Dear SFDA Parishioners,
At the end of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." These are important words for us to hear at this time of great concern for our world and its health in light of the spread of the Covid-19 virus. We must never forget that Jesus is with us, even in moments of turmoil and in times where many of the Sacraments are not made readily available to us. As your pastor and spiritual father, I know that many of you are experiencing great pains and confusion and that you have many questions and concerns. This is not what we had hoped for or expected. I think we are all feeling lots of disappointments and frustrations. It is okay to feel unhappy about this and to tell God all about it.
While I do not have all the answers you are looking for, I send this letter to you to answer as many questions and address as many concerns as I possibly can.
How long will the suppression of public Masses and large Church gatherings continue?
In all honesty, we don't know. The Diocese of Phoenix is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to suppress them as long as it is considered unsafe by the CDC and our local and federal governments. Once it is safe to gather in larger crowds, Bishop Olmsted will give permission for such gatherings to occur again.
How can we stay connected to each other and our parish at this time?
I have a couple of thoughts here. First, reach out to parishioners with whom you are close and see how they are doing; especially if they are sick and homebound. Ask if there are any intentions that you can pray for. Second, Fr. Matt and I are releasing a daily podcast through the Catholic Jacks Podcast on iTunes, and we will be streaming daily Mass at 12:15pm through my Instagram account: @frwillschmid. We may switch to a different platform for this - we will let you know. We will also be live-streaming a Sunday Mass through our parish's Facebook account at 10:30 am. Third, we will be live-streaming Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 20 and 27, at 6:00pm through our parish's Facebook account. If possible, watch the Mass, Stations of the Cross, or listen to the podcast together as a family. Fourth, pray the rosary everyday; or even just a decade if that is all you can do, especially with your family. Nourishing the faith at home with your family is incredibly important at this time. Fifth, Bishop Olmsted is inviting all people of the Diocese of Phoenix to pray the Angelus at noon each day. Sixth, keep an eye on our website and Facebook account, and make sure you are signed up for Flocknote so that you can receive regular messages from us.
Will the parish office be open?
Yes, but we will have limited hours for people to drop in. At this time, we are trying to handle everything by phone and limit personal contact. If you need something or have a question, please call us, 928-779-1341. We want to help. We have an amazing parish staff that is still here to serve you in any way that they can.
Is the Adoration Chapel open?
Yes! Please come and spend time with Jesus. We have separated the chairs for social distancing and we ask that no more than ten people be in the chapel at any given time.
What about the Easter Vigil?
At this time, the Diocese is making contingency plans for those who are to receive the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil. We will have to wait and see how the virus progresses. If the public celebration of the Easter Vigil is suppressed, we will likely move the celebration of the RCIA Sacraments to the Vigil of Pentecost (if it is safe to do so at that time). Next week we will be reaching out to our RCIA candidates and discuss how we will be finishing the required preparation.
What about Confirmation Masses?
We learned Wednesday afternoon that all Confirmation Masses in the month of April in the Diocese of Phoenix have been cancelled and will need to be rescheduled. The Diocese will either provide a priest to celebrate those rescheduled Masses or will give pastors the faculties to celebrate them. We will be reaching out to families next week to discuss how we will be finishing the necessary preparation for children and adults who were scheduled to receive Confirmation and first Holy Communion at those Masses.
What about confessions?
Confessions at this time are to be heard outdoors and with the appropriate social distance (6 feet). This is tricky for us in Flagstaff because of the snowy and cold winter weather we are still experiencing. We had to cancel confessions on Wednesday, March 18, for these reasons. However, the weather looks better for Saturday, March 21. We have worked out the logistics for two "drive-thru" confession stations where you can remain in your vehicle. We also have a plan for vehicles with multiple family members. If you are planning on coming for confessions on Saturday, March 21, please follow the directions by the volunteers who will be helping with the vehicle lines. Lines will be formed on either entrance (north and south). We will announce additional confession times and instructions later.
What about Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion to the sick and homebound?
At the present moment, the Sacraments of Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion will only be offered to those who are actively dying. Until further notice, only priests are permitted to bring Holy Communion to the dying.
What about weddings, funerals and baptisms?
Weddings and funerals can be celebrated, but they must be limited to no more than 10 people in attendance. Baptisms should be postponed unless it is an emergency.
When will our Catholic School open again?
We are working with the Diocesan Catholic Schools Office on this question. This week (3/16 - 3/20) we are on our scheduled spring break and the following week (3/23 - 3/27) we will use our five unused snow days. At this time, our Diocesan Schools Office and Parish School staff are working on a contingency plan for distance learning, if necessary.
How will the parish finances hold up during this time?
This is a difficult question to answer. At the present moment, the entire country is in a state of economic uncertainty. Many people have lost their jobs, are on unpaid leave, or have taken huge financial losses in the stock market. We do not know yet how this will impact our parish's finances. It is our intent to keep the parish running without having to make any drastic financial changes as long as possible. We have the capacity for online giving through our website (which is the best way to make a gift at this time), and we will be placing drop safes in the parish office and in the Adoration Chapel for those who are able and willing to continue to financially support our parish. Parish contribution envelopes and other contributions can be deposited in those drop safes. We know that many families are experiencing financial hardships that are preventing them from making a financial contribution at this time. Please be assured of our prayers for you.
How are the priests doing?
We have been overwhelmed by all the parishioners who have reached out to us to see how we are doing. Thank you! We are doing well. Fr. Matt and I are working together and praying together so that we can keep the missions of SFDA and NAU Newman Center alive and well. We desire to respond to this crisis as God wants us to. Fr. Dan is still away on the Mexico mission trip and I will update him when he returns.
Thank you for all your prayers and support. What we are experiencing is unprecedented and therefore new to us all. Please be patient with us as we try to figure all of this out.
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Will