Dear Friends,
I pray you are doing well in the midst of this ongoing trial. You are and will continue to be in our daily prayers here at St. Patrick’s. I do need to pass along an update to you all.
On Tuesday of this week, myself, Denise Skrocki, and Pat Martin were working on matters related to our parish in this time of crisis. Another person was in the office with us. This person has a family member who was ill but the doctor said ‘not to worry’ as the symptoms read more like the flu. Yesterday, we were informed that this family member had to go to the hospital and was in fact a confirmed coronavirus case. Thus, with our exposure to the visitor in the office, who doctors are presuming positive due to their exposure, the three of us are now under quarantine going back to our exposure date of Tuesday of this week.
The criteria for quarantine was relayed to us as follows: contact with a positive or presumptive positive person, with no PPE, for 15 minutes or more at a distance of 3-4 feet. Only the three of us meet this criteria, and no one else was in the office during that time. Further, Denise and I had wiped down the office prior to leaving that day as well.
So what does this mean as we go forward? First, Mass will now be exclusively filmed at the Rectory with me alone celebrating through April 28th. This means for the next two Sundays, even Sunday Liturgies will be livestreamed from the Rectory. It also means that this weekend’s double drive thru confessions – Saturday from 3:30-5pm, and Sunday from 1:30-3pm must be postponed until quarantine is completed. I had written an article in the Bulletin this weekend, relaying information from Fr. Alar, the Director of the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge about what to do in such a situation where we can’t receive the sacraments in person. That will be a guide for you in this time for everything related to Divine Mercy Sunday.
The day of adoration online will still occur as I will stream the Eucharistic Adoration from my chapel here at the rectory from 9-10am. This can then be used all day at the time of prayer between 9am and 6pm. From an office standpoint, email would be the best way to reach us right now as we can’t be in the office. Denise’s email is [email protected] and mine is [email protected]
Finally, please pray for Pat, Denise, and me in this time. Please pray for the other person who was with us and their family member, whose names I am withholding out of respect for their privacy. This is no one’s fault, and all were acting in good faith, especially as we continue to navigate these choppy waters we’re all dealing with now. Know that we’ll be praying as well. And we’ll get through this. Stay safe my friends and may God’s Grace strengthen us all in this time.
God Bless,
Fr. Jim