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An Easter Message from Fr. Larry-                                                                 

                                                                                                                      Easter Sunday, 2020

Brothers and Sisters,

I know that we are all unsettled, apprehensive and fearful as this Coronavirus spreads through our City and across the world.  In these anxious days, I want you to know that the Friars, and Yes our Sisters in Providence, are praying for all of you.   Our prayer is that we remain healthy and safe, patient and generous, that the sick are healed, the grieving are comforted, and the deceased are welcomed into Eternal Life.  Easter is here, God’s promise of New and Eternal Life!  While we are separated from each other, we are in this together.  May the Holy Spirit, who joins us together bring you calm and peace.

I want to bring you up-to-date on the status of the parish during this pandemic.  Let me begin with a word regarding the Friars and our scheduled withdrawal from the parish: We will be staying through the summer!  I am not sure for how long, but it will be long enough to ensure as smooth a transition as possible and to afford us all the chance to get back on our feet and establish a new normal. 

We are doing our best to live by the values of the parish and honor the State, City and ADNY precautions.  Therefore, our church remains open (hours available on the website) for private prayer, and our Food Distribution programs remain active.  The Thrift Shop is closed to customers, but you can drop donations off in the church vestibule.  The Community Center is closed, aside from the Food Pantry and Sandwich lines. 

Some planned parish events are postponed, including the Easter welcome of our RCIA candidates, First Communion and Confirmation.  As soon as we know when we can gather as a community, we will be in touch with all the individuals and families affected so that we can reschedule with as much notice as possible.  Sadly, the Friars have relocated and rescheduled Br. Abraham’s ordination to Chicago.  This was necessitated by the travel restrictions and our desire to ordain him before any immigration proceedings against him are resumed.  I hope that he will be able to return to us for a Mass of Thanksgiving as soon as possible.

The Staff and the Friars continue the work of the parish.  While some come to sanitize, clean and protect our buildings, others are feeding the hungry and still others are working behind the scenes to make sure we are ready for your return.  One thing we are working on is an upgrade to our information and communication system so that you can update your personal and family parish records and we can communicate with you in a more contemporary and immediate fashion.  I hope to have more information in April. 

Further, consistent with the justice we preach and pray, we are paying all of our staff, in full, through this hardship.  We have worked out a plan through May 31^st that will allow us to do this without incurring any parish debt or tapping our parish reserves.  I do this to enable our employees to support their immediate and extended families, to maintain good relationships with their landlords, utility providers and other creditors, and help hold the staff intact during these days of transition.  Additionally, it protects the parish from paying unemployment insurance and keeps us eligible to participate in the government’s stimulus package.  Thus, it is a value decision that protects us financially.

I know that money is tight for everyone.  I am grateful to the 158 of you continuing your online contributions and to the many of you who have mailed in your weekly collection envelopes and made other donations.  Your generosity is impressive and inspiring.   To all of you who can, I ask that you continue your contributions to our parish, and to those who can’t right now, please know my understanding.   We will figure out the parish finances when this is over.  Meanwhile, in this arriving season of Easter and its Ressurection, Hope and New Life, I am asking all of you to make an Easter gift to the parish.  Large or Small, it will help us to extend the ministry of our parish during this hardship.  You can make your gift through the “donate button” below or mail it to the office.  Additionally, I ask you all to check here for updates and to register for our parish app so we can inform you of any changes. 

Lastly, let me close with a reminder that Easter comes after the sorrow and despair and confusion of Good Friday.  And the cross of Good Friday is with us always, as Jesus suffered and died for us so that we could know God’s ultimate and personal love for each of us.  St. Francis used to pray before the cross for hope and guidance and resolve.  I think his prayer is pertinent to all of us during the Easter Season and always.

Most High Glorious God, Enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, A correct faith, A certain hope, A perfect charity, Sense and knowledge So that I may carry out Your holy and true command.

Easter is here, and I pray Easter Blessings upon you all!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!! 

Fr. Larry