Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Examining the Mass Schedule 
As things stand now with our two weekend Masses, current attendance due to Covid-19 does not risk exceeding our church capacity especially since we have overflow seating in the PAC.  However, we hope that as things calm down, more Masses will become necessary with more people returning.  While we aim for stability we also need to recognize the “signs of the times” around us, which extend beyond the merely physical into the spiritual.  This is the time to examine certain aspects of our Mass schedule and discern a way forward. 

Over the past couple years I have received some requests to add a Mass in the Extra. Form of the Roman Rite on Sunday mornings.  For those unfamiliar with this form, it is the Roman Catholic Mass, but it uses the liturgical books from 1962 as distinct from the most recent books implemented after the Second Vatican Council. While that form was never abolished, it was more rare to find one; though over the past decade it has seen a substantial comeback throughout the Church. Interestingly, many from the younger generation have rediscovered it and are nourished by this encounter with the Lord.  In my time at St. Sebastian’s I came to learn this form and offer it on certain Sundays. This Extra. Form Mass is sometimes referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.” Unfortunately, there are misconceptions about this form. I encourage everyone to learn about it and be open to its benefit to the church even if it is not one’s preference. As with all things on the internet, be prudent as you search for information.  Here are a couple good sources: latinliturgy.com, sanctamissa.org.
  
So, I have received some requests for this Mass at St. Paul’s.  There are a few reasons I have more intently considered it recently.  One is that while the 1pm at St. Sebastian’s is not so full as to turn people away, it is getting fuller because of covid restrictions.  If we were to offer a Mass here, it would most likely alleviate some of their crowd.  Second, there seems to be a sizable demographic that seeks this form of the Mass.  While some live in our immediate area, many are scattered around Akron and especially farther south. By offering a Sunday morning Mass in this form, we would be offering a service to the larger area.  For these reasons I brought the idea to Pastoral Council and sought their input.  After reflection and discussion, we concluded that it would be prudent to propose a new Mass schedule including an Extra. Form Mass in order to intentionally reach out to this demographic with hopes that if people come, they would become parishioners and engage in parish life. Granted, parish life may seem a bit slow right now, but God will pull us through. This could be a very prudent time to discern and see how the Lord may be leading us.  The proposal is this:

4:30 - Vigil (Ordinary Form- no music)
7:30am - (Ordinary Form - no music)
9:00am - (Extraordinary Form - w/ music)
11:00am - (Ordinary Form w/ music)

The idea is to return to our older schedule but making the 9am an Extra. Form and keeping the other three Ordinary Form.  This change may also help keep our overall numbers spread out across more Masses so that we can easily maintain social distancing as more people hopefully return to Mass. The tentative start date is the weekend of September 5, 6 and would continue through November at which time we will evaluate and discern if it should continue.  

The above proposal is not completely set in stone, but if we are to move in this direction we need to start preparations by Aug. 23.  So I welcome your input.  Please feel free to contact the rectory by phone or through email or the Suggestion Boxes in the Narthex.  In addition, this and the next two weekends, I will also invite people to remain in the church after all weekend Masses where I can answer questions, offer clarifications, and hear comments.

No matter what the schedule is, there are certain preferences or conveniences that cannot be met for all.  I thank everyone for their continued willingness to adjust in our changing times.  We aim to stay as steady as we can, but our hope is even though change can be unsettling, change can enliven as well.  Since we are in a time of constant change, perhaps this is a way to welcome anew God’s grace in our parish. A possible beatitude here could be “Blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape.” 

Stay Holy and healthy!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr


Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Examining the Mass Schedule 
As things stand now with our two weekend Masses, current attendance due to Covid-19 does not risk exceeding our church capacity especially since we have overflow seating in the PAC.  However, we hope that as things calm down, more Masses will become necessary with more people returning.  While we aim for stability we also need to recognize the “signs of the times” around us, which extend beyond the merely physical into the spiritual.  This is the time to examine certain aspects of our Mass schedule and discern a way forward. 

Over the past couple years I have received some requests to add a Mass in the Extra. Form of the Roman Rite on Sunday mornings.  For those unfamiliar with this form, it is the Roman Catholic Mass, but it uses the liturgical books from 1962 as distinct from the most recent books implemented after the Second Vatican Council. While that form was never abolished, it was more rare to find one; though over the past decade it has seen a substantial comeback throughout the Church. Interestingly, many from the younger generation have rediscovered it and are nourished by this encounter with the Lord.  In my time at St. Sebastian’s I came to learn this form and offer it on certain Sundays. This Extra. Form Mass is sometimes referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.” Unfortunately, there are misconceptions about this form. I encourage everyone to learn about it and be open to its benefit to the church even if it is not one’s preference. As with all things on the internet, be prudent as you search for information.  Here are a couple good sources: latinliturgy.com, sanctamissa.org.
  
So, I have received some requests for this Mass at St. Paul’s.  There are a few reasons I have more intently considered it recently.  One is that while the 1pm at St. Sebastian’s is not so full as to turn people away, it is getting fuller because of covid restrictions.  If we were to offer a Mass here, it would most likely alleviate some of their crowd.  Second, there seems to be a sizable demographic that seeks this form of the Mass.  While some live in our immediate area, many are scattered around Akron and especially farther south. By offering a Sunday morning Mass in this form, we would be offering a service to the larger area.  For these reasons I brought the idea to Pastoral Council and sought their input.  After reflection and discussion, we concluded that it would be prudent to propose a new Mass schedule including an Extra. Form Mass in order to intentionally reach out to this demographic with hopes that if people come, they would become parishioners and engage in parish life. Granted, parish life may seem a bit slow right now, but God will pull us through. This could be a very prudent time to discern and see how the Lord may be leading us.  The proposal is this:

4:30 - Vigil (Ordinary Form- no music)
7:30am - (Ordinary Form - no music)
9:00am - (Extraordinary Form - w/ music)
11:00am - (Ordinary Form w/ music)

The idea is to return to our older schedule but making the 9am an Extra. Form and keeping the other three Ordinary Form.  This change may also help keep our overall numbers spread out across more Masses so that we can easily maintain social distancing as more people hopefully return to Mass. The tentative start date is the weekend of September 5, 6 and would continue through November at which time we will evaluate and discern if it should continue.  

The above proposal is not completely set in stone, but if we are to move in this direction we need to start preparations by Aug. 23.  So I welcome your input.  Please feel free to contact the rectory by phone or through email or the Suggestion Boxes in the Narthex.  In addition, this and the next two weekends, I will also invite people to remain in the church after all weekend Masses where I can answer questions, offer clarifications, and hear comments.

No matter what the schedule is, there are certain preferences or conveniences that cannot be met for all.  I thank everyone for their continued willingness to adjust in our changing times.  We aim to stay as steady as we can, but our hope is even though change can be unsettling, change can enliven as well.  Since we are in a time of constant change, perhaps this is a way to welcome anew God’s grace in our parish. A possible beatitude here could be “Blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape.” 

Stay Holy and healthy!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr


Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Examining the Mass Schedule 
As things stand now with our two weekend Masses, current attendance due to Covid-19 does not risk exceeding our church capacity especially since we have overflow seating in the PAC.  However, we hope that as things calm down, more Masses will become necessary with more people returning.  While we aim for stability we also need to recognize the “signs of the times” around us, which extend beyond the merely physical into the spiritual.  This is the time to examine certain aspects of our Mass schedule and discern a way forward. 

Over the past couple years I have received some requests to add a Mass in the Extra. Form of the Roman Rite on Sunday mornings.  For those unfamiliar with this form, it is the Roman Catholic Mass, but it uses the liturgical books from 1962 as distinct from the most recent books implemented after the Second Vatican Council. While that form was never abolished, it was more rare to find one; though over the past decade it has seen a substantial comeback throughout the Church. Interestingly, many from the younger generation have rediscovered it and are nourished by this encounter with the Lord.  In my time at St. Sebastian’s I came to learn this form and offer it on certain Sundays. This Extra. Form Mass is sometimes referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.” Unfortunately, there are misconceptions about this form. I encourage everyone to learn about it and be open to its benefit to the church even if it is not one’s preference. As with all things on the internet, be prudent as you search for information.  Here are a couple good sources: latinliturgy.com, sanctamissa.org.
  
So, I have received some requests for this Mass at St. Paul’s.  There are a few reasons I have more intently considered it recently.  One is that while the 1pm at St. Sebastian’s is not so full as to turn people away, it is getting fuller because of covid restrictions.  If we were to offer a Mass here, it would most likely alleviate some of their crowd.  Second, there seems to be a sizable demographic that seeks this form of the Mass.  While some live in our immediate area, many are scattered around Akron and especially farther south. By offering a Sunday morning Mass in this form, we would be offering a service to the larger area.  For these reasons I brought the idea to Pastoral Council and sought their input.  After reflection and discussion, we concluded that it would be prudent to propose a new Mass schedule including an Extra. Form Mass in order to intentionally reach out to this demographic with hopes that if people come, they would become parishioners and engage in parish life. Granted, parish life may seem a bit slow right now, but God will pull us through. This could be a very prudent time to discern and see how the Lord may be leading us.  The proposal is this:

4:30 - Vigil (Ordinary Form- no music)
7:30am - (Ordinary Form - no music)
9:00am - (Extraordinary Form - w/ music)
11:00am - (Ordinary Form w/ music)

The idea is to return to our older schedule but making the 9am an Extra. Form and keeping the other three Ordinary Form.  This change may also help keep our overall numbers spread out across more Masses so that we can easily maintain social distancing as more people hopefully return to Mass. The tentative start date is the weekend of September 5, 6 and would continue through November at which time we will evaluate and discern if it should continue.  

The above proposal is not completely set in stone, but if we are to move in this direction we need to start preparations by Aug. 23.  So I welcome your input.  Please feel free to contact the rectory by phone or through email or the Suggestion Boxes in the Narthex.  In addition, this and the next two weekends, I will also invite people to remain in the church after all weekend Masses where I can answer questions, offer clarifications, and hear comments.

No matter what the schedule is, there are certain preferences or conveniences that cannot be met for all.  I thank everyone for their continued willingness to adjust in our changing times.  We aim to stay as steady as we can, but our hope is even though change can be unsettling, change can enliven as well.  Since we are in a time of constant change, perhaps this is a way to welcome anew God’s grace in our parish. A possible beatitude here could be “Blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape.” 

Stay Holy and healthy!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr


Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Examining the Mass Schedule 
As things stand now with our two weekend Masses, current attendance due to Covid-19 does not risk exceeding our church capacity especially since we have overflow seating in the PAC.  However, we hope that as things calm down, more Masses will become necessary with more people returning.  While we aim for stability we also need to recognize the “signs of the times” around us, which extend beyond the merely physical into the spiritual.  This is the time to examine certain aspects of our Mass schedule and discern a way forward. 

Over the past couple years I have received some requests to add a Mass in the Extra. Form of the Roman Rite on Sunday mornings.  For those unfamiliar with this form, it is the Roman Catholic Mass, but it uses the liturgical books from 1962 as distinct from the most recent books implemented after the Second Vatican Council. While that form was never abolished, it was more rare to find one; though over the past decade it has seen a substantial comeback throughout the Church. Interestingly, many from the younger generation have rediscovered it and are nourished by this encounter with the Lord.  In my time at St. Sebastian’s I came to learn this form and offer it on certain Sundays. This Extra. Form Mass is sometimes referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.” Unfortunately, there are misconceptions about this form. I encourage everyone to learn about it and be open to its benefit to the church even if it is not one’s preference. As with all things on the internet, be prudent as you search for information.  Here are a couple good sources: latinliturgy.com, sanctamissa.org.
  
So, I have received some requests for this Mass at St. Paul’s.  There are a few reasons I have more intently considered it recently.  One is that while the 1pm at St. Sebastian’s is not so full as to turn people away, it is getting fuller because of covid restrictions.  If we were to offer a Mass here, it would most likely alleviate some of their crowd.  Second, there seems to be a sizable demographic that seeks this form of the Mass.  While some live in our immediate area, many are scattered around Akron and especially farther south. By offering a Sunday morning Mass in this form, we would be offering a service to the larger area.  For these reasons I brought the idea to Pastoral Council and sought their input.  After reflection and discussion, we concluded that it would be prudent to propose a new Mass schedule including an Extra. Form Mass in order to intentionally reach out to this demographic with hopes that if people come, they would become parishioners and engage in parish life. Granted, parish life may seem a bit slow right now, but God will pull us through. This could be a very prudent time to discern and see how the Lord may be leading us.  The proposal is this:

4:30 - Vigil (Ordinary Form- no music)
7:30am - (Ordinary Form - no music)
9:00am - (Extraordinary Form - w/ music)
11:00am - (Ordinary Form w/ music)

The idea is to return to our older schedule but making the 9am an Extra. Form and keeping the other three Ordinary Form.  This change may also help keep our overall numbers spread out across more Masses so that we can easily maintain social distancing as more people hopefully return to Mass. The tentative start date is the weekend of September 5, 6 and would continue through November at which time we will evaluate and discern if it should continue.  

The above proposal is not completely set in stone, but if we are to move in this direction we need to start preparations by Aug. 23.  So I welcome your input.  Please feel free to contact the rectory by phone or through email or the Suggestion Boxes in the Narthex.  In addition, this and the next two weekends, I will also invite people to remain in the church after all weekend Masses where I can answer questions, offer clarifications, and hear comments.

No matter what the schedule is, there are certain preferences or conveniences that cannot be met for all.  I thank everyone for their continued willingness to adjust in our changing times.  We aim to stay as steady as we can, but our hope is even though change can be unsettling, change can enliven as well.  Since we are in a time of constant change, perhaps this is a way to welcome anew God’s grace in our parish. A possible beatitude here could be “Blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape.” 

Stay Holy and healthy!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr