St. Mary Our Lady of the Rosary

Father Ted’s Update

The reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles for this coming Sunday takes place between the Ascension of Jesus and the day of Pentecost.  With the events of Ascension and Pentecost as a kind of pair of bookends, we find the Apostles gathered in the upper room, united in prayer, and waiting… and waiting… and waiting…

         True, they had been told and thus knew that Jesus would send the Holy Spirit, but they did not know the day or the time or the hour.  So they waited – what else could they do?  They prayed.  We don’t know what they prayed for or how they prayed.  All we are told is that they “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.”

         In many, many ways, this year we have more in common with the Apostles than perhaps ever before in most of our lifetimes.  Like the Apostles, we, too, are waiting… waiting to be able to come to Mass and receive the Eucharist,…waiting to be able to move about freely whenever we want,… waiting for the pandemic to be over and restrictions to be lifted.

         Like the Apostles, during our time of waiting, we are called to pray - to join with each other and millions of Catholics all over the world to devote ourselves with one accord to prayer.  During this time of waiting, let us pray to the Apostles – to be inspired by them, to be guided by them, to learn from them. Let us also pray for each other and for everyone in the world, and let us pray to God that he may pour His Spirit upon us in a new, fruitful, and inspiring way.             

One of the things we are waiting for is word from the Diocese as to when we will be able to have a public Mass.  What we do know at this point is that when public Masses resume, everyone will be required to wear a mask (provided that it does not pose a health risk for the person wearing it) and to practice social distancing. 

While we have noticed that most people have masks, some masks will be available for people who do not have any. 

In Church, social distancing means households must maintain a distance of at least six feet from other households.  In Church buildings, only certain designated pews will be available for use.  When I measured the pews, they are about 33 inches apart.  To get to a six-foot minimum social distance between parishioners, we must leave two empty pews between households sitting in pews. 

In addition, as of this writing, we would still be limited to a maximum of 50 people due to the Governor’s order.  However, due to church building size limitations, to attain the proper social distance less than 50 may be allowed in the Church.  In light of this, we may ask for parishioners to let us know ahead of time which Mass they will attend so we can make sure we have seating for everyone. 

We will let you know what develops and when we will resume public Mass.  This will be announced via the parish website, facebook, and email.  If you would like to receive emails to parishioners, please email Sheila at saintmary.secretary@yahoo.com and she will add your email address to the list.

            In regards to parish events and fundraisers, there have been several developments in light of COVID-19 and social restrictions:

• The Saint Catherine Road Race and Gathering Events scheduled for mid-June have been cancelled.
• The Columbiettes/Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament scheduled for August has been postponed to 2021.
• The Saint Thomas Travelers trips have been cancelled due to COVID-19 and the subsequent bankruptcy of the travel company.
• The annual Basket Auction at Saints Thomas & Anne Parish has been cancelled.

 Obviously, this puts a damper on parish social events as well as fundraising and finances.  There will be more information about parish finances in a future bulletin and email.  Right now, it is important to realize that since we are not having regular public Masses, our parish incomes have dropped overall.  However, our bills still need to be paid.  If you have not been doing so during the pandemic, please mail your weekly or monthly donations to the main office in an envelope addressed to the name of your parish at: 34 North Main Street, Jewett City, Connecticut 06351.

            Lastly, one of our secretaries has reminded me that she continues to receive multiple emails from someone claiming to be the Pastor and asking for personal assistance.  I have noticed that in most of these emails, the email address has been created and thus is not my email address.  In addition, please know I would not use the pastor’s email address for personal assistance requests. Any such request from either Fr. Ted or Fr. Tom is not a legitimate request so please do not open or respond to it.