I hope this message finds you and your family continuing to stay well during these challenging times.

Today I have four things I would like to mention. First, I want to thank everyone once again for your financial support of our parish during the past months and particularly at Christmas. Your generosity enabled us to surpass on budget income for December. Thank you so much.

Your ongoing financial support enables us to continue to offer the many programs, ministries and services that are at the heart of our Basilica community. It has been a blessing for our parish. As your pastor, please know of my great gratitude for your ongoing financial support.

The second thing I wanted to mention is that at the Masses on Sunday January 31 we will bless candles for the celebration of Candlemas on February 2. After the 9:30 and 11:30am Masses we invite people to pick-up blessed candles to use in their homes. The process will be very simple, and there is no need to pre-register. You just come to the rectory on 17th Street, where you will receive a prayer card. You will then proceed to the front of our school building to receive your blessed candles.

The third thing I want to mention is that on Ash Wednesday, February 17, we will have three Masses: 7:00am; Noon and 5:30pm. Ashes will be offered at each of these Masses. Now, because of the pandemic, we won’t be making the sign of the cross with ashes on people’s foreheads. Instead we will drop a few ashes on the crown of each person’s head. This is the custom in much of Europe and it was suggested by our Liturgy Office as a way to distribute ashes this year. After the Noon and 5:30pm Masses ashes will be offered to those who want to come to The Basilica after the livestream.

The process will be the same as we have used before. People will drive up 17th Street, stop at the rectory to receive a prayer card, and then drive to the front of the school to receive ashes. Given the logistics of offering ashes to people in their cars, we will use Q-tips to offer these ashes. Certainly none of this is ideal, but we want to do everything we can to ensure people’s safety and security.

The fourth thing I want to mention is that after the 9:30am Mass on the First Sunday of Lent, February 21, we will once again distribute communion to those who want to come to The Basilica after our livestreamed Mass. As on Candlemas and on Ash Wednesday, we ask you to stop at the rectory to receive a prayer card and then drive to the front of the school to receive communion.

Finally, as always, if you have questions or concerns about anything that is happening at the Basilica, please contact me at the parish office or send me an email. My contact information is available on our parish website.

Let me close today in prayer.

Dear God:
We pray for your love and compassion to abound
as we walk through this challenging season.

We ask for wisdom for those who bear the load
of making decisions with widespread consequences.

We pray for those who are suffering with sickness
and all who are caring for them.

We ask for protection for the elderly and vulnerable
to not succumb to the risks of the virus.

We pray for misinformation to be curbed
that fear may take no hold in hearts and minds.

As we exercise the good sense that you in your mercy provide,
may we also approach each day in faith and peace,
trusting in the truth of your goodness towards us.

Amen.

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I hope you and your family had a blessed Christmas and that this New Year is off to a good start, and that it will be filled with God’s abundant blessings.

Today, I have three things I would like to mention. First, I want to thank everyone for their financial support of our parish during the past months and particularly at Christmas. Your ongoing financial support enables us to continue to offer the many programs, ministries and services that are at the heart of our Basilica community. It has been a blessing for our parish. As your pastor, please know of my great gratitude for your ongoing financial support.

The second thing I want to mention is that now that our livestreaming cameras have been permanently installed, we are able to open our 9:30am Mass for people to attend. As with the 11:30am and 4:30pm Masses, we do ask people to register to attend the 9:30am Mass, in the unlikely event that we need to do some contact tracing.

I also want to remind people that the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days continues to be suspended. Given this, if due to age, health issues, or other concerns, please know that you don’t have to attend Mass, and that we encourage you to join us for one of livestreamed Masses.

The third thing I want to mention is that we have begun looking ahead to our liturgical celebrations during Lent and Easter. Before we begin planning these celebrations, however, we would like the chance to de-brief people in regard to our liturgical celebrations during Advent and Christmas.

Given this, I would like to invite you to join me for coffee and conversation next Wednesday at 9:00am via Zoom. I’d like to hear from you about what worked well these past few months, and particularly at Christmas, as well as ideas and suggestions you might have for what we can do differently or better. The link to the Coffee and Conversation next Wednesday can be found on our parish website.

Finally, as always, if you have questions or concerns about anything that is happening at the Basilica, please contact me at the parish office or send me an email. My contact information is available on our parish website.

Ever-loving God,
font of harmony and source of unity,
we ask for the grace to face the sin of division in our society;

we beg for mercy and forgiveness for the harm we have done,

we implore that you open our hearts and minds to ways that will bring about      justice, equality, healing, harmony and peace,

and we pray for the conversion of heart of all those who perpetuate fear, promote supremacy and cultivate hatred.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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