Dear Parishioners of St. Mary’s Catholic Church 

In spite of his earnest desire to continue to provide the faithful with the opportunity to receive weekly and even daily reception of Holy Communion and to come together as a Community for the Sunday and daily celebration of Holy Mass; our Bishop, in light of the dangers to the health of many in our community, has made the difficult decision, to suspend all public Masses in the Diocese of Austin, both Sunday and daily Masses, effective immediately and continuing until April 8^th. 

For us here at St. Mary’s it will mean the following:

• I will celebrate Mass with the staff in the church every day. They will be the only ones with me in the Church and as soon as we are able we will live stream the event through multimedia. 
• Except during Mass, the church will be open during regular office hours (8 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday) and I would like to provide adoration during that time if enough people are willing to sign up for the hours. We will be trying to organize something shortly.
• Confessions will only be available at 4:00 pm on Saturdays, but this may change with time. 
• The celebration of Confirmation that was scheduled for Saturday the 21^st will be postponed and rescheduled at another time. 
• The celebration of Baptisms, Funerals, and Weddings will be limited to private services with only the immediate family members present in the church.
• The Friday Stations of the Cross will be suspended but books for private Stations of the Cross will be made available. 
• All large gatherings on the church campus will be suspended.
• Religious Education classes will be canceled and will reopen when the local schools reopen. 
• RCIA classes will be suspended and we will be in contact with those preparing for the Easter Sacraments.
• Anyone seeking to have their child Baptized should contact the office and we will provide the preparation that they need, but all group classes will be suspended. 
• All regularly scheduled homebound ministry (Communion to the Sick) will be suspended but the priest will still be available for the Anointing of the Sick and Communion in the case of grave illness. 
• There will be no Penance services during this time. 
• Your weekly gifts can be brought to the office (either given to the receptionist during regular office hours or placed in the door slot when we are closed). However, I strongly encourage you to take this opportunity to transition to online giving. It will help the situation in so many ways.
• Regular office hours will be maintained and I will continue to receive people and schedule meetings.
• Bulletins will be available in the back of the Church for you to pick up.  

These are the things that immediately come to mind as we make the adjustment to this new reality. I am sure that I have forgotten something, but I ask you to be patient with us as we put multiple pieces into place. 

During my recent mission trip to Honduras, I arrived in a mountain village, on horseback, with the mission team, to celebrate Confessions, Anointing of the Sick, and Mass. They had not seen a priest for over a year. We set up Adoration that day and many of them walked several miles to be there, including one woman who was blind. There were so many people who showed up for Mass and Confession. It was a deeply spiritual experience. 

In this village, while they don’t have Mass, the leader of the chapel, designated by the local pastor many miles away, gathers the people together to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word. 

What a beautiful gift we have received this Lent to be united to the poor, to those who do not have all the opportunity for spiritual development that we have. It is a moment to relish, to cultivate a hunger for those things which we might be tempted to take for granted. 

While the Bishop has, by his authority, given us a dispensation from the obligation to attend Holy Mass; he cannot dispense us from worship and from observing the Holy Day. This time is a great opportunity to take ownership of you and your families’ spiritual development. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity for sin and degeneration. I ask you all not to slacken in your prayer life but to intensify it in every way. 

This is what I would recommend during these times:

• On Sundays, you should dress well, prepare a table with candles and a cloth. Make it your altar and shrine, a point of reference. Establish a time when you are to gather together, perhaps gather with the larger family unit. 
• If you wish, you may watch the Mass through social media. If you do so, dispose of yourself to prayer through posters of prayer and following in a Missal. Lounging in the easy chair is not active participation (unless you are unable to stand).
• If you do not wish to watch the Mass on social media, I advise that you at least read in a meditative way the readings for that day and say the rosary together at the Home altar that you have created. 
• I also would highly encourage the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours as a great way to stay in Communion with the Church and we will see if we can provide you with means to do this. 
• Another alternative that I highly recommend is the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary. 
• During this time I want to establish holy hour throughout the week. That would be a beautiful way for us to develop ourselves as a community during this time of distance. I will be looking for ways to organize this. 
• I also want to strongly encourage you to be aware of how anxiety and the sources of anxiety affect you and others around you. Anxiety and fear are powerful things; respect it, no one is immune to it. Turn off the news, watch it only once in a while, and avoid making the pandemic the center of all your conversation. Receive the grace of this moment. 
• Remember those who will be suffering financially during this time, remember the poor, the small businesses. Stress can cause us to move to a survival mode, resist that temptation with intentional acts of charity and consideration. 
• We, your Parish, will also be expecting a decline in the Sunday collection during this time. If you haven’t already, I ask you to consider moving towards on-line giving.

In conclusion, seize this moment of grace and develop an ardent longing for these spiritual goods which we cannot have. Let us make this our finest moment. 

Yours In Christ,

Fr. Kurtis Wiedenfeld

Pastor, St. Mary’s Catholic Church