MASSES SUSPENDED BUT STREAMED
"NOTHNG CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST"

March 20, 2020
 
Dear Friends,
,  
Please know that in this time of uncertainty we are here for you even though we have been asked to change the way we worship and pray together. All daily and Sunday Masses and activities at St Patrick and the entire Worcester Diocese have been suspended until further notice due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. We have been blessed here at St. Patrick's with the ability to stream Masses live and will continue to do it during this time so that everyone who wishes can participate. Even though we cannot be together physically, we can be with each other spiritually and virtually.  As St. Paul says, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God…”(Romans 8: 37-39)

Masses will be streamed at
4:30 p.m. every Saturday
10:00 a.m. every Sunday

You will be able to access it right from the website or our youtube St. Patrick's account (Search for St Patricks Church Whitinsville MA). It can be accessed on a computer or a Smart TV via our youtube channel.

Our Masses will be also broadcasted three times during the week at NCTV 191 and 192: Monday at 12:00 noon and Wednesday and Saturday at 8:00 a.m. 

Joining in Spiritual Communion
The suspension of the public celebration of Mass is upsetting for many of us who hunger to receive Jesus in the Eucharist regularly, but let us also remember that grace is being offered to us through spiritual communion. What is spiritual communion? It’s a prayer professing faith in Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist and inviting him to come to live in our heart.

“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.” 

A Spiritual Communion can never fully take the place of receiving Holy Communion at Mass, but in these extraordinary times it can help us to stay close to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood. 

If you want to receive holy communion at home or wish to stop by the church, we will be more than happy to do it for you. Just contact us (508) 234-5656, the same is true of confessions.  

What About the Parish Office? Will It Remain Open?
In order to minimize the risk of infection to our parish pastoral staff and those to whom they minister, our parish offices are closed to the public. All members of the parish pastoral staff are available by phone at 508-234-5656, or by email. Please check our parish website (mystpatricks.com) and Facebook Page for the latest updates. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Financial Stewardship During the Pandemic
We are always grateful for your generous support and we hope that you will continue to financially give to our parish even though Masses have been suspended. In order that the other work of the Church may continue, we are asking that you continue to support our parish financially in any of the following ways:

1. Mail in your weekly envelopes
2. Mail a check
3. Sign up for automatic transfer from your checking account (call the office)
4. Click on the “Donate” button on the upper-right hand corner of the parish homepage (mystpatricks.com)

Thank you is not enough to express our gratitude for your generosity!

Communication During the Closure: Don’t Just Delete It! 
While it isn’t our intention to inundate you with daily emails, there is important information that will need to be shared regularly. 

We hope you’ll view each of the items we send, and we bet you’ll even enjoy a lot of it! We have some good stuff coming your way!

A Final Thought!

Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” - Not even this pandemic!

We will continue to plan this week of how else we can provide spiritual care for all our parishioners and members of our community during the Covid-19 restrictions. 

Please, know that you are in our prayers and we are here for you in any way we can.

God's Peace,
Fr. Tomasz