Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

Starting Up Again

Welcome to autumn! The end of August and the start of September bring us the return of school, the start of Faith Formation for our youth and adults, and the start of the RCIA program. In a way, autumn is the start of the new Church year.

This time is one of starting up again. We at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish have been near-dormant as a parish for a year and a half. For the good of us all it is time to get the parish operating again on a higher level. The last eighteen months have been unrivalled in their stress and difficulty in the lives of most of us. The pandemic is not yet over, but we are continually adapting to it and we are taking measures to keep the parish as open as possible while taking reasonable measures to mitigate infection. We have designated a quadrant of the pews as a mask-mandatory area where social distancing is required. Many people are choosing to sit in this enhanced-safety area. We are also abstaining from the Sign of the Peace and receiving Communion from the Cup. These are temporary measures that will go away when the pandemic has receded.

Many of us have been away from mass and the sacraments for a long time. This has been harmful to the life of the parish and to the lives of each of us. We need the sacraments! We need the Eucharist and the parish community. Without the Sacraments and without the community, Christian life is not possible. Our parish has suffered terrible damage from being separated and scattered.  Many of our people are starving for the Eucharist and the community, having been homebound or otherwise not attending for many months. I would like to extend an invitation to all of our parishioners to return to mass and participate in the life of the parish again. We need you and miss you. Please come back to mass!

Please stay at home if you are sick or highly vulnerable to infection. We will continue to live-stream all masses and many other parish functions as a service to those who are choosing to stay at home. But watching the mass on TV is not the same as attending.

Things will likely never return to the way they were before 2020. We have entered a time in which it is more difficult and more sacrificial to practice the Faith. Let’s rise to the occasion and trust in God’s Providence. He will protect us and bring us renewed graces as we gather once again as a community of life, the Sacraments, and Faith.

We look forward to seeing you all at church, and especially at Mass.

• Patrick Brosamer