Posted on June 23, 2019 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
As we announced last Sunday, Fr. Lawrence will be leaving us after nearly twenty years of faithful service to Old St. Mary’s, and more recently at Sacred Heart. We thank him for all his service, and for allowing Old St. Mary’s to remain open at a time when it would have been very easy for it to have closed. The parish was lucky to have him, so please be sure to thank him and also to pray for him as he begins this next chapter in life. There will be a reception for him next Sunday, June 30, following the 9:15 a.m. Mass. Please stop by to say goodbye!
Father’s departure, however, means that we have had to make some adjustments to our schedule. We will be one priest less, and while I like to offer as many Masses and devotions as we can, it can only be done if we have the people who attend and the priests to do so. Attendance is not always great at our Masses. Attendance at Adoration and devotion is also not good. This is something we all need to be aware of, work on, and pray over. With one less priest, after much consultation, I had to make some difficult decisions. I thank everyone who expressed their understanding and their patience with this situation. So many other churches, some bigger than us, are making more drastic cuts. So I am happy we were able to keep them to as few as possible.
Please note that the new schedule will go into effect on July 1. Daily Mass will be at 7:15 a.m. (Traditional Latin) and 12:10 p.m. (English). Confession will be at 11:15 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Sacred Heart will maintain daily Mass on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Confession will be at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, and after Adoration starts on Saturday. Tuesday Adoration at Old St. Mary’s and Saturday Adoration at Sacred Heart will continue as normal. The Miraculous Medal Novena will be prayed just before Benediction on Saturday at Sacred Heart.
On Sunday, at Old St. Mary’s, Masses will be at 7:30 a.m. (Low Traditional Latin), 9:30 a.m. (Sung Ordinary Form Latin), 11:30 a.m. (Sung German), and 1:00 p.m. (Quiet English). At Sacred Heart, Sunday Masses will be at 9:00 a.m. (Sung English) and 11:00 a.m. (Sung Traditional Latin). I hope that everyone adjusts to the new schedule, and I will certainly be praying for each of you during this time.
Remember, in two years, we will have a priestly ordination that will give to the Church and the Oratory two new priests. This is something we must keep our eye on. This is what the Oratory offers to both Old St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart, the stability and guarantee of priests for the future. We don’t have to worry or wonder who our next pastor will be, we already know him. We don’t have to worry if we will get another priest, we already have them. This is something to be grateful for. The future looks bright, please offer these momentary sacrifices for the good of our parishes and our souls.
May God bless each of you for your faithful support to the parishes. Please pray for us, and be assured of our daily prayers for you!
