Memo from Msgr. Raun- Wednesday November 12th, 2020
My dear family, Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all. VETERANS DAY: We give heartfelt thanks and honor to all the veterans in our parish, who have served our country and defended our liberty. God bless and reward you. I will never forget how my grandparents called today "Armistice Day", because it is the day when the First World War ended (My grandfather was a veteran of that war.) It was called "the war to end all wars". Sadly, it wasn't. How we must always pray for peace! THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE : Ok, friends the great Thanksgiving Food Drive starts this Friday, November 13th, and will continue through November 20th, from 8 am to 6 pm daily, at Fr. D'Arco Hall. The food distribution will be different this year, because of the corona-virus. It will be a "drive-through", where through the window of the car will be given a turkey, a pie, and a gift card for groceries. SO, WE NEED ONLY THREE THINGS DONATED THIS YEAR: 1. FROZEN TURKEYS 2. FROZEN PIES 3. MONEY - unfrozen, please :-) It can be cash or checks made out to the parish. It would help if you put "St. Vincent de Paul - Thanksgiving" on the memo line. NO canned goods, fresh foods, boxes of food, clothing, etc. Just the three things listed above. I know our parish family will come through, as we always have, in making sure that no one in our city will go without a proper Thanksgiving dinner. If your family is in need of a Thanksgiving dinner, please use this service on Saturday, November 21st from 9:00- noon in the parish parking lot. Covid practices will be followed at our drive-up service. If you are home bound and need assistance, please call our St. Vincent de Paul office for information at 892-0526. Again, I thank our St. Vincent de Paul Society for the wonderful work they are doing in organizing this annual event, especially in the trying circumstances of this year. STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY will be this upcoming Sunday, and the Fathers will be speaking about the Scriptural teaching of Stewardship. Again, I must say how proud of you all I have been. When the quarantine began in March, I had nightmares about how we would financially support the parish. They were needless worries. You have consistently support the material needs of your spiritual family during this critical time. And this has been true when I am well aware that many of us have suffered from unemployment or financial hardship. Archbishop Wester asked me what I attributed this to. My answer was simple - we have consistently taught and lived the Biblical message of stewardship for over 25 years in our parish. And now we have received the blessings from being faithful to the Word of God. YOU CAN RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION EVERY SUNDAY - IN FACT YOU CAN RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION EVERY DAY ! PRAISE REPORT: I received this note from a parishioner: "Dear Msgr. Raun, Fr. McKee, and staff, Just a quick note to say "thank you" for everything! I am so grateful for all the online services you have been providing since the quarantine. I haven't felt comfortable enough to attend Mass in person (when we were able to) but I've watched faithfully every Sunday. I'm sure it is no easy task to do all these online productions, and I appreciate them so much! I will try to attend the parking lot service and finally receive Communion. I think it's a great idea, and I appreciate you and all the volunteers for making it happen. I'm also grateful for all the memos I've received through email. They not only keep me informed, but they lift me up with encouraging words and prayers. I've been very fortunate through all of this: I still have my job, I've been healthy and all my family is healthy, but it is such a stressful and anxious time for all of us. Thank you for helping me stay close to God. Nothing is possible without Him! Stay well. With love and prayers and gratitude, Rosemarie DeLeo" We have received many other comments along the same line. Thank you! It is very easy to be the pastor of a parish filled with such nice people. Msgr. R- REMEMBER: HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION DURING THIS TIME: 1. The normal schedule of Masses - weekday and weekend - are being celebrated in the church. These will be private Masses. 2. BUT - every Mass is being broadcast on our low-wattage FM transmitter at 106.5 FM. You can listen to the Mass anywhere in our parish parking lot. Just sit in your car and listen to the Mass. 3. THEN - after each Mass, Eucharistic Ministers go out of the doors of the church with the Blessed Sacrament. Just go line up at the doors and receive Holy Communion. Please remember to wear your mask and to keep socially distanced while lining up to receive Communion. And - be very considerate and careful of your fellow parishioners in the parking lot as you drive away! 4. The 9 am Mass will continue to be live-streamed daily, and can be seen on our parish app and website (stanm.org). Also, remember the following: We are opening the church building every day at 9:30 am until 6:00 pm. (On Sundays from 2 pm to 6 pm.) We have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during these times. We are hearing Confessions Monday through Friday at 9:30 am and 5:00 pm. Saturday confessions will be at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. Please call the parish office to arrange funerals, marriages and baptisms. There are to be no more than 10 persons present, and are to be celebrated without Mass. Your priests are happy to make sick calls. Every precaution will be taken to protect the health of the sick person and the priest. Just call the parish office. PLEASE SHARE ALL THIS INFORMATION WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET! Laughing is the best medicine : back by popular demand, more corny jokes... Why couldn't the bike get up? Answer: it was two tired Why are snakes so smart? Answer: Because you can't pull its leg What is a woodpeckers favorite kind of joke? Answer: A knock knock joke A prayer for the intercession of Our Lady - shared with me by a parishioner... O Mother of Divine Love, we entrust to you our world and our nation, our families and our friends, that we may be spared the worst of this illness. In this time of trial and testing, hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful. For those already afflicted, obtain the grace of healing and deliverance. For those working to help the sick and bring an end to this crises, obtain the strength to continue their work. Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, conform us to the will of the Father, remind us always of the love of your Son Jesus, and bring His peace to our land and our hearts. Amen. I send you my fatherly blessing, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen ! Msgr. Doug Raun | | |
| | ||
| |||||
Posted in Daily Memo from Msgr. Raun
No Comments