Pastoral Messages from Fr. Rick 11-12-20

Fr. Rick’s Pastoral Messages – 11/12/20

1/Memorial Mass for COVID-19 victims 

 Bishop Oscar A. Solis will celebrate a memorial Mass for COVID-19 victims on Nov. 19 at 5:15 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. The Mass will be livestreamed on the cathedral YouTube channel, cotmtv. The bishop encourages all the faithful to attend via social media. Pastors are requested to send the names of all parishioners who have died of the coronavirus to bishop.office@dioslc.org so that they may be included on the list of special intentions at the Mass.

OUR REGULAR MORNING MASS ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, HERE AT ST. CHRISTOPHER’S WILL BE OFFERED ESPECIALLY FOR VICTIMS OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS.  IF ANYONE HAS LOVED ONES WHO THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE ESECIALLY REMEMBERED AT THIS MASS, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AT THE PARISH OFFICE.

2/ Financial Condition – As we continue to post monthly financial updates in the bulletin, you will notice that our revenues are often not keeping up with expenses.  This is probably to be expected with our pandemic-altered ministries and the subsequent lower attendance at Masses.  We are currently following up on questions about our increased assessments from the Salt Lake Diocese which have raised expenses by about $400-$430 per month.  Property insurance also increased by about $100 per month.  We will usually try to specify any extraordinary fluctuations in either income or expenses, but please feel free to direct more specific questions to a member of the Finance Committee starting with Noel Poe or Fr. Rick.  Other members of the Finance Committee are Jim Pashia, Meredith Langley, Nancy Goebel and Fr. Dave Bittmenn.  Thank you for your generosity!!

3/ Catholic Social Teaching  Our deeply divided government and American populace currently provide some extraordinary opportunities to help deepen our levels of thought and debate as we move forward with a new administration.  Especially with a Catholic President, presumed Catholic Speaker of the House, and heavily Catholic Supreme Court, we should be especially poised to evaluate party platforms, proposed legislation and world views from a biblical and theological perspective.  To prepare for future dialogues and debates, please consider signing up for regular emails from the Prayer and Action Network by our diocesan Office of Life, Justice and Peace.  Contact Jean Hill at jean.hill@dioslc.org and ask her to put you on the email list.  The Church and country need your well-studied eloquence and brilliance.

4/  As always, please stay connected with each other and if you would like to talk with me personally, please leave me a message at the parish office.