Throughout the world, the celebration of the great events of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection without a congregation certainly seemed unusual. Whether here at Immaculate Conception, or Saint Peter’s in Rome with the Pope or the Basilica Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul with Archbishop Perez, all would agree that without a congregation, the bells were ringing hollow.
To help our parishioners stay connected, we have been streaming Sunday Mass live at 10:00 AM. We were also able to live-stream the Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. We want to make sure that the vibrant faith community that was there before the virus will be there when we open our doors again.Many families are facing the harsh realities of layoffs, furloughs, diminished working hours, and loss of employment.
We are not insensitive to the fact that they are facing the daunting task of trying to keep things together while facing an uncertain future.
All the parishes in the Archdiocese have felt the effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic spiritually, socially, and financially. As your pastor, I must tell you that our financial picture, which looked so promising before the spread of the virus, is suffering.
Many of our parishioners have mailed their contributions or placed them in the rectory mailbox. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and take heart by their notes of encouragement. Yet, there are still a substantial number of parishioners who we have not heard from for one reason or another. The weekend collections are considerably off, even though a good number of our parishioners use Faith Direct as a means of sustained giving. The Easter Collection is off by $20,000. The loss of the 4:30 PM Sunday Mass with many attending, who are members of another parish, means a loss of about $500 weekly.
May I take this opportunity to ask those of you who have not made your weekly contributions or have not contributed to the Easter Collection to do so now. If you can at all afford to do so, please consider increasing your generous support of the parish. Please do not jeopardize or compromise your financial situation! Do what you can, but please do not wait until things get back to normal. Your support will help us to pay our bills, support our employees, maintain the property, and make any necessary repairs.
Along with viewing our live-streamed Mass on Sundays, one of the ways to stay connected with your parish would be to stop by with the family and make a visit to our beautifully decorated church. Please consider lighting a candle and saying a prayer for your special intentions. The church is open at 7:30 AM and closes at 4:00 PM. Don’t be surprised if Father Sullivan or I give you cordial greeting from a distance.
