a pastoral letter from fr. james dear brothers & sisters, · mater hristi cares about our...
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Parish of Mater Christi
40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208 Email: [email protected] Phone: (518) 489-3204
NEWSLETTER
Dear Brothers & Sisters, A PASTORAL LETTER FROM FR. JAMES
Well… here we are in the midst of Coronavirus. Who would have thought this is how we would be spending our Lenten journey? And yet, here we are being called to practice our faith in different ways; thinking outside the box and outside the walls of our physical church building.
In all honesty, speaking as an only child, I love my alone time, but I also LOVE being around lots of people. To not see my Daily Mass crew, missing my interactions with everyone on the weekend, and not shaking your hands, hearing your sto-ries of faith and life, or getting those great hugs is really hard for me. The little things I take for granted on a daily basis I am missing very much. Through all of this, I want to reassure each of you that our faith family and community does not cease simply because of Coronavirus. Our parish is very much alive, but just operating in a different way.
Mater Christi cares about our parishioners and we urge you to take all necessary precautions to keep yourselves safe. For our sisters and brothers who are homebound, we will be checking in to see if you need anything. Please do not hesi-tate to call us if you need food, other assistance, or just want to talk.
Jesus tells us through the Evangelist, Saint Matthew, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our faith family of Mater Christi is one of the most generous communities I’ve ever been in. Whether it is with monetary donations or food for the homeless, our family always rises to meet the needs in and out of the church.
My sisters and brothers, just as this national emergency is having a negative economic impact on families and businesses, so it is on our parish offertory which is our principal source of revenue. Everything from the heat, lighting, and insurance, to staff salaries and school, is dependent on your generous donations in the collection basket each week. Our savings alone will not sustain the mission of our church. I humbly ask for your prayerful consideration to continue your offertory support of Mater Christi either online: https://materchristi.weshareonline.org or by mailing in your envelopes. I under-stand we are all having to make difficult decisions and sacrifices — I deeply appreciate your generosity.
Please remember to pray each day for those who are suffering from Coronavirus; for those who care for them, for scien-tists working to find a cure, and for all those who are anxious and afraid during this time of uncertainty. We call upon the Lord Jesus to bring His everlasting peace to calm our hearts and minds. Keep the prayers going, keep a smile and always laugh.
We will make it through this and we will come out stronger and more resilient. For nothing is impossible with God. God bless you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help.
God’s Love and Blessings Always,
IMPORTANT INFORMATION Due to growing concerns and medical advice related to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in social settings,
Bishop Scharfenberger has announced that all regularly scheduled public Masses in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany — except weddings and funerals (may be attended only by close family and in accordance with social distancing and capacity requirements)— will be canceled until further notice.
All other Mater Christi parish events are canceled including Stations of the Cross on Fridays and the Lenten Penance Service which was originally scheduled for March 25th.
Although there will be no daily or weekend Masses at Mater Christi, our Church will be open from dawn to dusk for anyone who would like to stop and say a prayer or light a candle. However, please be aware that it may not be disinfected between each visitor.
Our Parish Office is closed and staff is working from home. Please feel free to contact us at (518) 489-3204 or [email protected]. We will still be checking messages and email.
Fr. James and Fr. Kyle will be offering a private Mass each day for the intentions of the People of the Parish and also for the intentions that have already been scheduled. If you would like a Mass intention rescheduled, please contact the office.
The Diocese of Albany will continue to provide updated guidelines and they have put together a page of spiritual resources including links to daily Scripture readings, the Pope’s messages and televised Masses. Visit: https://www.rcda.org/coronavirus
Bookmark our parish website: visit parishes.rcda.org/MaterChristi/ and check the Coronavirus information link
“Like” our Facebook page: The Parish of Mater Christi
Download the MyParish app! Available for iPhone and Android. Search for our parish: Parish of Mater Christi
Weekly bulletins: Although Masses are canceled, we will continue to publish a weekly bulletin which you can access on our parish website by clicking on the “Bulletins” tab.
Join us on our new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClV0KgxBuOtPFMAnJdaZNfg for homilies, reflections, updates from staff, music from Rose, and Mass.
Email correspondence: If you have not been receiving electronic messages from us, we strongly encourage you to please share a household email address with our office to allow for more timely and cost effective conveyance of parish news and information in the future. Send a message to: [email protected] including your full name and street address and ask us to add your email address to our database.
By making online donations through WeShare, your contributions will go directly to the Parish bank account without having to be handled by staff and physically taken to the bank. You can make a one-time donation or set up weekly or monthly recurring donations. Use this link: https://materchristi.weshareonline.org or go to our parish website and click on the “Give Online” box in the upper right corner. The WeShare website is very easy to navigate. If you need assistance you can call LPI (WeShare) Donor Customer Service at: 800-950-9952 (press #3 and then press #2). If you would like detailed instructions to be emailed to you, please contact the parish office. Thank you so much for your continued support; we are deeply grateful for your generosity.
STAY CONNECTED
ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE GIVING
Catholics are encouraged to make a ‘spiritual communion’. St. John Paul II writes that “it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of ‘spiritual com-munion’, which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. Saint Teresa of Jesus wrote: ‘When you do not receive Communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you.’” (Ecclesia Eucharistia, no. 34)
HOW DO I MAKE A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION?* Below are recommendations for how to make a ‘spiritual communion’ when unable to participate in the Holy Sac-rifice of the Mass. The recommendations can be adapted based upon personal and family needs. Gather with others in your household and begin a time of prayer with the sign of the cross. Take time to read and reflect upon the readings from Sunday Mass. You can find the readings at usccb.org and
a Sunday Gospel reflection on our YouTube channel. Share prayer intentions quietly or aloud.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Pray one of the following prayers of spiritual communion (see below).
Close with the sign of the cross.
Prayer to the Most Holy Redeemer (Anima Christi) Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, embolden me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within thy wounds hide me. Never permit me to be parted from you. From the evil Enemy, defend me. In the hour of my death, call me. And bid me come to thee, that with your saints I may praise thee for age upon age. Amen.
An Act of Spiritual Communion by St. Alphonsus Liguori My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment 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.
Pope Francis’s Prayer to Mary during the Coronavirus Pandemic O Mary, you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm. You, Salvation of Your People, know what we need, and we are sure you will provide so that, as in Cana of Galilee, we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection. Amen. Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are on trial, but deliv-er us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. (Adapted from Vatican News.)
Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified Behold, O good and loving Jesus, that I cast myself on my knees before you and, with the greatest fervor of spirit, I pray and beseech you to instill into my heart ardent sentiments of faith, hope and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a most firm purpose of amendment. With deep affection and sorrow I ponder intimately and contemplate in my mind your five wounds, having before my eyes what the prophet David had already put in your mouth about yourself, O good Jesus: They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones (Ps. 21: 17-18).
*Spiritual Communion resources Taken from the Archdiocese of Washington DC
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I CAN’T COME TO MASS?
FOOD PANTRY The Mater Christi Food Pantry is still up and running during this time. We have set up a makeshift food pantry at our parish office, and are providing food assistance by individual appointment. There has been a significant increase in the need for food, and we are doing all we can to accommodate the needs of the community. If you would like to support the pantry, we are welcoming food donations, as well as personal hygiene and household items. Donations can be dropped off outside the door of the parish. Call to let us know you're dropping off, and we'll come outside to pick up the items. If you are in need of food assistance, please call the pan-
try phone number, 518-596-6691 to set up an appointment. We greatly appreciate all the prayers and support you can provide for the vulnerable members of our community.
Parents have the first responsibility for the religious education of their children according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Thanks to the coronavirus this could not be more true and real at this time.
For Religious Ed families (& all families) with children in grades K-10 I have provided home school lessons and activities on our website: www.materchristireligioused.com. There are videos, activities, & links on each of the age group pages (Elementary, Elementary Sacra-ments, Middle School, & High School).
In lieu of the March 29th in-person Confirmation meeting I have posted all information on the Confirmation page of our website. In turn, you may complete the forms, notify me of
choices that need to be made, and send me all info through email ([email protected]).
Lastly, we were intending to pray the Stations of the Cross with your children during Lent, so instead, I will post Stations of the Cross meditations on the home page of our website, one appropriate for children and one for teens & adults.
Please keep checking in on our website as I add new items each week.
I realize that many of you are stressed by the economic and health challenges associated with this pandemic and therefore, I not only offer you resources to continue your children’s faith formation; but, more importantly, I also offer you my prayers. I, personally, take to heart the words of one of our Psalmists, “I shall be with you”…God is always with us.
Victor Russak Food Pantry Coordinator
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION K-12
Bernadette McSparron, Director of Rel. Ed.
PARISH OFFICE We hope you’re staying healthy and checking in on your family, friends and neighbors. As we learn to navigate this new, and hopefully temporary, way of life, let us reflect on the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossi-ble.” Please let us know if we can help in any way. Contact us at [email protected] or (518) 489-3204.
Kathy Naughter Jasper Stoller
In difficult times in life, music can both give soothing comfort and powerful messages. This morning, I woke up to a world reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sickness, financial strain, and the unknown have marred even the most secure corners of the world with instability and anxiety. Sitting at the kitchen table over a cup a tea, feeling uncertain, I turned on some mu-sic, and this came on. ".....What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're here?"
I smiled. The weight of hardship was still there, but there was a calm about the room. This message came to me with vibrancy, a reminder of a hope, that self-abandonment like a child in the arms of an Almighty Father is all that any of us are on this small earth. Every external pursuit is brought to a sharp halt; what are the internal things we can now grow in our souls? The whole world has stopped in its tracks; will we choose to look hopefully up to God or selfishly down to ourselves? This song, "Blessings," is by Laura Story - you should listen to it yourself. In the weeks ahead, I'll be sharing some music online that I hope and pray will give peace, strength, and a reminder of God's providence. It's my joy to share that with you. It will be on the Mater Christi Facebook page and YouTube channel. Remember, even in the worry, that God is with you.
Mater Christi is one of thirteen congregations which act as host sites for homeless families in the Capital Re-gion. Our Parish Center serves as a temporary home where we provide shelter, meals and hospitality for one week at a time, four times a year, for up to five families at a time. Our next host week was scheduled for the week of April 12-19th. However, until further notice, guests are sheltering in place at the Family Promise of the Capital Region Day Center. Therefore, our April 12th host week has been canceled. If you would like to support the mission of Family Promise, please donate at: https://capitalregionfamilypromise.weebly.com/donate--wish-list.html
MATER CHRISTI SCHOOL TRANSITIONS TO ONLINE LEARNING THIS WEEK It has been quite the week at Mater Christi School. We have been closed since Monday, March 15th. We are hoping to reopen our doors on April 2, 2020. Though we cannot be pre-sent to one another in person, we are keeping one another in our thoughts and prayers dur-ing this difficult time. We have been conducting school online because it is important that our students continue their learning. Our goal is to keep the students engaged, learning and connected during this difficult time. Our program also includes 30 minutes of online teaching each day per subject area either live or recorded. Other online content is being taught through video, online textbooks, worksheets, iReady, ixl, khan academy etc. The schedule is being communicated daily through Seesaw for grades Pre-K - 4 and through Google Class-room for 5-8. Finally, we have a new mobile number for MCS – (518) 698-3543. You can communicate using this number through text or phone.
LENTEN PRAYER Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled Your
Will by becoming Man and giving His life on the Cross. Help us to bear witness to You by following His example of suffering and make us worthy to share in His Resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.
Amen.
MATER CHRISTI SCHOOL
MUSIC MINISTRY
FAMILY PROMISE
Sr. Debbie, Principal
Rose May, Music Director