Pastor’s Letter, March 29, 2020

Pastor’s Letter, March 29, 2020

25 Mar 2020 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear friend,

I pray you are doing well. This is such an interesting time for all of us. I am hopeful that our efforts to keep you informed and connected to the parish are effective. While we are physically distant, our parish staff desires to maintain communication and continuity with the whole community. We are communicating updates on our website, www.stphils.com. Click on the COVID19 button. We also broadcast Mass daily at 8am on Facebook and YouTube. You can also get to our Facebook and YouTube channels through our website. Click on the appropriate icons at the top menu bar of the website.

Our Parish Office remains closed for ordinary business. For those of you sending collection donations through the mail, or dropping in our Parish Center mailbox, accessible outside the main doors, we are making a financial deposit each week. If you do want to keep supporting the parish, but prefer to make an offering electronically visit our website www.stphils.com. This page allows our parishioners a way to give to the church through bank draft, credit card or debit card. It is easy to use, confidential and private. If you would like to make an online gift visit our website and select the green button that says DONATE or on our parish app, touch the GIVING button. That will bring you to our Give Now portal. You can make gifts one-at-a-time whenever you want to log in, or you can set up a recurring gift to take place of your envelopes. If you have questions or need assistance, please email us at finance@stphils.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can. The loss of the vast majority of Sunday Collection is something that we’ll keep evaluating going forward. While it is not time for St. Philomena to raise a red flag of concern over our financial status, please know it is something I am thinking about and will keep you informed as we move forward.

Click here for a letter from Bishop Jenky. Please read his words. Our bishop has decided to suspend Masses through Holy Week and Easter. At this time, we don’t have a time when Masses will resume. While this is a sad loss for our spiritual community, we must keep our eyes on the Resurrection of our Lord and our future liturgical celebrations. We will pray in our church together soon.

The Fifth Sunday of Lent includes the Gospel passage about the raising of Lazarus. This miracle story illustrates the power of Jesus over death. Prior to raising Lazarus from death, Martha, the sister of Lazarus is questioned by Jesus about belief in him. Jesus asks her if she understands that belief in Him results in never dying. Martha responds, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus uses the raising of Lazarus to connect physical death and spiritual death. These final weeks of Lent invite us deeper into the spiritual healing the Lord offers and the promise of eternal life. May the Lord heal each of our souls.

Please know of my prayers for everyone in the community during this time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or needs at frdprichardson@stphils.com or 309-682-8642. Thank you for your patience.  Hang in there!

God bless,

Father David