Message from Fr. Kusi – 5/20/2020
My dear beloved parishioners, I’m sure many of you, like me, are already enjoying the outdoors especially golfing, boating, fishing, etc. But I caution you to continue to practice social distancing, wear masks in public areas, wash your hands with soap and water regularly and take sanitizers with you wherever you go. We have a bottle of sanitizer for Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and Altar Servers at the St. James Church which says: Wash your hands and say your prayers because JESUS & GERMS are everywhere! We continue to practice these healthy habits because we love our neighbors. We don’t want to be the one causing the spread of the coronavirus because of our carelessness or ignorance. And out of respect for those who have died and those suffering from the virus, let’s make some sacrifices and pray for them.
Many of you may also be wondering when are we going to open our churches for public Masses? The simple answer is – NOT sooner than you may be expecting! We have a lot of work to do first to prepare both our churches. Who is going to do this work? I am asking all young men and women, all our ‘professional’ ushers, EMs and Lectors, if you know you’re healthy and have not been exposed to anyone affected with the virus to please step up and contact George Wygant ([email protected]) for St. James Church and Gary Smith ([email protected]) for Sts. Cornelius & Cyprian Church. We need millennials or college students to be trained as Ushers to direct the human traffic coming into Church and going out after Mass when we have all sang together the Final Song! No one will be leaving early!!!
After meeting with our Senior Leadership Team, we have decided not to open our churches for public Masses until the first Sunday of July. This will give us enough time for you, our parishioners to know what to expect if you choose to attend Mass in either of our churches; it will also give us time to re-train EMs, Lectors and Ushers for the new normal that is going to be part of the new way we celebrate Mass during these unprecedented times.The guidelines given us through the Diocesan Office allow us only 25% of our church capacity to come to church, but we have decided to go to 20% so that we have room for visitors or anyone just checking us out. We’re well-known as a welcoming and friendly parish and we want to be as accommodating to everyone as possible. We will continue to livestream our Mass from St. James Church since we definitely cannot have everyone in Church at both sites.
Please pray for our Elect who are going to be received into the Church individually during the weekday Masses this coming week. The ceremonies will be livestreamed to give families, friends and parishioners a chance to celebrate with them, welcome and congratulate them as new members of our Church. These are their schedules for the week:
Daniel Lee Launstein- Tuesday May 26, 7 pm. Benito Navarro IV- Wednesday May 27, 7pm Kaylynn Rose Lyons – Thursday May 28, 10 am. Margo Cortney Lee Higbie – Friday May 29, 7pm.
Blessings to you all from Fr. Kusi!
In an effort to continue the practice of our faith in these trying times, when many parishes have closed due to restrictions around the coronavirus, we invite you to join us online for daily Mass from my chapel. The celebrant will either be myself or Fr. Steve Grunow, the CEO at Word on Fire. ~Bishop Robert Barron
You can pull your own contribution statements now or update family information here!Masses are canceled through the end of April. Please stay tuned for updates as the situation is changing rapidly!
