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March 19, 2020Dear Parish Family Members,
As we do our part, here at St. John's, to support the Bishop's decree regarding the cancellation of public Masses and parish-based activities, I want to emphasize several things concerning the life of our parish. First of all, we will comply strictly with the Bishop's instructions regarding the suspension of all public Masses and activities to ensure the safety and well-being of all our parishioners. In addition, we will follow the guidance of civil authorities as it relates to social distancing and sanitation at all times. Please take note of the following:
* Sunday Masses will be made available through our parish website and Facebook page only. These Masses will be posted online every Saturday before 5:00 pm. We will observe this practice until we can resume the celebration of regular weekend Masses and provided we can ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved in the production of these recorded Masses.
*Although all spiritual activities (for example: stations of the cross, rosaries, and other spiritual presentations) are canceled, we will provide on our website spiritual resources that can be used by individuals and families at home until we are able to resume having these activities at the church.
*We will discontinue the preparation and serving of all food and meals, until further notice.
* We will continue normal office hours, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, provided we do not compromise the health and well-being of our parish staff. Individual appointments will continue to take place in the office but only at the sole discretion of the pastor. During office hours, the church will be available for personal prayer.
*The reception of the Sacraments will be suspended until after the resumption of public Masses. Funerals, individual confessions and anointing of the sick in case of emergency will take place in accordance with the Bishop's decree.
*The rescheduling of the reception of Sacraments for baptism, first reconciliation, first communions, confirmation, and marriages (including those previously scheduled for the Easter Vigil) will take place after the resumption of public Masses and as more information regarding public safety and public gatherings becomes available.
*Until further notice, all meetings including Youth Faith Formation, Youth Group (FUSION), Journey of Faith, Knights of Columbus, Women's Ministry, Rosary Group, and Grief Share are canceled. If it becomes necessary, the Parish Ministry Leaders and Finance Committee will be asked to meet at the Pastor's discretion. Otherwise, parish business and communication should be conducted online by email or on the parish website.
I am certain that all of the above-referenced changes are likely to provoke anxiety and understandably create sadness in the hearts of each of us. Nevertheless, we must do our best to comply strictly with the directives of the Bishop's decree. I trust that if we do our part, we will mitigate the spread of this virulent illness and ensure the safety and well-being of all of our brothers and sisters in Christ and neighbors in our community. I ask you to remember in your prayers our Holy Father, Pope Francis, our Bishop, Robert Coerver, all civil authorities at the national, state and local level charged with the responsibility to provide for the common good, all front line medical providers and first responders, and above all, anyone who may be afflicted with the coronavirus and all who lovingly support and care for them in their hour of need. May all we do throughout this crisis be a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a constant reminder of the life of our patron saint, St. John the Baptist. May we always imitate the virtues that he lived so faithfully throughout the course of his life: humility, courage, joy and above all an unwavering love for Christ. And as always, may we act with patience, mercy, compassion, and goodness of heart! I wish you peace. The peace that only Christ can give.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. David Cruz, Pastor
