22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,

    The last week has been especially difficult for people in our community as we see the deaths from COVID 19 continue to mount.  Many older people are succumbing to this terrible disease. I would encourage people, as many others are, to remain vigilant.  We will continue to try to engage only in activities that are safe in our parish. 

    If we are prolife, as we know, we respect all life.  We should be moved by the deaths of our older citizens who live in nursing homes.  We should be concerned about the people in prison who are struggling with terrible outbreaks of COVID.  No one’s life is expendable.  No one’s life is less worthwhile.   When we start to make such judgements, we are on a slippery slope towards a less ethical society.

I encourage people, to once again, use Fridays as a day of fasting and penance.  This past Friday I rang our church bell 175 times at noon, the hour that Jesus began his passion.  This took a half hour.  We ring the bell one time for each thousand people who have died.

Let’s never grow cold towards the deaths of people who are most vulnerable in this time of crisis.

May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over us this week.

Fr. Mark