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Dear Parishioners,
Today the Holy Mother Church celebrates the solemnity of St. Joseph, the spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary. St.
Joseph is a man who silently did all that God asked him to do trusting in God and in His providence. The foster father
of Jesus, St. Joseph, managed well every crisis moment in the life of the Holy Family. Friends, the whole world, you and I,
are going through an unprecedented crisis in our lives. We are under the grip of the Coronavirus and seriously considering
ways of protecting ourselves and others from it and taking all possible precautions to stop it spreading further. People are
afraid and scared. Some do panic. It is a reality. By God's grace we will go through this and hopefully will overcome it by
the grace of God. It's a time of universal solidarity.
Various measures have been taken by the diocese to help us fight against this virus. Most Rev. Michael Mulvey, our Bishop,
has taken many decisions in this direction. One major one is that he has suspended the celebration of Mass in the diocese
till the end of the month of March, 2020. This and many other measures mentioned in his letter, are taken with severe sorrow
but it is important to keep in mind they are necessary for the sake of protecting lives especially those who are elderly in
our community and those who are suffering from illnesses and are vulnerable. Pray that these painful and necessary decisions
can be lifted as soon possible as conditions change. But we do not know when.
I know that the suspension of Mass will significantly affect the way each parish operates and tends to the spiritual needs
of the faithful.
Though Mass will not be celebrated in the church with community, priests will say private Mass because it is the supreme
act of worship and most efficacious prayer. Let us be consoled of the fact that we hold Jesus in our hearts every day, even
if we cannot attend Mass in the present circumstances. Please note that EWTN has a Mass telecast every day at 7am, 11am, 6
pm and 11 pm. For those of you without Cable, on Sundays at 9:30am, Mass is celebrated on Channel 6-2, CW-STX.
I will be celebrating the Mass every week day at 8:30 am, except Wednesdays at 5:30 pm, and at 9:30 am on Sundays. I invite
you in this difficult time to realize that for us Catholics what a gift the Eucharist is! And how much we miss it!
Brothers and sisters, even if you are not able to join for Mass because Mass will not be celebrated publicly in the church
I encourage you to still receive the grace of doing a Spiritual Communion, praying the Holy Rosary and the divine Mercy chaplet
and other devotions.
Brothers and sisters, perhaps this moment is a time for us to look deeply into ourselves. Let us be kind to one another,
support one another, call or text one another and above all pray for one another. I invite all of us to live the golden rule:
"do unto others as you would have them do unto you that is the law and the prophets."
May things mentioned above and in the accompanying links be a guide to all.
Let us not panic but keep our head and our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ who is our Way, our Truth in our Life. Let him comfort
us and let us be an instrument of his love, compassion and mercy to all those we encounter. For the Lord said:"Come to
me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt. 11:28)
I stand with you as your brother and priest. Let us face it together remembering the consoling words of Jesus, "Fear
not, I am with you always".
Let us unitedly pray that families living in quarantine or lockdown would find ways to handle the circumstances well.
My prayer for you, your family, near and dear ones and your coworkers during this time of uncertainty is that the favor
of God would be upon you. I encourage you to pray, share and stay connected.
On a brighter note, Spring is in the air and has not been cancelled!
Our Lady of Consolation, Pray for us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us.
God bless you all and keep you safe and healthy.
Fr. Varghese K. Ethappiri
Pastor
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