its work in medicine and education, the Church found many converts in the lower and working class. Even after the establishment of an independent Pakistan in 1947, the Muslim government has embraced the Church for its work in those areas.

To move our history lesson a little closer to home, over the last few years we have been dUntitlediscussing the idea of having a “Sister Parish.” This would be a Parish that would be in great need, which we could establish an ongoing relationship with so that we could see how our help could benefit the Parish in the long term. After conversations with Finance and Pastoral Council as well as the Christian Service Committee, we have decided to adopt Sacred Heart Catholic Church, in Gojra, Pakistan, which is located in the Diocese of Faisalabad. This is a Parish that Father Shafique was pastor of from 1994 to 2011. The Parish covers a large geographical area, has a school with a hostel, as well as a convent. Because there are not school buses available, many of the students have to live at the schools hostel so that they can receive their education. This lent, we will start working on a program to assist Sacred Heart Parish and the school. We hope our support will help to continue to grow the church in Pakistan. Please look for more information about our Sister Parish in the near future.