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Dear Friends,
Fires, storms, drought, and now COVID-19! It can feel like the end of the world is coming. In a sense, it is. The world as we know it is being turned upside down – at least temporarily – as many get sick and some die from COVID-19, and so much of ordinary life is put on hold.
Our Church is not immune. Fr. Michael and I have been sheltering-in-place and social distancing, so I know the disruption and anxiety that people are experiencing.
Yet, in times like these, it is important not to panic or lose heart. If this pandemic shakes us up and makes us think more about what is most important to us, and what we should be doing with our lives, there will be much grace in that.
One of the great Lenten gospels is the story of the woman at the well. The woman asked Jesus some questions about worship. “‘The hour is coming,’ He answered her, ‘indeed it is here already, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.’” (John 4:23)
What does this require of us at present? It takes discernment to work out what this means in practical terms for our worshipping community. Several instructions have already come from public health authorities and the Church. The Governor has mandated a shelter-in-place order for the public at large. Outside and inside gatherings have been forbidden; the public celebration of Mass has been suspended. Parishioners or clergy who feel unwell or have flu-like symptoms must be especially vigilant to stay at home. With this letter, I would like to update you about our present situation and practices at All Saints as we face this pandemic.
Fr. Michael and I continue to celebrate Mass in the Church every day, albeit with our congregation not physically present. We hear drive through confessions in the parking lot on Saturday afternoons at 4pm. We have anointed the sick among you and buried some of our beloved parishioners. We are continuing to baptize our Elect, one at a time, so that they still can be initiated into the life of the Church during the Easter season. We continue the practice, begun during Lent, of live streaming our 11:00 Sunday Masses. We also live stream Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from the Church every Sunday afternoon. In a word, we are trying to do what we can to journey with you and minister to your spiritual needs, even within the tight restrictions of shelter-in-place.
Since, with public Masses suspended, all of you are at home on Sundays, our weekly collection—the main source of revenue for All Saints--has been greatly reduced. It is not surprising that the Church, like almost everyone else in this country, is experiencing a severe reduction in the resources that we need just to carry on. Thanks to many of you who continue to give generously to the parish, we are managing to stay afloat for now, but we cannot sustain this for much longer. Thus, in exercising good stewardship of the limited resources that we have at this time, I have had to make difficult decisions. In consultation with our Diocesan Human Resources department, I have had to reduce our employment rolls and salaries for the time being. At the end of April, we will have only four paid employees, including Fr. Michael and myself, and with the four of us at a 50% reduction in salary. I believe this will enable us to maintain basic parish operations during the coming months. When the shelter-in-place is lifted, we will have limited office hours from Monday to Thursday. We will continue to reevaluate our situation and act according to our needs and resources as, God willing, we emerge from this crisis.
I want to express my gratitude to all of our employees and volunteers for your devoted service, and, again, to those of you who continue to give generously with your donations and weekly offerings to All Saints. While I know that many of you are facing similar financial challenges with a loss or reduction of household income, I invite you to give what you can through Faith Direct (accessible on our website), or through mailing in, or placing in the office mail slot, your Sunday envelopes. Even if, for now, it is not as much as you would like to give, I promise it will make a difference and be greatly appreciated.
Be assured that we are going forward together. The power of prayer, married with the wisdom of health experts, will ease and hopefully eliminate this disease. In this difficult time, I entrust our parish and our nation to the intercession of Our Lady, Mary Help of Christians, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, and All the Saints.
Let us continue to pray for one another, and I look forward to seeing you here at All Saints.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Ramon Gomez
Pastor
