A Message from the Pastor
March 30, 2020
Bishop McElroy has dispensed the faithful from the obligation to attend Mass for the coming weeks (until further notice). While no public Masses are being held in these days, I will be saying Mass each day for all of you and our whole world. Between myself and Fr. Benjamin, we will be fulfilling the scheduled Mass Intentions as well. (There are still some openings available, please contact the office to schedule a Mass Intention.)
Sunday Mass will be live-streamed from St. Catherine Labouré at 9:30 AM in English and 1:00 PM in Spanish.
You can join us on YouTube or Facebook Live. Search (Seek) and you will find! (Matthew 6)
For YouTube, here is the link: https://bit.ly/39ppdvi. If you click on the button that says “subscribe” you will get notices when our page goes live.
· For Facebook LIVE, https://www.facebook.com/saintcatherinelaboure/. Please be sure to click “like” on the page.
Although you may not be able to receive Holy Communion at this time, you can remain in “Spiritual Communion” – by your act of the will desiring to be in communion, and by distaining all sin or anything that keeps you from God and one another. We look forward to the day when we will celebrate the Eucharist together again with great joy!
For Confessions, Bishop McElroy, quoting Pope Francis, says that for now it is sufficient to be sorry for your sins, make an Act of Contrition, and be ready to Confess sacramentally when the Crisis subsides. If someone really needs the Sacramental Absolution, I will be available for Confessions on Saturday at 4:00 PM, in the main church, or by appointment.
Don’t forget your financial donation to support the parish, as our expenses continue. Consider an online donation at our website: donate. Enter the amount you want to donate.) You can also mail in your donation; orput it inthe office mail slot. Thank-you to those who are already doing this.
See News Postings on the website for ongoing periodic updates.
April 5 is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to celebrate together these awesome and unique Liturgies, including Easter, as we normally do. Therefore, our faith in Christ Crucified and Risen is the only thing that can sustain us and keep us united at this time (as well as watching the Liturgies online!). Consider this amazing connection between the pandemic and Holy Week: The word “corona”, from which we get “Coronavirus” means “crown”, due to the way the virus looks under a microscope. We can think of the crown of thorns that Jesus endured to save us. Why did God, through Jesus, have to suffer like that, and why does God allow us to suffer like this? It’s a mystery, but we know that out of love, he sent his son to suffer for us and with us, to redeem us; and he promised that those who persevere in believing in him and remaining faithful to him will have eternal life! (John 3:16)
Following on the Governor of California’s mandate to stay-at-home, Bishop McElroy has called for the following measures in the Sacramental Life of our Church:
· The Liturgies of Holy Week cannot be celebrated publicly! The Diocese and the Immaculata will be livestreaming these Liturgies; see below.
· Baptisms will be postponed; those that cannot be postponed must be private and include only members of the immediate family, no more than 10 people.
· Rites for the dead are limited to internment services at the cemetery with less than 10 people; funeral masses must be postponed.
· Weddings are to be postponed, or to take place with less than 10 people.
· Quinceañeras must be postponed.
· Confirmation and First Communions will have to be rescheduled when the reality of this current crisis becomes clearer.
Livestreamed Masses:
· As noted above, we will be livestreaming Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM (English) and 1:00 PM (Spanish)
· The Diocese of San Diego will be streaming Sunday and Daily Mass celebrated in our Pastoral Center Chapel. These can be accessed at www.sdcatholic.org.
· The Diocese will provide streaming and recording of Holy Thursday Mass, the Good Friday liturgy, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Mass. More information available on the Diocesan website.
For now, we remain united in faith, hope, and love – from a distance!
Fr. Brian Hayes, Pastor
St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church
San Diego Ca 92111
858-277-3133
