Greetings from Fr. Dave

Into June we go! School is already done for the year for some, and quickly coming to an end for the rest.

We have our school’s graduation on Monday evening of this week, with a drive-by set up for our grads to get their diplomas and then a “honk out”. If you live anywhere nearby, get ready for some noise! I am so proud of our students, their families, and our teachers for the ways they have adapted quickly to the online learning.  No one would say it is better than what our norm had been, but most would quickly agree that the level of learning that was able to continue is impressive.


We are continuing to find ways of increasing our Mass attendance capacity and the Archdiocese is in ongoing dialog with the Governor’s team on protocols as we proceed. For those of you hesitant to come out in public I want to gently encourage you and describe the safety steps we are taking. In addition to fully sanitizing after every Mass following CDC guidelines, we are assisting folks in maintaining the social
distancing in the pews and elsewhere, have all doors propped open so there is no need to touch anything, have hand sanitizer present, and we give clear instructions at each Mass to keep the Communion line safe. I have found everyone, without exception, to be mindful, thoughtful of others, and EAGER to be able to come back. We will welcome you when you feel ready to come back!


Okay……..a few words about finances. As you would guess we have taken a big hit on our offertory collections. We are not yet in a crisis position and the large number of parishioners who are on some form of online giving is making a huge difference. Expenses have not diminished, so I do ask you to please do what you can to support our parish through this difficult time. If you would like assistance in setting up online giving, our staff is happy to help. We do have a drop box right outside the office door that is emptied first thing every morning, so you can drop offertory envelopes or donations there at any time. Thanks for helping out!


Our seminarian intern, Tristan Schubert, is here for the summer and is off to a good start. I am eager for him to get connected with as many of you as possible and will need your help since we don’t have our usual social gatherings to facilitate that. He can be reached via email if you want to drop him a note of welcome. Take a look at the Monday Reflection video from last week for a brief interview I did with him. He will regularly be posting a Tuesday Reflection beginning this week, and he’s also written an introduction on the next page.


Congratulations to Jeanne Bart and Nathan Cummings, who were married here on May 30 ^th! Blessings to you both, and to all of our married and engaged couples.
 

Alfred Nieves (father of our Music Director, Mark) passed away on May 27 ^th after a very long illness. Please keep Mark, Erin, and the rest of their family in your prayers, and may Alfred’s soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.