Given the current COVID-19 restrictions, 1st Friday Adoration is not possible; however, I would encourage you all to consider doing a Holy Hour before an image of the Sacred Heart in your homes this coming Friday June 5, ending with an act of Spiritual Communion.
This would be in the spirit of the “Night Adoration in the Home” devotion promoted by Fr. Mateo Crawley, founder of the Home Enthronement movement.
In a spirit of reparation, and keeping in mind the Holy Eucharist present in our parish tabernacle and in the tabernacles throughout the whole world, this act of Faith will be a great blessing to you and to our parish.
Those of you who already have an assigned hour can do it at the hour you normally do; others can make commitments to various hours throughout the day. Some of you will be inspired to take turns as members of the family throughout the night.
Our merciful Lord, who shows His great love to us through His Sacred Heart, will reciprocate your act of love with graces of protection and increased devotion to Him in these difficult times. As your bear your cross and thirst for the Holy Eucharist, Our Lord will shower you with graces to grow stronger in your faith and devotion and be more united in the bonds of charity.
I thank-you in advance for considering this commitment and anyone willing to sign-up for certain hours on the attached chart is encouraged let me know. However, you need not be limited to the attached schedule – feel free to do this Holy Hour at whatever time seems to make sense for your family.
May Our Lord richly bless you this coming First Friday!
Those of you who might not have a blessed image of the Sacred Heart can print of the attached image and have it blessed as soon as possible. Simply sprinkle some Holy Water on it for now. Our Lord will bless your efforts despite it not being blessed. He sees the secrets of the heart and will not turn away from a heart who seeks Him.
The temporary suspension of public Masses and closing of the church due to the pandemic COVID-19 has not prevented the parish from initiating the important work of completing of the restoration of its three historic altars.
With the approval of the Archdiocese, the work required to restore both Our Lady’s altar and the one dedicated to Saint Joseph is currently being undertaken by Atelier Plantagenêt who recently carried out restorative treatment on the high altar.
Like the high altar, the side altars were designed and built in 1898 by the same artists; church architect and decorator, Canon Georges Bouillon (1841-1932) together with one of his long-time collaborators, Flavien Rochon (1824-1902) and all three delivered to the monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood then located in New Edinburg.
Although designed as complimentary elements of the same commission and meant to be seen in a common setting, the two altars currently undergoing restoration differ somewhat from the high altar, most noticeably in the unique style adopted for the capitals of the columns and the use of several other decorative details carved in wood not found on the high altar.
The expert attention required to restore the side altars is expected to cost $24, 800 (plus applicable taxes). You can help by contributing to the Side Altar Restoration Fund.
Please use the yellow “Restoration” envelope clearly marked “Altar Restoration.” You may also donate through our “Donate” button on the home page of our website.
April 25 is known as the “Major Rogation” which was instituted by Pope St. Gregory the Great (b. 540) after a great plague besieged Rome. It also became associated with the blessing of farms, for a good harvest. It involves a procession and coincides with the Feast of St. Mark. I would invite you all to consider doing a home procession tomorrow for the protection of your family and property. You could begin at your family altar, and go outside (if you can) to do the Litany of the Saints. The priests here will also process around the Church with the same intention. You can download the booklet here to follow the prayers, or use any 1962 daily hand missal:
The rogation prayers can be found in most hand missals (see the indications in your missals for April 25th) and begins with an antiphon taken from Psalm 43:26 –“Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for Thy name’s sake”. Afterwards, all kneel for the chanting of the Litany of the Saints. At the Litany’s “Sancta Maria”, all stand and the procession begins, which in older times would take place around the boundaries of the territorial parish. Families may also do this at home by processing around their property, sprinkling Holy Water as they go around. One of your boys could hold a cross decorated with flowers to lead the way. After the Litany all can re-assemble at the family altar for the recitation of Psalm 69, followed by a series of petitions for the needs of the Church and for deliverance from general calamity. You could end by reading the following readings from the Rogation Mass: James 5:16-20 and Luke 11:5-14, which emphasize the importance of repentance and prayers of petition.
Let us continue to unite our forces in prayer for the protection of our families and an end to the current COVID-19 crisis. You are being remembered daily at the altar in our masses. Take courage and remember that Our Lord has won the victory over sin and death! He is Risen – Alleluja !
Below you will find a video describing the work which took place for the restoration of our adoring angels. Many thanks to Steve and Pauline Winogron for making this possible !
Fr. Deprey has asks that all families consider praying the 15 decades of the rosary every day as a means to obtain a positive resolution to our current coronavirus crisis.
To many of you this may seem daunting ? If your days are quite busy, consider praying a morning rosary for your morning prayers, then a 2nd rosary spread throughout the day (i.e. pausing from your activities to pray a decade each hour), closing with a family rosary in the evening. This can be done.
I would also encourage you all to wear the Miraculous Medal of St. Catherine Labouré which was first produced by the Daughters of Charity. During the cholera outbreak in Paris in 1832, which claimed 20,000 lives, the first medals were being produced. The sisters started to distribute the first 2,000 of them, especially to infected people who filled the hospitals. The healings increased, including a lessening of emotional distress. So great was the effect that the people began to call it the “miraculous medal”. We need all the help we can get !
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee ! Amen.
In this troubling time, you should know that God and His Church have not abandoned you. Even with the prohibition of public Mass and Communion Services, there are still many sources of grace which are open to you. I would like to discuss two of them here – Spiritual Communions and the General Fruits of the Mass.
Following the teachings of the Catechism of the Council of Trent(1), also known as the Roman Catechism, there are three ways in which one can receive Communion: (1) Sacramentally-only; (2) Sacramentally-and-Spiritually; and (3) Spiritually-only.
Those who receive Communion while knowing they are in a state of Mortal Sin are said to receive Sacramentally-only. This is because, while they truly receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine, they do not receive any spiritual benefits. On the contrary, they incur an additional sin.
Those who receive Communion Sacramentally-and-Spiritually receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine and do receive spiritual benefits.
Those who receive Communion Spiritually-only receive the spiritual benefits of Communion without receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.
The Catechism goes on to explain that those who receive Spiritually-only “are those who, inflamed with a lively faith which worketh by charity (Gal. 5:6), partake in, wish and desire of that celestial bread.” There are several things that should be noted from this passage.
The first is that in order to receive Spiritually-only, one must be in a state of grace, as the theological virtue of charity and Sanctifying Grace always exist together. So, one must have Sanctifying Grace, or be in a state of grace, in order to make a Spiritual Communion. If you are not in a state of grace, receive sacramental absolution as soon as you can (and be praying Acts of Contrition in the meantime). Editor’s Note: Even in the absence of public Masses, many parishes are still offering Confessions. Check with your parish for details.
Next, it is important to note that a Spiritual Communion must include a wish and desire to receive Sacramentally-and-Spiritually even though such a reception at the current time is not possible. It would be enough, then, when beginning to make a Spiritual Communion to pray, “Lord, I wish to receive You in a sacramental and fruitful Communion, but, as I can’t right now, I wish to receive You spiritually,” and then continue to pray as you would when receiving Sacramentally-and-Spiritually. There are prayers which are recommended by the Church for making a Spiritual Communion (Editor’s Note: St. Alphonsus Liguori’s version is included at the end). They do not necessarily need to be used, and one can draw phrases and ideas from them, based on one’s own dispositions, to prepare one’s own.
Spiritual Communions can be made at any time during the day or night, and as many times as one wants. One does not need to be in a church, in front of the Tabernacle, or even in front of a holy image. Spiritual Communions can be made anywhere, although clearly, it would be unfitting to make them in places ill-suited for virtue.
Spiritual Communion offers us many graces, even if we cannot receive Our Lord sacramentally (Corpus Christi at FSSP Dallas)
We should not worry that our sanctification is in some way impeded by receiving Spiritually-only and not Sacramentally-and-Spiritually during this time. As the Catechism states, those who receive Spiritually-only “receive, if not the entire [spiritual benefit of a Sacramental-and-Spiritual Communion], at least very great fruits.” So, the graces received from Spiritual-only Communions can be as great as the graces received in a Sacramental-and-Spiritual Communion.
But, in order to receive as many graces and fruits from a Spiritual Communion as one can, or even from a Sacramental-and-Spiritual Communion, one must be properly disposed. The better disposed one is, the more graces one is able to receive. To properly dispose oneself, one should pray preparatory prayers before receiving Sacramentally-and-Spiritually. These prayers can be found in hand Missals and elsewhere, or one could pray using one’s own words. How long one should spend praying such prayers will depend on the other duties one has to fulfill. This is why it is important to arrive with time before the start of Mass so that one can pray these prayers, if one is planning on receiving (remember that one is only required to receive Communion sacramentally once a year from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday in these United States). One could also pray these prayers at home before departing for the church if doing them at the church would be difficult. To make a Spiritual Communion fruitful, one should dispose oneself in the same manner, adjusting the texts of the prayers as necessary. Preparations before receiving either Sacramentally-and-Spiritually or Spiritually-only should include some form of an Act of Contrition.
We know, however, that we attend Mass for more than just receiving Communion. When we attend Mass, we give God the worship due to Him as our Creator and our Redeemer by offering up to Him in an unbloody manner the bloody Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The two-fold Consecration of the bread and wine makes the Sacrifice of the Cross sacramentally present. As Christ’s Sacrifice is present, the fruits from that Sacrifice are made available to the faithful. These fruits are placed in four groups – (1) Ministerial Fruits, (2) Very Special Fruits, (3) Special Fruits, and (4) General Fruits.
The Ministerial Fruits are those fruits which are offered to those on whose behalf the Priest is celebrating the Mass. The intention listed in the bulletin for the Mass, for example, would be the recipient of these fruits (if the intention is one who can receive them).
The Very Special Fruits are those which are offered to the celebrating Priest Himself. As he is offering the Sacrifice of the Mass in persona Christi for others and for himself, these fruits are made available to him.
Special Fruits are for those who participate in
or contribute to the Mass (Holy Thursday at
FSSP Minneapolis)
The Special Fruits are those offered to those who are cooperating in offering up the Sacrifice of the Mass by any external act (besides the Priest). This cooperation includes being physically present at Mass, but also by contributing materially to the celebration of the Mass. Those who have donated flowers, candles, vestments, liturgical vessels, and other such things being used in a Mass – including the church building itself – are all offered Special Fruits from that Mass. The amount of fruit offered to each is proportional “to their closeness of cooperation”(2) to the Sacrifice. So, the Altar Server in the Sanctuary will be offered more Special Fruits than that which will be offered to those in the pews.
Note, however, that there is a difference between the fruits being offered and the fruits received. The amount that is received is dependent upon one’s disposition. So, while the Altar Server might be offered more fruits, he may receive less than some in the pews as they, while offered less, were better disposed and thus actually received more than the Server. This is why, again, prayers of preparation before Mass are so important, not just for the reception of Communion, but also for receiving the fruits that will be made available and for worthily offering the Sacrifice of the Mass through the hands of the Priest.
Be sure to avail yourself of the General Fruits produced by all Masses (FSSP Philadelphia)
Lastly there are the General Fruits. These fruits are offered to all members of the Church, and even to those outside of the Church for their conversion. In order to gain these fruits, again, one must be properly disposed. This is why morning prayers and offerings are so important and why one should include in one’s morning prayers words to the effect of “Lord, during the course of this day, bestow upon me any Indulgences whose requirements I may fulfill and all fruits available to me flowing from all of the Masses said throughout the world today.” As Masses will continue to be said privately during this time, you should avail yourselves of these General Fruits which are produced. Additionally, if you feel that you qualify for Special Fruits due to any contributions you may have made, be sure to ask for those fruits also.
Hopefully you are able to see that the practices explained above are not to be used only during this unhappy time. These lessons should be integrated into the spiritual life of every Christian so that each may draw from all of the abundant sources of grace available to him. +
Spiritual Communion by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
(1) Part II: The Sacraments – The Eucharist
(2) O’Connell, The Celebration of the Mass (1964), p. 39, n. 6.
So this week I was reading some comments from a priest I highly admire, Fr. George Rutler, who is pastor of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in New York City, where at this time there are a lot of people in hospital, so many that the United States Navy sent a naval hospital called the Comfort to help out. This ship was actually called in during the 9/11 disaster and Fr. Rutler remembered it well because his parish was near the epicenter of the disaster. And as Fr. Rutler was looking out his rectory window at this naval hospital floating by, with memories of 9/11 flashing in his mind, he reflected on the current extraordinary situation of the closure of churches for reasons of public health during the current virus pandemic, and wrote this:
“With powerful shock this Lent, mortifications have been imposed by circumstances beyond human control and not chosen by the exercise of free will. Now the Passion will be more powerful, because the Gates of the Temple are closed.”
In the First Holy Week, “on the Mount of Olives, three of [the apostles] slept a depressed sleep, haunted by anxious confusion”.
And then, after Our Lord was betrayed and taken away and eventually crucified and buried all the “the holy apostles thought themselves deprived of the One they hoped might be the Messiah”.
In other words at the time the people of God felt abandoned.
He continued by saying:
“Varying circumstances in every generation have given the impression of being abandoned by the One who had promised to be with us always.”
And then Fr. Rutler closed his reflection with a quote from Blaise Pascal who said:
“Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world. We should not sleep during this entire time.”
I found this last statement particularly striking. “We should not be sleep during this entire time”.
Indeed.
He was not talking about physical sleep, but of the dullness of mind that so often sets in when our priorities are in the wrong place.
As I have said to people who have been coming here for confession throughout the past couple weeks, we need to look at this time of trial in a supernatural way.
God is permitting this.
There is not much we can do about it. We therefore need to supernaturalize these circumstances and take advantage of them for our spiritual benefit.
Remember that Lent is a preparation, where we look to the death of Christ and His resurrection. But our whole lives are in a sense a kind of Lent. Because there will be a death as well, and after that death, if we are united to Christ, we can hope for a resurrection. So we should look at our entire lives as a preparation, just as Lent is a preparation.
Again, Fr. Rutler says that “we should not sleep during this entire time”. In other words, we should be alert. We should be careful. We should be keeping vigil. Our senses should not be dulled to our first duty of prayer and penance during this time. We should not be spending hours of our day on the internet, looking for the latest answers to our questions, constantly searching for the latest headlines, the latest controversies, the latest conspiracies.
My dear parishioners, the answers to your questions and to mine are found in Jesus Christ, they are not found on the internet!
You would perhaps spend much more productive time in God’s sight by focusing more attention on your life of prayer, on your sins and their consequences, on the duties of your present state of life. Sending an email to Fr. Deprey at two in the morning is not a good sign!
The World Wide Web is well described – because it is a web, and on every web there is a spider, trying to catch you and suck the life out of you.
You need to be taking care of your spiritual life! What are you doing with your day? What are we really doing with all this unexpected time God has given us to prepare for the great Feast of Easter? It would seem that most of us have more time on our hands these days, given the circumstances.
St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed and the day is at hand.”
In the confusion and periodic panic of our current circumstances, we need to each set our priorities this week. What will they be? Have we perhaps taken Our Lord for granted? It is so true that so often we don’t appreciate something until it is taken away from us.
We know that Holy Week is the most important week for us as Catholics and yet we find ourselves, in a sense, cast out, like the public penitents of the early church, who had to do public penance for their sins during Lent before being re-admitted to the Holy Temple.
Is this a message we understand?
This is indeed a time for mourning. This is a time for true Penance. Our sins have caused the wounds of Christ. Our sins have nailed Him to the cross. Our sins, are the cause of death and destruction and pandemic.
We must, as St. Ignatius of Loyola urges, make an effort to grow sad and lament because Christ goes to His death. He hides Himself, He hides His divinity, desiring only to suffer in order to atone for each and every sin you and I have committed. Now is the time for self-examination, now is the time to ask yourself the question: If Christ died for me, what will I do for Christ?
I would like to share with you an act of contrition which one of our parishioners shared with me a few months ago. I was quite taken by it as I had never heard it before. I thought it was so beautiful and that you might find it to be of benefit as you seek this week to reflect over your life and bring yourself to true contrition and renewed repentance. It is best read slowly:
Forgive me O Lord,
forgive my sins;
the sins of my youth,
the sins of my age,
the sins of my soul,
the sins of my body;
my idle sins,
my serious voluntary sins;
the sins I know,
the sins I do not know;
the sins I have concealed for so long,
and which are now hidden from my memory.
I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial,
for all the sins of my childhood up to the present hour.
I know my sins have wounded Thy Tender Heart,
O My Saviour, let me be freed from the bonds of evil through
Well it would be an understatement to say that this has been a very strange week. But despite the strangeness, life goes on at the parish. The fathers continue to pray their morning breviary together, followed by morning meditation. We each offer our daily masses. We hear the confessions of the faithful who’ve arranged a time with us. We pray the Rosary in common in the afternoons. And we continue to prepare our sermons for the Sundays and Feasts. As I write, Fr. Debow is busily working on his sermon for you for Passion Sunday.
We are also working on filming and uploaded the masses and rosaries and are experimenting on improving the sound quality. The response from you has been encouraging.
I know that I had initially asked that you all consider a technology fast for Lent, but given the current circumstances, let’s take advantage of what it has to offer for our spiritual lives while at the same time not letting ourselves be too attached to screen time. It’s important that you all get out of the house a bit, go for a walk, and attend to projects around the home. We could all probably devote some time to “spring cleaning”. It will help us avoid getting “stir crazy.”
We have been receiving many phone calls from people requesting Confession and have been accommodating the best we can to provide that sacrament in a safe environment. We have two stations in the parish hall catechism rooms which are less confined than a regular confessional and which can be more easily cleaned and aired out while at the same time offering sufficient privacy. You’ll be pleased to know that even though you need to make an appointment (to avoid too many people at once) that we have kneelers with screens so you can still be anonymous. Others prefer to simply confess outside at the back porch of the hall, or by going for a walk with the priest around the block. Don’t hesitate to contact us about an appointment.
With the help of three volunteers we managed to get all the Passion Sunday veils ironed and placed on all of the statues on Saturday. Even though you are not able to be with us we feel it is important that the liturgical customs continue. If you have not done this at home, I would encourage you to find ways to cover your main sacred images at least, in a spirit of penance.
Why in the end do we cover our sacred images on Passion Sunday?
There is an old adage that basically says that we don’t appreciate things sometimes until they are taken away from us. It’s when they are taken away that we see how important they really were and how much we depended on them.
How true that is!
I have been reflecting on this ever since the restrictions on gatherings began to take place with this virus scare. And now with the closure of the church even more so.
I think God is trying to tell us something.
That we have so often taken Him for granted. Perhaps, like a good father who needs to teach his child a lesson on gratitude, our Father in heaven has decided to withdraw His consoling hand from us for a time, so that we better appreciate all that He provides to us ungrateful children.
We so much want to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to receive Holy Communion. To hear the choir and smell the incense. To see the sacred liturgy in all its splendour. To see the boys serving mass with reverence. To meet up with our friends after mass. But current circumstances prevent us from making this possible.
But remember that this privation of the good is an opportunity to redouble our sense of appreciation. Because too often we “receive” the sacraments but forget to thank the Lord for them.
This is not a time simply to petition the Lord for a lifting of the current restrictions. No. This is a time to thank Him for all that we have received from Him in the past. To doubly thank him for the gratuitous gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist. To make acts of reparation for all the times that we have received Him without even thanking Him.
How many Holy Communions have you received in your life? Can you count them? Think over the years how many times you have received Our Lord, how many Masses you’ve attended. With all those Holy Communions we should all be saints. The reality is that most of us aren’t.
Why is that?
It has to do with our dispositions. And one of them is related to gratitude. Let’s no longer approach confession and communion as a “revolving door”. And let us especially not reduce the Holy Eucharist to a mere “right”. It is not a “right” but rather a privilege. A free gift of God.
We don’t deserve such a marvelous gift.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, in his recent book written in collaboration with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI entitled “From the Depths of Our Hearts”, makes reference to this aspect. In that chapter he speaks of the error of ordaining married men to the priesthood in the Amazon on the argument that people have a “right” to the Eucharist. Reflecting on the concept of reducing the Eucharist to a mere “right” he boldly says:
“The priesthood is a gift that is received as the Incarnation of the Word is received. A community that was formed according to the idea of a “right to the Eucharist” would no longer be a disciple of Christ. As its name indicates, the Eucharist is thanksgiving, a gratuitous gift, a merciful present. The Eucharistic presence is received with wonder and joy as an unmerited gift. Any believer who claims it is his due shows that he is incapable of understanding it.”
(From the Depths of Our Hearts, ch. 2, p.75, Ignatius Press, 2020).
What a statement !
Have we perhaps reduced the reception of the sacraments, at least in our perceptions, to a mere right, especially now? Have we perhaps lost our sense of wonder and appreciation for the gift of God? Have we forgotten that in the end we don’t deserve this gift?
This is not a time to organize protest rallies or petitions or angry letters to our Archbishop, priests or superiors. What will that accomplish for your own soul?
This is a rather a time to count your blessings. Because God has been so good to us. And now perhaps we are being punished for our lack of gratitude.
What do we give Him in return for this gift of this cross in Lent?
Will you let Him form you in the virtues of patience and reparation through it, or are you going to let yourself become bitter because of it ?
The choice is yours.
Our Lord says:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
And St. Paul says:
“And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.” (Rom. 8: 28).
In the end it’s about trust. And don’t forget what Our Lord said:
“For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)
Our Lord has not abandoned you. If you pray the Rosary as a family, He will be there in the midst of you. Keep praying, make a daily spiritual communion, and you will weather this storm in peace.
A prayer for spiritual communion can be found below.
We are praying for you! We’ll see this through ! And thank-you again for your prayers because we need them !
In Christo, Fr. Erik Deprey, FSSP Pastor
Prayer of Spiritual Communion:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you.
Amen.
Thoughts in the Time of Covid-19–#4, March 26, 2020 from Archbishop Prendergast, S.J.
Dear brothers and sisters:
I want to share with you today news of the possibility of sharing a Plenary Indulgence by praying for those suffering from COVID-19, the novel corona virus and of a special blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (to the City [of Rome] and the World) that Pope Francis will give tomorrow, March 27, 2020.
Plenary Indulgences
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an indulgence is “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.” An indulgence is an ancient practice of prayer and penance for the remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven. In Catholic teaching, a person can draw on the merits of Jesus and the saints to claim the indulgence for themselves or offer it on behalf of someone who has died.
During this difficult period when the whole world is preoccupied with the battle against the Corona Virus, the Holy See earlier this week invited Catholics the world over to take part in a spiritual aid to those serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Apostolic Penitentiary granted special new Plenary Indulgences to the faithful.
The decree states: “So that all those who suffer because of COVID-19, precisely in the mystery of this suffering, may rediscover ‘the same redemptive suffering of Christ,’ this Apostolic Penitentiary…trusting in the word of Christ the Lord and considering with a spirit of faith the epidemic currently underway, to be lived in a spirit of personal conversion, grants the gift of Indulgences in accordance with the following disposition.”
The decree goes on, “The gift of special Indulgences is granted to the faithful suffering from COVID-19 disease, commonly known as Corona Virus, as well as to health care workers, family members and all those who in any capacity, including through prayer, care for them.”
It has a specific mention of “Health care workers, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Corona Virus according to the words of the divine Redeemer: ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (John 15.13), will obtain the same gift of the plenary indulgence under the same conditions.”
Thus the following may receive this specially granted plenary indulgence:
The faithful suffering from the coronavirus
Health care workers (giving help to those with the virus)
Family members and all those who in any capacity, including through prayer, care for them (so this means anyone praying for those suffering from or assisting Corona Virus patients)
How does a person receive the Plenary Indulgence? You must, with a spirit detached from any sin, unite yourself spiritually through the media to one of the following:
the celebration of the Holy Mass;
recitation of the Rosary;
a pious practice such as the Way of the Cross (or other forms of devotion);
recitation of the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and “a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters.”
Also you must perform all of the following as soon as possible: (considered the three usual conditions for a plenary indulgence): Sacramental Confession: Eucharistic communion: Pray for the Pope’s intentions
Urbi et Orbi Blessing for the City and the World
In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis said he will give an extraordinary blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) at 6 p.m. Rome time March 27 (1:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time in Eastern Ontario).
The formal blessing — usually given only immediately after a new pope’s election and on Christmas and Easter — carries with it a plenary indulgence for all who follow by television, internet or radio, are sorry for their sins, recite a few prescribed prayers and promise to go to confession and to receive the Eucharist as soon as possible.
After reciting the Angelus prayer March 22 from the library of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis announced his plans for the special blessing, which, he said, would be given in an “empty” St. Peter’s Square. “We will listen to the Word of God, raise our prayer (and) adore the Blessed Sacrament,” he said. “At the end, I will give the benediction ‘urbi et orbi,’ to which will be connected the possibility of receiving a plenary indulgence.”
Pope Francis said, “To the pandemic of the virus we want to respond with the universality of prayer, compassion and tenderness,” he said. “Let’s stay united. Let us make those who are alone and tested feel our closeness,” as well as doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers and volunteers. He also expressed concern for “authorities who have to take strong measures for our good” and the police and soldiers maintaining public order and enforcing the lockdown.”
From now to April 5th, St. Clement Parish will be open for visits to the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions at the revised hours indicated below.
Unfortunately, due to the state of Emergency declaration by the Province of Ontario related to the COVID-19 virus epidemic, all public events, gatherings, and masses are cancelled until further notice for the health and safety of all. Everyone is dispensed of the Sunday Obligation until further notice.
Rest assured that the Fathers will continue to be offering their daily masses in private and the mass intentions posted in our weekly bulletin will be honoured.
IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMON GOOD, IF YOU ARE IN ANY WAY SICK, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE CHURCH.
IF YOU DO PLAN TO VISIT, PLEASE BE CONSCIOUS OF GOOD HYGIENE (I.E. WASH HANDS, AVOID SHAKING HANDS, IF YOU HAPPENED TO NEED TO SNEEZE, DO SO IN A HANDKERCHIEF OR INTO THE CROOK OF THE ELBOW).IF YOU ARE SNEEZING FOR ANY REASON PLEASE STAY HOME.
IF YOU REQUIRE EMERGENCY SACRAMENTAL CARE (EXTREME UNCTION / ANOINTING OF THE SICK), PLEASE LEAVE A DETAILED MESSAGE AT THE PARISH OFFICE. IF YOU CAN HELP WITH CLEANING THE CHURCH CONSIDER COMING THIS SATURDAY MORNING AT 9:00 AM TO HELP OUT.
LET US ALL BE UNITED IN PRAYER THAT OUR LORD – “THE GREAT PHYSICIAN” AND OUR BLESSED MOTHER, “HEALTH OF THE SICK”, WILL LEAD US PEACEFULLY THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TRIAL.
MY PRIESTLY BLESSINGS AND PRAYERS FOR YOU ALL, Fr. Erik Deprey, FSSP
REVISED SCHEDULE (for visits and confessions only):
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
from 6:00 am to 8:30 am
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Tuesday & Thursday:
6:00 am to 8:30 am
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
There Is A SAINT CORONA, And She Is the Patron Saint Against EPIDEMICS
In Anzù, Northern Italy, the hotbed of the coronavirus in Europe, is a basilica where the relics of Saint Victor of Damascus and Saint Corona are being preserved since the 9th century.
Saint Corona was only fifteen when she professed her Christian Faith during the persecution of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius around 165.
Corona was arrested and tied by her feet to the tops of two palm trees which were bent to the ground. When the palms were let loose she was torn apart. According to the Roman Martyrology, this happened in Syria.
Two investigations in 1943 and 1981, proved that the relics in the basilica of Anzù belong indeed to a man and a woman. Cedar pollen was found confirming an original burial in Syria and then in Cyprus.
Saint Corona is especially venerated in Austria and Bavaria as the patron-saint of treasure hunters and against epidemics. Her feast day is May 14.
Prayer:
Almighty God, who forgive the sins of your people and heal all their faults, you who call the Lord our healer and sent your beloved Son to bear our sickness, look upon us who stand humbly before You. We pray to You in this time of plague and need, remember Your love and kindness that You have always shown to Your people in times of tribulation. Just as You graciously looked upon Aaron’s atonement and stopped the plague that broke out, just as You accepted David’s sacrifice and commanded the destroying angel to withdraw his hand, accept also today our prayer and sacrifice and show us mercy. Keep this disease away from us, allow those affected to be healed, protect those who have been preserved from it so far by Your goodness, and do not let the plague spread any further.
By decree of the Archbishop, for reasons of public health and safety, all public events and Masses are cancelled to April 5th (Palm Sunday). In the words of the Archbishop:
“It is with regret that we must temporarily suspend all public celebration of the Mass and other gatherings of Catholics in the Archdiocese. This extraordinary step is being taken out of concern especially for the most vulnerable to the deadly Coronavirus in our families and our society and in cooperation with the requests made by those responsible for public health in our region, province, and country.”
A decision will be made in the coming weeks about celebrations for Holy Week and Easter. You can access the decree by opening the link below:
At Saint Clement’s, the church will be open at our usual mass times for private prayer, confessions, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Out of charity for the common good, anyone who feels in any way sick should stay home.
We will also make ourselves available for visits to the sick in emergencies.
Rest assured that the priests will continue to offer their daily masses privately for the good of souls.
Please unite yourself in spirit to our private masses with your families through the following of the daily readings, the recitation of the Rosary, and by making a spiritual communion.
You can be assured of the prayers of your priests at St. Clement’s as we face this extraordinary situation together.
Prayers of protection can be found in the posts which follow on our Home Page of the website.
Keep safe and pray the Rosary. Our Lady will surely help us if we invoke her assistance.
Let us pray every day as well the Memorare of St. Bernard (below):
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
To keep this difficult decision in perspective, a similar situation happened with the Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918. For example, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri the city Health Commissioner shut down the city. This included schools, theatres, places of amusement and churches, anywhere where large crowds gathered. That earned him the ire of Archbishop John Glennon, who protested that decision; however, he soon complied and temporarily suspended the weekly Mass obligation for all Catholics. Busy downtown department stores operated under restricted hours, and public transportation was restricted as well. All of these actions resulted in St. Louis experiencing one of the lowest influenza rates of cities compared to its size. Of the 31,500 who got sick in St. Louis only 1,703 died. By contrast the city of Philadelphia, which went ahead with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in support of the war effort — ignoring warnings — had one of the biggest death tolls of the Spanish flu, with over 16,000 deaths and 500,000 people sick.
The Archbishop’s decision was not made lightly. He is truly concerned for us. He very much enjoyed his recent visit to our parish, where he Confirmed 44 souls with a beautiful Pontifical Mass. As we continue our Lenten observances, it is an additional cross for us to be sure. As your pastor, I ask you to please accept it in a spirit of penance. At the same time, I would remind you all of the importance of sanctifying Sundays especially through family prayer, the Rosary, and by reading the Sunday readings from your missal at home, followed by an act of Spiritual Communion. Prayers for Spiritual Communion can be found on another post on our website. I also have some daily prayers for protection posted on the website, invoking the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Let us pray that this extraordinary situation be short-lived, so that we can gather together as a community once more very soon.
Information on the approach of the city officials of St. Louis Missouri during the influenza crisis can be found here:
Due to the current health situation, Sunday Masses are cancelled today. The church however remains open for visits to the Blessed Sacrament, which will be exposed until 1:00 pm. Weekday masses however will continue as usual.
After much discernment regarding the health and safety of the faithful of the Archdiocese, Archbishop Prendergast has decided to cancel all the Sunday Masses for March 15 in the Archdiocese of Ottawa and Alexandria-Cornwall. What this means is that you are all dispensed from your Sunday obligation and asked to remain at home for the common good. However, weekday Masses may continue as usual (for the time being), since the gatherings are normally much smaller. More details will be forthcoming from the Chancery and our website will be updated. Please share this message with your contacts.
To keep this in perspective, a similar situation happened with the Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918. For example, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri the city Health Commissioner shut down the city. This included schools, theatres, places of amusement and churches, anywhere where large crowds gathered. That earned him the ire of Archbishop John Glennon, who protested that decision; however, he soon complied and temporarily suspended the weekly Mass obligation for all Catholics. Busy downtown department stores operated under restricted hours, and public transportation was restricted as well. All of these actions resulted in St. Louis experiencing one of the lowest influenza rates of cities compared to its size. Of the 31,500 who got sick in St. Louis only 1,703 died. By contrast the city of Philadelphia, which went ahead with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in support of the war effort — ignoring warnings — had one of the biggest death tolls of the Spanish flu, with over 16,000 deaths and 500,000 people sick.
The Archbishop’s decision was not made lightly. He is truly concerned for us. He very much enjoyed his recent visit to our parish, where he Confirmed 44 souls with a beautiful Pontifical Mass. As we continue our Lenten observances, it is an additional cross for us to be sure. As your pastor, I ask you to please accept it in a spirit of penance. At the same time, I would remind you all of the importance of sanctifying the Sunday through family prayer, the Rosary, and reading the Sunday readings from your missal at home, followed by an act of Spiritual Communion. Prayers for Spiritual Communion can be found on another post on our website. I also have some daily prayers for protection posted on the website, invoking the Precious Blood of Jesus. Meanwhile your priests will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today (but in private), for your intentions. Also, the church will be open today for visits to the Blessed Sacrament, from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Let us pray that this extraordinary situation be short-lived, so that we can gather together as a community once more very soon.
Information on the approach of the city officials of St. Louis Missouri during the influenza crisis can be found here:
So what are we to think about our current crisis? The whole world is trying to battle a virus, one of the tiniest creatures on planet earth, unable to be seen by the human eye. Yet this tiny creature has so much power! It reminds us that human life is fragile, and that we need to set our priorities straight. Because, one way or another, we are all going to die, and for some of us, it may be very soon.
What are we putting first in our lives? What have we been doing with our lives? Where are we going? What does the future hold?
I would like to remind you that God created you to live in this time, and not in any other. He created your soul out of nothing and planted you in the period of time that He willed. This means that you can be confident that you have all the graces at your disposal to weather through the storm. You were not meant to live in the idyllic days of medieval Christendom, when the whole culture was Catholic. You were meant to live now. This is your summons – to serve Christ and His Church in the here and now, in the context of a secular society seeking happiness is the wrong things and panicking about its physical health while totally ignoring its spiritual health.
But you will be a light to the world. You will be part of the solution. You are that remnant of God’s people in a hostile world that will be sanctified by these very circumstances and crosses. Your purpose is found in relating to these circumstances in a Christian way.
I invite you to think less of yourselves and more of your neighbour. Yes, we are called to be “socially distant” in order to stop the spread of this virus. I get that. But we are also called to love our neighbour as ourselves. To keep our social ties alive. We are called to share, not to hoard toilet paper.
Do you know anyone who lives alone? Do you know people who might need help with their groceries? Do you know someone who is probably lonely and eager to hear from you by phone? Do you remember the corporal and spiritual works of mercy which we are called to live?
The corporal works of mercy are:
To feed the hungry.
To give water to the thirsty.
To clothe the naked.
To shelter the homeless.
To visit the sick.
To visit the imprisoned, or ransom the captive
To bury the dead.
The spiritual works of mercy are:
To instruct the ignorant.
To counsel the doubtful.
To admonish the sinners.
To bear patiently those who wrong us.
To forgive offenses.
To comfort the afflicted.
To pray for the living and the dead.
When we give, we not only help others to be happy, it gives us joy as well. Think about that this week.
Begins with Sunday Masses March 22, and continues the evenings of MondayMarch 23 to Thursday March 26 at 7:30 pm.
Sunday: 8:30 am / 10:30 am / 6:30 pm : Sermon at all Masses;
Monday to Thursday: 6:30 pm Mass each night followed by 7:30 pm Mission Conference in the church (Confessions before and after).
Morning Catechism Sessions with Fr. Kopczynski — Fr. Kopczynski will give morning catechism sessions (for all ages) March 23-26 with Mass at 9:00 am followed by his presentation in the hall. We thank Father for offering these sessions as an extra feature to our mission.
