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Past Updates from Fr. Dury

Past updates on the Coronavirus and its impact at St. Catharine

Wednesday, March 18th, 10:53am

daily mass at 7:00pm • sunday mass at 11:00am

Please note that daily Masses will now be live-streamed at 7:00pm and not 8:30am as announced earlier. We have come to learn that last night, for our St. Patrick's Day Mass, families really enjoyed eating supper together, then sitting down to watch Mass together. I received several pictures and videos from families who did just that!


Please join us tomorrow at 7:00pm for Holy Mass as we celebrate the great Feast of St. Joseph! Go to our YouTube page to tune in. This is a Solemnity, so perhaps ice cream sundaes for the kids?


Sunday Mass will still be live-streamed at 11:00am, as this is our most populated Mass each week.


I also encourage families to take advantage of the FORMED web site which has a rich library of audiobooks, movies (children's films as well), documentary and digital books, including some about St. Joseph. It also has an audio Stations of the Cross. 


It’s easy and free to register on this platform. Follow the steps below:


  • Go to https://formed.org
  • Click "Sign Up"
  • Click "I belong to a Parish or Organization"
  • Enter 8CDHQ3 (code is case sensitive) or just search for St. Catharine
  • Fill in the necessary personal information and click "Sign Up"
  • You’re all ready to access the inspiring and engaging content on FORMED!
  • Enjoy and share with others in our local community!


Let us continue to pray this prayer composed by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, each day until we're through this.


O Mary,

You always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope.

We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,

who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.

You, Salvation of Your People, know what we need,

and we are sure you will provide

so that, as in Cana of Galilee,

we may return to joy and to feasting

after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love,

to conform to the will of the Father

and to do as we are told by Jesus,

who has taken upon himself our sufferings

and carried our sorrows

to lead us, through the cross,

to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.


Please know I pray for all of you each day. Please stay updated at www.stcatharine.com 


Yours In Christ,


Fr. Dury 

Tuesday, March 17th, 3:15pm

Mass Live-Stream and Confession Update

My dear brothers and sisters,


Thank you for your patience as we consider ways to continue to provide for your spiritual needs. 


First, please continue to pray for those who are ill with the Coronavirus. I cannot imagine what they must be going through. Our prayers are with them. We also pray for our healthcare providers. We have many doctors and nurses in our parish. God keep them safe. 


Second, I know not being able to attend Mass is very difficult. I am very sorry that this is the reality we now face and it pains me too. This really hit home for me yesterday, and I have to be honest with you, I wept. I cried because it pains me not to be able to bring you the sacraments, to bring you Christ. As a priest, that is my life and my joy. That said, we will bring you the Mass as best we can using modern technology. 


Tonight at 7:00pm we will celebrate Holy Mass for St. Patrick’s Day live on YouTube, along with some of our favorite Irish hymns. The stream is located at https://youtu.be/Q3yKV8eDz1E Go ahead and subscribe to our channel and click the bell so you get a notification when we go Live or just click “Set Reminder” on the video. We will also be live-streaming daily Masses at 8:30am and Sunday Mass at 11am. Please join us in prayer.


In addition, the church will be left open for personal prayer every day from 9:00am-7:00pm. Please maintain social distancing and remember to use the hand sanitizer at the doors. 


As it regards the Sacrament of Confession, I am planning on hearing confessions drive-thru style. Yes, you heard that correctly. I will hear confessions from 5:30-6:30 this evening (March 17th) in our church parking lot. 


Please drive your car to me, without hitting me, and roll down your window and confess your sins. I will be facing away from you at a distance to maintain anonymity and to prevent any possible viral spread.


Please enter from Bexley Park Rd and exit out onto Fair Ave. If you are the next car in line, please stay back at the designated cone so as to allow privacy for the penitent. Additional confession opportunities will be communicated when we schedule them.


Please know that you are all in my prayers each day.


In Christ, 


Fr. Dury 


Holy Mass for the Memorial of St. Patrick

Monday, March 16th, 4:19pm

Suspension of Public Celebration of Mass


In light of the growing coronavirus crisis, with the recommendation of the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health to limit gatherings to 10 people, the Catholic Bishops of Ohio have decided that the celebration of all public Masses will be suspended through Easter Sunday.*


This is an exceedingly difficult and painful situation we now face, but in this time, more than ever, let us turn to Our Lord in prayer. Let us continue to pray for and support one another in these very trying times, especially those who are suffering with the virus and our healthcare professionals. Let us pray in a particular way through the intercession Our Blessed Mother and our patroness, St. Catharine of Siena.


When access to the celebration of the Eucharist is limited, we are encouraged to practice spiritual communion with Christ. Saint Teresa of Jesus wrote: "When you do not receive communion, and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you." (Ecclesia Eucharistia, no. 34)


There is a traditional prayer for Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You, above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.


Please know that I will be praying for all of you that God may protect you and your families. As your pastor, I care for each of you deeply and if anyone is in need of Anointing of the Sick, please call 614-231-4509 and then press 4.


I strongly encourage all of us to offer the following prayer every single day until this pandemic has been resolved: 


Prayer from Pope Francis to Mary During Coronavirus Pandemic


O Mary,

You always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope.

We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.

You, Salvation of Your People, know what we need,

and we are sure you will provide

so that, as in Cana of Galilee,

we may return to joy and to feasting

after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love,

to conform to the will of the Father

and to do as we are told by Jesus,

who has taken upon himself our sufferings

and carried our sorrows

to lead us, through the cross,

to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.


Remember, God is with us.


*Funerals and Weddings will be offered for family members only.

Saturday, March 14th, 7:00pm

As we continue to evaluate means by which we can reduce the likelihood of viral spread, we will also continue to institute new precautions. In addition to the recently established policies, we have now also removed all hymnals from the pews. There will be limited music at Masses. Thank you for your understanding as we try to do our best to keep you healthy. 


We have also placed hand sanitizer at all the entrances of the church and we ask that you please use this to sanitize your hands as you enter. Remember, it is not just about your health, but also about the health of those around you.


In addition, under advisement from diocesan officials, all of our parish employees will work from home the next three weeks or until conditions warrant otherwise. As a result, the parish office will be closed during that same time.


Please email info@stcatharine.com or call 614-231-4509 and leave a message and we will try to respond as soon as we are able. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding. You can also send a message here.


During this time, Sunday and daily Masses will continue to be offered and weekend confessions will be heard. We may add additional times for confessions as long lines are being reported around the Diocese, so please stay updated right here on our web site.


Let us continue to pray during this time for all those affected by this virus and for all our healthcare professionals. Please know I am praying for all of you each day that God may keep you in good health.


In Christ,

Fr. Dury

Thursday, March 12th, 3:30pm

My dear brothers and sisters,


Due to the very serious concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, and the recent order from the Ohio Department of Health banning gatherings of more than 100 people, all St. Catharine Parish and School activities (with the exception of Holy Mass and Saturday and Sunday Confessions) will be canceled at this time until April 6th, or until further notice. 


School and Pre-school classes are canceled beginning and including Monday, March 16 through Friday, April 3. Classes will resume April 6.


This includes all activities including, but not limited to, fish fries, athletic practices and games, religious education classes, the playground dedication and opening, Alpha, Catholicism 101, Stations of the Cross, Thursday Adoration and Confession, Knights of Columbus meetings, Scouts, and all other activities and meetings. In addition, the SPICE St. Patrick's Day Party will be postponed and a later date to be announced soon.


Once again, all parish and school activities are suspended until April 6th. The only exceptions are:

  • Holy Mass (daily and Sunday)
  • Confession on Saturday and Sunday


This is all in a strong and concerted effort to prevent the spread of this virus and to save lives. You can read more about steps to prevent the illness on the Center for Disease Control's website here. The latest updates on COVID-19 in Ohio can be found on the Ohio Department of Health's website here. 


Additional precautions are being implemented for all Masses in order to reduce the likelihood of any spread of the Coronavirus here at St. Catharine Church. The following are in place until further notice:


  • Suspension of the distribution of the Precious Blood
  • Suspension of the optional Sign of Peace
  • Removal of holy water from all fonts
  • The requirement of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to use hand sanitizer immediately before the distribution of the Most Holy Eucharist 
  • Suspension of the circulation of collection baskets (Please note: Baskets will be placed at the entrances of the church. We also encourage you to give electronically at https://stcatharine.com/give )


In addition, if you normally receive Holy Communion on the tongue, you may want to consider receiving on the hand for the time being.


Please also know that the Church building is unlocked from 7:30am-3:00pm in order that you may come and pray in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament. While we may not have Eucharistic Exposition, Our Lord is waiting in the tabernacle. 


If you are feeling ill, please do NOT come to the church or attend holy Mass. The bishops of Ohio have given a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass. 


Please continue to pray for all of those affected by this illness and for all of our healthcare workers.


Let us pray,

 

Lord our God,

in answer to the prayers

of the Blessed and ever Virgin Mary in her glory,

grant us, Your servants,

unfailing health in body and in mind,

freedom from sorrow in this life,

and everlasting joy in heaven.

We pray this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


In Christ,

Fr. Dury


What about Confession?

We are currently awaiting directives from Bishop Brennan concerning what we are able to offer in terms of Confession.


Watch this space for more information.


*Monday, March 16th, 6:55pm


Receive text and email updates

If you would like to receive text message and email updates from St. Catharine text "gould" to 84576 or fill out the form below.


Facebook Livestream

Sunday, March 15th


Holy Mass will be live-streamed at 11:00am and 5:00pm on our Facebook page.


Spiritual Communion

Whenever we are unable to receive the Eucharist the Church encourages us to make an act of “spiritual communion, where we unite ourselves to God through prayer. It is a beautiful way to express to God our desire to be united with him when we are unable to complete that union in the reception of Holy Communion.


Countless saints incorporated this type of prayer into their daily lives, not being satisfied with receiving Jesus in the Eucharist once a week or even once a day.


St. Josemaria Escriva encouraged everyone to make a spiritual communion as often as they could, “What a source of grace there is in spiritual communion! Practice it frequently and you’ll have greater presence of God and closer union with him in all your actions.”


St. Padre Pio also had a habit of making a spiritual communion throughout the day outside of the celebration of Mass. He desired to be always united with Jesus Christ in everything he did.


Below is a traditional prayer of spiritual communion that many saints have prayed over the years. It can be prayed if you find yourself at Mass unable to receive the Eucharist, or even in the midst of your daily work, lifting up your thoughts to God.


Adapted from Aletia.com

Act of Spiritual Communion

Update from the Catholic Bishops of Ohio

The Catholic Bishops of Ohio dispense the Catholic faithful who reside in Ohio and all other Catholics currently in Ohio from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass for the weekends of:

  • March 14/15
  • March 21/22
  • March 28/29


Read the full letter from the Catholic Conference of Ohio here.


*Please note: Daily Mass and Sunday Mass will continue at St. Catharine as regularly scheduled.


Beware of Scammers

Please be aware of communications via email or text, or possibly even phone calls concerning alternate routing of your offertory if you are not able to make it to Mass. Already, some phony communications have been received by parishioners around the Diocese who thought that the situation was odd. They had the sense to contact their parish office and, in doing so, discovered that their hunch was correct—this was indeed a scam.

 

Please do not become a victim to any type of financial scam. If you have any questions about a communication regarding any financial aspect in relationship to St. Catharine Parish, School, or social outreach, please contact our parish office by phone to authenticate that communication at 614-231-4509. 


Baskets will be placed at the entrances of the church in order for you to continue your offering. We also encourage you to give electronically by clicking Give below.


This site will allow you to make your weekly offering during a prolonged absence. Thank you so much for your continued support of our parish community.