Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Good News!
Guess what the Good News is!  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!  And in addition to this Good News is other good news: restarting public Masses has been moved up slightly.  There will be a “soft opening” of daily Masses starting Monday, May 25.  Obviously there will still be some guidelines and restrictions. 
However, I want to assure everyone, all those who want to come to Church will be able to do so.  Furthermore, any who are unable to come and desire a visit for confession, anointing, or Holy Communion please call the rectory so we can make arrangements for you.
 
During this time the bishops have dispensed the faithful from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays. Also the obligation to receive Holy Communion during the Easter Season (which has been basically impossible to fulfill) is commuted. This means one must fulfill the obligation of Holy Communion some time within the next year.
There are other precautions and procedures that will be in place as we return to Church.  At the time of this writing we are working on their implementation.  I am communicating with our staff, parish council, and key volunteers for advice. As we finalize our protocols, we will make them known in the bulletin and on our website. Reminders will be sent using our new parish app and also facebook.  I know there will be questions.  We will try to have as many as possible answered before May 30.  At the same time, this is new for all of us, and unexpected situations may arise. Be assured I take seriously everyone’s health, physical and spiritual. But the emphasis is on the spiritual. 
So while we are not out of the woods yet, there is some hopeful news!
 
In the meantime... Rogation Days
Mon. May 18 at 6pm, Tues. May 19 at noon, and Wednesday May 20 at 8am are the three times we will pray the “Minor Rogation Litanies.”  Rogation comes from the Latin meaning, “to ask or implore.” It is appropriate to implore God for His help during this time.  Even as it looks like we might be on our way out of the woods, there will still be lingering effects, negative consequences, difficulties with whatever the “new normal” will be, political, along with economic, social, and ecclesial challenges.  This is not the time to stop praying, but to persevere in prayer. Rogation Processions are a great way to show God and our neighborhood the importance we place on prayer.
 
Our processions will go around the block of the church.  It starts in the church and ends with Mass inside the Church, so unfortunately I cannot invite people in for those parts.  However, like we did with the procession on April 25, if you happen to be walking through the neighborhood as we are walking, I see nothing wrong with people joining us for the walk as long as they maintain the proper social distance. Maybe we will see you at one or all three! If you check our website there is a new brief video that shows what we did April 25. 
 
Updating Parishioner Emails
It seems like a while ago but the “4th Journey” calls we made are bearing some fruit during this pandemic time.  It has helped us to update parishioner contact information, and helped us create a more accurate email list.  This is a lot of work and we are around 50% done.  We sent out an email blast to those on our list to test the system.  If you did not get it that is okay; we are still adding addresses.  The hope of course is to help communicate better with more of our parishioners in convenient ways.  One of the “upsides” to this time is it has become an opportunity to increase our “digital presence.”  Soon we will have better email communication and in the meantime there is our website, stpaulakron.org, also our facebook page, our parish smartphone app, and yes we still have a rectory phone number with great people on staff ready to help.
 
Stay healthy but stay holy first.  So trust in God and be smart.
 
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr.Pfr