Archives for March 2020

As promised [threatened??], here’s the link to the reflection video for the Fifth Week of Lent.  We’re planning to offer these until we get to welcome you back to the public celebration of Mass.  (I can’t WAIT!!!)  As I said before, lots of places had the livestreaming capability before this hit.  I wish we were one of them.  Soon enough!  So here’s the link. God bless.

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And just in from Archbishop Pérez, a special video retreat for Lent in the time of Covid-19.  His letter and the correct links (I hope; remember I’m doing this for the first time here!) are below. 

Here’s the link to the introductory video:

https://vimeo.com/catholicphilly/review/400725478/d983405c2b

A Message from Archbishop Pérez Announcing the Launch of “The Power of Faith and Hope in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Lenten Retreat

“Our Lenten journey has taken an unexpected turn with the worldwide outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). In an effort to impede the spread of the virus and to protect those most vulnerable among us, all of us have changed the way that we live. Life as we understand it has temporarily changed, but this too shall pass. We are people whose hearts are grounded in our faith and in our hope, that is the strength that helps us during this time of uncertainty.

Though we are living out concepts such as isolation, quarantine, and social distancing – as believers and followers of Christ we know we are never truly alone and that He is always by our side.  It has been a painful, confusing, trying time for all of us, but in Christ and His triumph over the cross there is hope.  Until we can safely be together again physically, we can pray together in spirit.

I am overjoyed to announce a new Lenten initiative, “The Power of Faith and Hope in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Lenten Retreat.” Beginning Monday, March 30th I will share a video each night at 7:00 p.m. via my Facebook page. The series will extend to Palm Sunday and will include dynamic presenters from across our Archdiocese who will bring Catholic Families closer to Christ through scripture, reflection, and prayer. Six of the videos will be in English and American Sign Language and one will be in Spanish. 

Please consider participating in this upcoming Lenten Video Retreat. Give this gift of hope to yourself.  Christ is hope and through Him we’re a people of hope.  I’m praying for you during this time of uncertainty.” 

+Nelson J. Pérez
Archbishop of Philadelphia

Additional Information Regarding “The Power of Faith and Hope in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Lenten Retreat”

This initiative commences on Monday, March 30th at 7:00 p.m. That evening, and on each of the following evenings leading up to Palm Sunday, a video will be posted to Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page. At that same time each night, installments will be posted to his Instagram page as well as the Archdiocesan Vimeo Channel, the Archdiocesan website, and CatholicPhilly.com, the official digital news agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. 

Hello All:

Trying to keep up with all this Covid-19 news is a challenge but we keep plugging along just like you.

Here’s the latest based on the Mar. 24 directives from the Archdiocese:

But first…

let’s talk about what’s still happening.  Our Youth Group is going strong, over the web that is…Check out 

https://corpuschristiyouthgroup.weebly.com/

to see how you can still connect to Danielle and with the other teens in our parish family.

 Our Bible Study concluded and went well.  (Hooray Zoom!)  And folks are finding new and creative ways to stay in touch and pray together even in the midst of social distancing.  Contact Trish at CorpusAFF@gmail.com to see what it’s all about.

We’ve extended time to participate in the Disciple Maker Index until Easter Monday, April 13.  There’s been a good response but let’s get the best picture of where we are that we can.  Thanks to everyone who has participated.  And it’s obviously not too late for everyone else.  Take a 20 minute break and fill out the Index.  Help us come back to worship and service even stronger!

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4099558/DMI/

Tune in Friday, March 27, at 1 PM to join Pope Francis in prayer and receive a special “urbi et orbi” (to the City and the World) blessing!  Normally these blessings only occur at Christmas and Easter but we can really use some prayer with each other and our Holy Father.  It will be live-streamed at www.vaticannews.va .  Don’t miss it.

We’re still open for the Sacrament of Penance on Saturdays from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the CHURCH. And we’ll still celebrate the Sacrament on Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week as we’d originally scheduled. That’s Monday 3-4 PM AND 7-8 PM and Tuesday 7-8 PM.  Please follow the directions that will be posted on the inside doors of the Church.

I’ll be sending another Flocknote on Saturday with a link to a video reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Thanks to McHenry Creative Services for recording in the Church.  Just a little taste of prayer from home. 

As you’ve heard, the Holy Week Services will be celebrated privately this year.  We’ll miss you. Normally I’m using Lent to invite and invite and invite you to these liturgies.  They are the coolest way of understanding who we are as Catholic Christians.

I wish we could live-stream them from the Church for you but we don’t have that infrastructure yet.  We were talking about it before all this hit but didn’t think it was an immediate need.  Oops!  While some other local parishes have this ability, I suggest you tune to the archdiocesan website for the Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Liturgies.  They’ve been wired for this probably longer than any of us and they do know how to celebrate a good liturgy — even without a lot of folks in the building.  I’ll plan a video for Easter Sunday but if you want the best impact of the liturgy, tune in to our Archbishop. 

The Parish Office is still open though not with a full staff.  But those working remotely are still checking email and voicemail so they’ll respond although maybe not as quickly as normal.  My thanks for their dedication and your patience.  The bulletin company is on hiatus due to Covid-19 so we’re posting a modified version on the website.

And the cleaning crew is in the process of that deep cleaning in the School.  We’re doing what we can to be as prepared for the return of our schoolchildren and those in R.E.C. Our teachers and catechists are still offering instruction and formation and I applaud their hard work and commitment.

Folks, it’s crazy and might get crazier but we’e doing our best here and I know you are at home (and at work for those who are in life-sustaining services.  Hats off and blessings to you health care workers and those keeping other services running!)

As I’ll keep saying, you’re in our prayers.  And I want to close with one that Fr. Ogden, who helps us on the weekend, sent me recently.  It recognizes our issues but also encourages us to remember all those around us.

A Prayer for Our Uncertain Times

May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health and making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love.

And during this time when we may not be able to physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.  Amen.

Praying for you always,

 

The printing company that usually makes our bulletin available online is closed during this time, so we will be posting the bulletins each week.  Use the link below to read it.

Click to View Bulletin

Hey Folks:

You’ve heard that yesterday Archbishop Pérez suspended all public celebration of Mass until further notice. What that means for us at CC is the following:

While public celebration is suspended, the priests of CC WILL be celebrating Mass privately on a regular basis to both pray for you our people and to remember the intentions that many of you have requested.

The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul will be livestreaming their 11 AM Sunday Mass for the duration. You can go to http://archphila.org to watch.

We’ll continue to publish a bulletin but beginning Mar. 29^th, it will be an abridged version and available online. For now, pretty much EVERYTHING of the events in the Bulletin are cancelled or postponed. But we’ll keep you up to date as best we can.

As previously announced, the Church will be open during regular business hours (9 AM to 5 PM) every day and until 6:30 PM on Wednesdays, our traditional Exposition day. (Although there will be no Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesday’s until further notice.) If you wish to visit and pray, you are welcome but please maintain social distance.

And much as I hate to have to bring it up, this might be a good time to think about Electronic Giving. We still need your financial support even as we all reach out in spiritual support to each other. But if this crisis starts to hit your wallet as well, do what you CAN. We’ll do our best too.

http://corpuschristilansdale.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Electronic-Debit-1.pdf

We’ll be open for the Sacrament of Penance on Saturday’s from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the CHURCH. The confessional chapels in the Chapel are a bit close. So we’ll move the screens to opposite ends in the front of the Church. There will be music playing during that hour to help protect the Seal.

Also, to increase social distancing, the Face-to-Face option for celebrating the Sacrament will be suspended for the duration. We’ll put a chair behind the screen for those unable to kneel. And we’ll wipe the screen down at the beginning and end of each session and provide wipes for the chair itself.

All regular visits for Holy Communion to the Nursing Homes in our Parish, the homebound in our Parish and to local hospitals are suspended for the duration. HOWEVER, we will be available for emergencies and those close to death. Call the Parish Office and we will make arrangements.

Should COVID-19 (coronavirus) be involved, we’ll have to make special arrangements but we will work with healthcare providers to do our best to see to your spiritual needs.

CC will celebrate a Funeral Mass during this time. However, we ask that participants be limited and that all exercise respectful social distancing. We ask that the family bring some sanitizer and wipes to augment our own limited supply.

While we can provide a priest for the services certainly, we cannot guarantee the services of our Funeral Coordination Team (in that case the priest will help plan the liturgy, possibly over the phone), Servers or Musicians.

And while the Church has no provision for livestreaming the event, if the family wishes to do so, that is allowed. We ask that you be respectful of the liturgy while doing so. Thank you.

We will also make ourselves available for a Funeral Service in a funeral home or a graveside service if requested.

At this writing, there are no Baptisms or Weddings scheduled at CC for the next month or so. We will follow the same policy for these Sacraments as we will for Funeral Masses. If there is a need for a baptism in the case of an emergency, we will follow the same policy as for Anointing of the Sick.

At this writing, the archdiocese has not cancelled or confirmed Holy Week services and liturgies. We’ll keep you posted and let you know as soon as we can. All extra services surrounding Holy Week—Tenebrae, the Passion Play, Morning Prayer and the Blessing of Food—are cancelled this year unless otherwise announced. Please keep our two Catechumens and our Candidate in your prayers during this time.

You can click this link to see any other updates on the diocesan level. http://archphila.org/covid19/

(And there’s a really great statement by our Archbishop there too!) We’ll do our best to use Flocknote (GET US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IF WE DON’T HAVE IT ) and the website to keep you updated locally.

And the Parish Office will be open for the duration unless we get orders to shelter in place or something similar. As time goes on, it might be more limited but we’ll be taking calls and emails and responding in a timely manner. And if you need to stop in, we’re wiping down the doors on a regular basis and BRING THAT HAND SANITIZER!

OK, that’s a lot of what we can’t do. Here’s some things we CAN do.

Danielle Gallo, our Youth Minister, has been doing some streaming stuff for our high school youth and has been there to support them. Click here to connect. If you haven’t taken advantage of what our Youth Group has to offer, this is a GREAT time to think about it.

https://corpuschristiyouthgroup.weebly.com/

Trish Keen, our Adult Faith Formation Coordinator, has hooked up with Zoom to hold real-time meetings of the Lenten Book Club and Bible Study programs so they’re still ongoing despite COVID-19. Email Trish at CorpusAFF@gmail.com and check it out. Don’t worry about being late; you’re always welcome.

And don’t forget that Disciple Maker Index. It’s still going on and what a better way to still engage in Lent and in your faith by taking the 20 minutes to fill it out. Yes, I’m going to remind you about this in EVERY bulletin and email that I can until it closes at the end of March. You can still make it a good Lent by participating in the Disciple Maker Index.

https://www.catholicleaders.org/disciple-maker-index

Everyone and everything it seems, is going virtual. The Vocation Office of the archdiocese is offering a virtual rosary led by our archbishop on Mar. 25^th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Check it out here. Heedthecall.org/RosaryRally.

And I’m sure that’s not the only thing going virtual. From a prayer standpoint, the only limits are our imaginations.

And for those of you missing the experience of Mass and the reception of Holy Communion, read this short reflection on Spiritual Communion.

http://www.usccb.org/about/communications/resources-for-catholics-at-home-during-covid-19.cfm (and there’s some other good spiritual stuff there too)

Yes, it’s the best when we come together as a community, break open the Word and Break the Bread; but when we can’t, we do our best and God not only understands but also more than supplies the graces and love and strength we need during this challenging time. Don’t be afraid to be there for each other as best you can and know that we here in the Parish are doing the same. God bless you all.

Praying for you always,

Fr. Schiele, Fr. Fedak, Fr. Silva,

Deacon Langsdorf, Deacon Evans and Deacon Currie