St. Vincent de Paul Church Public Service Announcement
Dear Parishioners and Friends:
Due to the ongoing crisis of Coronavirus, the Bishop has so very sadly directed that all parish events, including the public celebration of Mass, be suspended until further notice. In addition, no weddings, funerals or baptisms will take place. Classes and meetings have also been suspended.
I intend to celebrate and record/live-stream the weekend Mass on the parish website and perhaps any other possible medium. Our website: http://www.svdpsc.com.
Parish office hours and operation will slightly change. Hours will be 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Thursday. During this time we will answer the phones and emails. We will also answer the door — mostly to respond to questions and inquiries from behind the screen.
The church doors will be open on the east side during office hours.
Church contributions/contribution envelopes can be mailed in or dropped off at the office. Mailing address: PO Box 1189, Silver City, NM 88062.
The Bishop has encouraged the faithful to pray individually or as a family, with the Liturgy of the Hours, reading scripture, reciting the Rosary, and with other means.
The prayer below can also be used:
Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas.
We fly to you today as your beloved children. We ask you to intercede for us with your Son, as you did at the wedding in Cana. Pray for us, loving Mother, and gain for our nation and world, and for all our families and loved ones, the protection of your holy angels, that we may be spared the worst of this illness. For those already afflicted, we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance.
Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful, wipe away their tears and help them to trust. In this time of trial and testing, teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind. Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts. We come to you with confidence, knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother, health of the sick and cause of our joy.
Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, keep us in the embrace of your arms, help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Thank you and may God protect and bless us all. Remain healthy!
Fr. Oliver Obele, Pastor
Fathers,
The events of the past few days have created confusion for many of us as we attempt to respond prudently to the evolving situation.
Upon further prayer and reflection, I am revising the suspension of funeral masses. While public masses (weekday, Sunday and weddings) will remain suspended, funerals will be allowed. The funeral is to be celebrated in a private manner with only the immediate family present (less than 10 people). I am sorry for the confusion this may create, but feel it is necessary for us to be present and accompany our parishioners in these difficult moments.
I will be posting an update with this change on our website.
Sincerely,
+ Peter Baldacchino
Fathers,
Due to the ongoing crisis with the Coronavirus, I am faced with making decisions that will provide ongoing pastoral support to the faithful while listening to the best advice of medical experts and public safety officials. Weighing the advice of those best informed and with a profound sadness, I am suspending the public celebration of the Mass effective immediately. I have made this decision out of charity for those potentially most affected by the spread of the virus, namely the elderly, ill and other at risk individuals. I also have in mind those on the front lines who will provide the essential healthcare. Without action, they risk being overwhelmed and unable to provide adequate care to those most in need.
Therefore, until further notice, there will be no public celebration of Mass, including weddings and funerals. All parish events are suspended, including baptism and marriage preparation, group meetings, etc.
The priest assembly which was scheduled for March 30 – April 1 is cancelled. At this time I am unable to say how this will affect future celebrations, such as the Chrism Mass, Holy Week, the Easter Vigil and Confirmations. Please inform your parish staff that as the situation progresses you will be notified. Until further notice, travel by priests is restricted to within the limits of the diocese.
The Pastoral Center is currently transitioning to a limited service operation. During this period, the Pastoral Center will operate with minimal staff on-site and some employees working remotely. Although the Pastoral Center doors will be locked, we will be accessible by phone and email. This will allow for social distancing while minimizing foot traffic throughout the building. As parish realities differ from place to place, I leave it to the pastors to determine whether or not to close parish offices.
During this time, I ask that you consider ways to provide pastoral support to your parishioners. This includes leaving churches open for extended hours for prayer and adoration and recording or live-streaming the private celebration of the Mass. In your private celebration of the Mass, I encourage you to make use of the votive masses appropriate for our present circumstances.
We are currently exploring options available to us to support the faithful through media and the diocesan website. As a reminder, I will continue to provide updates as the situation unfolds.
Let us pray for each other at this unprecedented time and entrust ourselves and the people we shepherd to the maternal care of Mary, Mother of the Church.
In Christ,
+ Peter Baldacchino
