Dear Fellow Parishioners, Several have mentioned that our homily theme for this Easter Season is so pertinent and timely! “Unleashing healing and hope!” As the months of the pandemic increase and we experience so much loss it is tempting to give up and give in. Many of us are experiencing mental and emotional exhaustion, the sense of loss is overwhelming, anger, fear and anxiety are all mixed in a bag of emotions that are so difficult to sort out.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Happy Easter Season to you all! It was wonderful to have us together for the Holy Week Services; what a difference a year makes. We celebrated the “Pandemic Rite” but soon we may be able to celebrate the Roman Rite as we have in years past. Many are yearning to celebrate the Seder, Walk-the-Walk, share a simple meal together and gather around the Easter Fire on Holy Saturday. Someone asked if we would ever be able to share the chalice and the blood of Christ again? I have no idea!
Happy Easter Everyone! “It will be sweet when we can gather again!” That message has gone out to all of our registered families thanks to the men of “That Man is you!” Many good stories from several of the men making deliveries to homes and having a chance to connect with people from our Catholic Community. Most important on this gift is the QR code inviting you to participate in our parish survey. The Pastoral Planning team is inviting all of us to be involved in the planning process as we look to our needs as the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart is what will hopefully be a post-covid 19 era.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, What a difference a year makes! We begin Holy Week with the celebration of Palms and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Last year all our services were livestreamed with no one allowed in church. This year I am so pleased that we are allowed to gather. Please note that we have limited space in the church so reservations are necessary and can be made by calling the parish office. We will again provide drive through distribution of Palms on Palm Sunday only after the 9:30 Mass.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I have a subscription to “America” magazine, a Jesuit publication. In the March issue they invited readers to share what they were doing for Lent 2021. Several were relaxing their Lenten practices due to Covid-19 expressing as I have in a past letter, that we have really been in a year-long Lent since the pandemic hit our nation.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, At 7:30 am each Saturday morning, 28 men gather by Zoom for 30 minutes to participate in the “That Man is You” sessions. One of the two questions we discussed in our small groups has stayed with me since then. “What is the best prayer you ever uttered to God?” Well, I also had thought about that before we gathered and it is a prayer I pray everyday before I work on my homilies (about 2 hours a day) “Lord, what do you want me to say, and what do your people need to hear? I am available!” It is the best and I must say the most dangerous prayer I utter every day! My roll in preparing to preach is to pray over the Word of God (The good news) and share how God’s word is alive and speaking to the events of today, both good and bad, happening in our world.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Is this Lent moving quickly, or is it my imagination? Of course, I am a week ahead of everyone as I prepare to preach for the following Sunday. I feel like I need more time to absorb and contemplate the lessons of the wilderness, the mountain top and the anger of Jesus in the temple than I can fully soak in. Then again it could be that we have been in the wilderness since the beginning of the pandemic and we are trying to play “catch-up” on so many lessons to bring understanding to our minds and hearts.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Into the Wilderness-Creating a space for solitude where you listen to God speak! How is it going? Some have mentioned that they are giving God their commute time, shutting off the radio and spending the commute time listening. One person mentioned that they are realizing how much better the drive is without listening to the news. Of course, giving God a chance to speak is Good News! Others have said my solitude time is morning! If I don’t get it in then, it doesn’t happen. Taking the time before bed to reflect on the day is beneficial too and remembering your moment closest to Christ creates a habit of looking for Christ throughout our waking hours. Remember, we must “create” solitude. It does not just happen!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, “A time for praying and a time for grieving, a time for everything under heaven.” Isolation is enlarged when we must grieve during this pandemic. These past thirteen days during my brother Ed’s hospitalization have been overwhelming for my family. Trying to make decisions, trying to support, encourage, think clearly and rationally, trying to walk together from a distance, give people space, hold things together, have made for a very emotionally exhausting two weeks for us all. The situation was further complicated by the positive Covid-19 test results for those caring for Ed and Jane.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, We begin our Lenten Journey 2021 on Ash Wednesday February 17th. Our journey during a pandemic will certainly be much different from our past Lenten experiences. I touched upon opening our eyes to the miracles of the touch of Jesus healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. Maybe this Lent we can all open our eyes to the many ways we are touched by the presence of Jesus by those around us, and at the same time bring that healing touch to the people we encounter.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, So, I took the Deacon Tom Tierney Challenge, “Read the full Gospel of Mark, start to finish.” It was wonderful to see Jesus on the move and to recognize that God is here and he’s on our side! Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is having that ability to communicate a powerful message, read the hearts of those who were seeking his healing touch, and at the same time read the thoughts of those who found fault with every move and step he took.
Dear Parish Family: As you know, Fr. Bill has taken this week off to catch up on some rest and relaxation. It is well deserved! Covid-19 safety measures and social distancing have presented all Catholic parishes with challenges and we are no different. The uncertainty of the virus and vaccination has altered just about everything that we do as a parish. Like all of you, we have had to adapt to our constantly changing world. It is stressful!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, The deadline for our bulletin to the printer is Wednesdays at 12:00 P.M. so many times there are events that unfold after that time before we gather on the weekend. This week is a cliffhanger of a week as we witness a very different transfer of power in the United States; some say since the Great Depression. I am praying that when we gather on the weekend, we will be able to feel a sense of hope and move to restore unity in our nation. It will not happen in the next 100 days nor even the next four years. We have many issues we need to address as a nation; issues that are deeply rooted.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, It is Ordinary Time in the Church calendar, but we are living in extraordinary times in our nation. It is Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and I am thinking of all my travels throughout our country as I “Walked in the Spirit of MLK.” I visited Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Lorraine Hotel, which is now a museum, the Rosa Parks Museum, the MLK Library and burial site; you get picture. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet people who knew Martin.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Happy New Year everyone! And what strange events are unfolding as we enter this New Year. Several time I have read the words “Navigating the New Year!” When I think of navigating, I tend to think of finding the right way to deal with a difficult or complicated situation. Why should this year be different from any other year? It could be the unknowns, but there are lots of those for all of us in every year. The pandemic certainly plays a part and the political situation sure is complicated. All are out of our hands. Many things will continue to occur here at Sacred Heart in the months ahead.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I am sure you, like me have been reading some of the “Year-in-review” articles that are out there, and it is not a pretty picture. Many are eager to put 2020 behind us and enter into a new year with hope and promise.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Who is my neighbor? Who is my family? On this Feast of the Holy Family, I thank God for all of you who have answered the call to be neighbor and family to the least, the lost, and the last!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, The words of John the Baptist call us to repentance and the forgiveness of sins. As we do every Advent, we invite all to our Advent Reconciliation Service. Due to Covid-19 we are being very careful and a little creative with our service. We will gather around a firepit in front of the church for our service to be held Monday December 21st at 7:00 P.M. I am inviting everyone to reflect on the one or two items for which you are seeking forgiveness. Write them on a slip of paper. During the service each one will have an opportunity to hand that slip to me, I will read it, toss it into the firepit and absolve you of your sins. We will all be wearing masks and social distancing.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Several people have asked, “And how are you doing in all this?” Others have been attentive to the prayers on the weekend, “Is the Fr. Charlie we prayed for at Mass your friend from Haiti?” And someone made note, “Your homilies have been addressing the larger picture of our nation, and not just individual preparation this Advent.”
Dear Fellow Parishioners, We are having a Covid-19 Advent, so our Giving Tree needs to be virtual. Our partners are looking for the following items. The Daily Food Pantry is looking for gift certificates from Market Basket or Shaws for families in need. St. Vincent de Paul and our twin parish in Haiti, St. Gerard’s need money donations. Catholic Charities are looking for diapers size 3,4,5 or 6 and Baby wipes 80 count. The Mustard Seed is looking for men’s and women’s sweatpants and sweatshirts, as is Riverside Community Center who is also looking for bath towels and twin-size sheets. All this information is on our website at https://sacredhearthopedale.org/virtual-giving-tree so you can sign up. Place the name of the group on the items you are bringing in along with your name and place the items under the tree in the front entry of the church. We need all items brought in by December 15th so we can sort and deliver to each partner.