Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Patrick,
With the reopening of many group and organizational events, I have been receiving a deluge of mailings inviting me to this conference, to that meeting, to a meet-and-greet, to any fill-in-the-blank gathering. Business, ministry, social, celebratory, deferred memorial services, etc. The list goes on and on. Including last Friday night’s fireworks sponsored by the NFL, there is a lot of excitement in the air as we resume some of pre-2020 normalcy. There are also a lot of questions regarding the timing and readiness for all of these activities to start up.
Our parish community is confronted with the same questions. When do we start up and resume parish life beyond the liturgy and faith formation opportunities? Recently, I invited parish leaders to assist with offering reflection on reopening their areas of parish service. Of course, these are all based upon CDC, civil ordinances, and diocesan guidelines – as we have been doing since Day One of the pandemic. I am grateful for their feedback, as well as the guidance from our health consultants, as we bring back some events and activities. Our priority between May 1 and June 30 is to invite Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups back to our campus. We are currently in conversation with the understanding that such gatherings will comply with all Covid-19 guidelines. We are also looking into the expansion of hot meals which will likely continue to be carry out service for the time being. I especially thank our staff and our volunteers for their continued efforts of making safety our highest priority for our liturgies and outreach service.
Two other special events come by way of invitation. Please join us on Sunday, June 6th, for outdoor adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in honor of the Feast of Corpus Christi. This will take place in the front yard of the rectory from 12:30pm until 6pm when we conclude with benediction. More details will follow. And please join us on Saturday, August 21 at the 5:00pm Mass, when Bishop Malesic will celebrate Mass in honor of the 150th anniversary of the blessing of the church building’s cornerstone. We will be planning this event according to all current civil ordinances and diocesan guidelines. Save the dates!
May all of our mothers – living and deceased – be blessed for their vocation of service and loving witness as missionary disciples to their children!
In the Immaculate Heart of Our Blessed Mother,
Fr. Gurnick