Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People
 
Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,
 
New Podium
You may have noticed a new podium placed near the Baptismal font area.  There is actually quite a story behind it.  It has been over two years since I thought it would be good to have a portable podium for use in the church.  While there are moveable podiums one can purchase, they all looked tacky and flimsy, not appropriate for use in the church.  So, we connected with a carpenter to custom make us a podium.  I went to the Ladies Guild at the time, which approved of funds to commission this new piece.  Then there were delays because of the microphone we needed to get, the measurements needed to be tweaked.  Then there were unforeseen delays on the other end regarding the actual making of the thing!  Finally though, two years later, it is here! 
One may ask, why all the fuss?  Well it is primarily a liturgical reason.  The current ambo in the sanctuary is not just a piece of furniture; it is a liturgical architectural element of the sanctuary.  The Church’s liturgical documents specify that the ambo is to be used liturgically. This means that only certain things are read from it - the Scriptures, the homily, and the general intercessions and that is it.  For the same reason the altar is not used for anything other than offering the Holy Sacrifice and that the priest’s chair is meant for him alone, the ambo is meant for certain liturgical rites connected with the Word of God. This emphasized the importance of God’s Word distinct from other words. So, announcements, devotions, eulogies, etc. really should not be read from the ambo.  Thus, we needed a podium.  Furthermore, I wanted the podium to be moveable so one can use it for a lecture or move it to a certain section of the church for a particular devotion or for one to give a eulogy in the Narthex.  We will begin using it this weekend.  It may seem a little weird at first, but let that feeling remind you of the importance of the ambo and its connection with the Word of God.  Thank you again to Ladies Guild for making this possible.
 
Marian Shrine
Over the past few weeks there have been a slew of news reports about statues of saints, our Blessed Mother, and even Christ Himself being vandalized across the country.  Graffiti, broken limbs, and sometimes just toppling the whole thing.  Thankfully, I have not heard of these atrocities happening at churches in our diocese.  However, I have found myself wondering about our St. Paul statue in the Narthex, easily seen from the sidewalk. I have wondered especially about our Blessed Mother statues (one on rectory front lawn, the other in the grotto).  I find myself looking out the window most evenings to check them just in case.  It does my heart good to sometimes see members of our “Stewards of the Land Ministry” watering the garden and checking in on our statues.  I will also look and see parishioners stop by to pray a rosary.  This is good, holy, and a practical deterrent to vandalism. I encourage more people to stop by the grotto when they are out walking, or even make a special trip especially in the evening or night hours.  First of all, it is good to pray in our grotto, but just in case there are people who want to vandalize our statues, they will think twice if there are always people out there praying.
 
Seating in Church
Since we have returned to Mass during Covid-19, we have had to adjust where and the way people are seated in the Church.  This of course is to ensure social distancing as much as reasonably possible.  Since we have the PAC available for overflow and since we added the 4:30 Mass, there seems to be quite a bit of seating space left in the church.  Because of this, I am instructing our ushers to be a bit more lenient in allowing people to sit where they wish. Mindful that we must still maintain social distancing, and we still have certain pews closed off, there will be a bit more freedom for people to choose.  However, if an increasing crowd starts to push our capacity, please know the ushers may have to make adjustments and perhaps even ask people to move.  But this will only be done if necessary.  Thank you for your understanding in these matters as we continue striving to strike the right balance of safety and convenience. 
 
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr