Dear Friends,
We finally have some good news – the churches in the Diocese of Orlando will be opening their doors for worship; let us
praise the Lord with joy in our hearts!
For so many weeks, our prayer has been that of the psalmist who yearns for a return to worship of the divine presence: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When can I enter and see the face of God?” (Psalm 42: 1-3). At last, we can sing the pilgrim song, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.” (Psalm 122).
While this news certainly comes to us as a welcome gesture, I know many of us remain apprehensive. I assure you, the Diocese has taken a cautious approach toward a phased-reopening of the churches, and the schedule for St. John’s will be as follows:
The church doors will be open for visitation and prayer beginning 11 May, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Adoration Chapel will remain closed.
Daily Masses will begin on Monday, 18 May, with church doors opening at 7:30 a.m. Because we have been spiritually malnourished for such a long time, we will be offering two daily Masses during this month only, Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. We will also celebrate the Mass on the remaining Saturdays of May (23rd and 30th) at 9 a.m.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be offered Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., beginning on the 18th, followed by daily Mass at 6 p.m.
Weekend Masses will resume with the Solemnity of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, on 30/31 May 2020, especially poignant in light of recent events. I will keep you informed of the schedule for Masses that weekend as we receive further guidelines.
I am deeply humbled by your continued support of our parish! Many of you have offered to share a portion or, in some cases, the entirety of your stimulus check, and countless others have remained consistent with their weekly contributions. Because of your generosity, our Outreach Ministry was able to distribute food to more than 300 people last Thursday and will do so again on Thursday, May 14th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until the food runs out. Thank you!
This weekend, we gratefully remember our MOTHERS. As Cardinal Gaspard Mermillod once said, “A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.” I salute all of our mothers for your tireless love and steadfast commitment toward sharing our Catholic faith with your children. You are amazing! Mother Teresa said that whenever she was distressed, she would pray to Mother Mary in these words: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.”
On the 5th Week of Easter, we are called to reflect on the comforting words of Jesus in the gospel of John 14:1, 6: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me … I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Despite the incredibly difficult times in which we live, let us continue to place our trust in HIM.
Let us hold fast to Him who is the cornerstone of our faith. In 1 Peter 2:9, the apostle urges us to “… ‘announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Be Blessed!
With Love,
Fr. John Britto Antony C.S.C.