St. Libory Catholic Church

I am hoping that very soon we can expand to more parish activities. We will soon begin our Religious Ed. Classes. Donna Placke, our DRE, is working on this and parents should soon be notified of a date and how it will proceed. I am also planning to restart our Thursday evening faith program. I am looking at providing a video series called, Chosen. It is a set of presentations reenacting the Gospels. Either way, material is not a problem for the presentations. What we will need to change is the providing of food. The group will be limited to soft drinks that each participant brings for their self, if they so desire to have one. All of this is subject to modifications as we go. The startup of schools will be an important test concerning the virus. As you are aware, there is a tremendous amount of information and unfortunately, a lot of it is conflicting, leaving all of us questioning what to believe. I simply say, be careful. Use good hand hygiene and common sense. We are all in this together and the Lord will guide us through. With faith in Him, these events will all work to our good. So, keep the Faith. Love the Lord and love your neighbor! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Here are some words by Carly Houselander to encourage us about the Holy Mass. “It is estimated that in every second of the day and night four elevations of the Host take place. I never cease to wonder at this, or to rejoice in the knowledge that there is never a second of one’s life in which one cannot lift up one’s heart to God in the heart of Christ lifted up in the Host. I think, too, of all the places in the world where the Mass is being celebrated; of how Christ, who began his earthly life in a stable and ended it on a scaffold, has penetrated into every place and circumstance of human life, and has gathered every fragment of man’s love to be offered in sacrifice. Think of all the places where Mass is being celebrated at this present moment, the very moment in which you are reading this page; all the cathedrals and all the churches of the world, all the tin huts and mud huts and make-shifts that are the best man can do in many mission fields…. In ships out on the deep seas, on battlefields and camps, in prisons and hospital wards, in the desert and the jungle, in the great cities of the world, in the cottages of faithful peasants in persecuted countries, and under the tall trees of lonely forests of exile. Think too how everywhere where Christ is lifted up men are bowed down in adoration, soldiers, sailors, airmen, fishermen, men of every country, of every color, rich men and poor men, free men and prisoners, old men and young men, men of every craft and trade and profession, all adoring God, all in communion with one another, all in communion with the Holy Father, all in communion with you and me. And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me.”

July is just about gone. It really is a strange experience of summer. Everything is different. We are about two months behind on everything and somethings may never return, like shaking hands for example. But that said I want to extend a congratulations to the graduates of our parish families. They surely must feel shorted on this very important milestone in their lives. But it will be remembered. Many years from now their grandchildren will look at pictures and ask why those people had mask on. I also want to encourage you to keep up your prayer devotion. If you struggle with feeling down and frightened or depressed, my number one advice is, keep praying. It is very important to try to start your day with prayer. When we wait till later, we often experience events that drive us down emotionally and drain our optimism. When we feel this way, it is very difficult to turn to our devotions and if we do we are easily distracted. So, keep praying, pray early, pray often, pray late, pray always. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

Well St. Libory family, here we are, another week into the uncharted waters of dealing with the unknown. I say unknown, because the whole business of the virus and the demonstrations/riots & destruction, has been steeped in confusion and misinformation. As is the present nature of our culture right now, everything is politicized and therefore used in attempts to manipulate folks in one direction or the other. I love science. Some say just listen to the science concerning the virus. I try to but even the “science” is frequently politicized or as has been the case, unproven assumptions are put forward that prove later to be wrong. (Example: It was early on put forward that anyone could be a carrier of the virus even if they do not actively have the virus. This was wrong but it triggered a mass hysteria of over the top restrictions which we are still sorting out at great cost.) So, what are we to do? It is clear that this virus is very serious business for the elderly and any persons with respiratory conditions. We all need to be very aware of this and take proper measures to ensure the safety of these vulnerable individuals. It is true that we can have the virus before we have active signs of the virus. In this early stage we can unintentionally spread it to others. Mask do not prevent us from contacting the virus. They do however help to slow the transmission of the virus by stopping the sputum that naturally sprays as a fine mist from our mouth as we speak, or sneeze or cough. The social distancing also addresses this. But as I have said repeatedly, the number one way the virus is spread, (as well as all contagions) is hand to face. So, the best practice is what we learned in kindergarten, wash your hands (or disinfect)! Finally, just be wise and thoughtful of others. I do not like overreaching rules and mandates. God gave us rational minds, His Word and Holy Spirit to guide us. We each need to take reasonable responsibility for our own safety and look out for our neighbor. Not to do so is a transgression against the 5th Commandment, not to kill. This commandment extends to any intentional behavior that injures or endangers others or ourselves. So, love the Lord, love yourself, and love your neighbor! God bless you all! Fr. Sid.