My Beloved Parishioners:

How sorry I am personally and as your pastor that we are presently confronted with several great challenges. In the natural order of virus, along with flu, have created havoc, suffering, pain and in many cases the necessity to mourn. I assure you that the church is completely and wholly dedicated to leading the faithful of any denomination or those with and without religion through this period of great testing.

Without my direction, many parishioners come to the church in the course of the day to pray. The parish rosary group, without any direction from me, arranged among themselves to continue the public recitation of the rosary in the church. Every day, every soul is remembered at the altar. If you have occasion to visit the church, you will notice that our images of both Mary and Joseph have been brought forward from their usual places in the church. Hopefully and prayerfully, may this remind us of how close they are to all of us.

I am grateful that my flock has been obedient to the mandate set forward by our Bishop. I know for many this is painful, but throughout our history, it has always been the teaching of the Catholic church that every Roman Catholic has an individual responsibility to make personal sacrifices for the good of the universal church.

We will experience, if we stay close to the church’s teachings, that in Her own experience and that of the saints have always proved a great mystery that when we feel His absence it is then filled with His presence, and for each of us, this will be different. Please know that I am available to you along with Father Richards at any time.

In the very near future, I will write to you of some changes that may have to occur. These changes will directly impact you. We must prepare ourselves to accept what might become necessary, a reduced availability of service and availability provided by a staff that I treasure. I will meet soon with individuals that have served the parish well, in the past and presently. I am presently planning to create a very small group of parishioners that would be able to assist me with problems that may arise.

As I close this very short note, I remind you that we are people of faith and that this church and this parish will be present for generations to come. With that in mind, we are all secure in the knowledge that we will slowly not only repair but improve our Roman Catholic community. With God’s help, we shall be patient. All will be well.

With my priestly blessing and begging for your prayers

Father Michael Giannitelli, Pastor