Month: March 2020

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

The article this week is a difficult one to write, and it needs to cover two things: the State of Ohio’s Stay at Home Order, and Parish Finances.

Finances first. Since the suspension of the public celebration of Mass means that that no-one will be gathering in Church at least through Easter, and therefore, no Sunday Collections at church will be taken up, I need to implore you to please continue your giving to your parish, even though Mass is suspended. Our bills and expenses are not suspended. We are still expected to pay our bills on time every week/month. I do not see any kind of governmental relief for churches given the separation of church and state in the midst of this pandemic and economic slowdown. We need you to please continue to give your Sunday donations to the parishes, and while at the moment it is not possible to drop your envelope into the basket on Sunday, our electronic giving is still functioning. On the parish websites, there is a link to donate online: https://stsimonparish.weshareonline.org/, https://st-aloysius-on-the-ohio.weshareonline.org/. These links for the two parishes will take you to where you can give online to help us keep our bills paid. We cannot go too long in either parish without donations, so please continue your giving online with WeShare on our parish websites.

The Stay at Home Order. Governor DeWine issued a mandatory stay at home order through at least April 6th, and we will comply with that order. As a consequence, the church buildings which had been open 9 AM to noon for private prayer, will now be closed. Please stay at home to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, so that our health care workers and hospitals do not get overwhelmed. We place our trust in the Lord God, and we will get through this together.

I am streaming Mass daily, except Wednesdays, on Facebook Live. The page name is “St Simon the Apostle St. Aloysius in tne Ohio” (link), and yes, the typos are on purpose (I didn’t catch them before I published the page and now I can’t fix it. If you’re on Facebook, go search for the page is you would like to see my private Masses, all of which are offered for both parishes, streamed live. I will do this for as long as I am able, barring technical difficulties, etc.

Let us pray and place before Our Lord our prayer that this pandemic ends soon and that things not only for our parishes, but each of our individual and family’s lives get back to some sense of normal. In the meantime, let us take to heart one lesson from this situation, a renewed awareness of our need for God in our daily living.

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Pastor

Dear parishioners of St Als and St Simon,
Given the governor’s stay at home order, effective at 11:59 PM Monday, March 23,  the parish churches will not be opened, and confessions are suspended until the order expires.   Please stay at home to curb the spread of the virus.  Thank you.  Let us keep praying for one another.  
Fr. Bryan. 

Father Reif started a Facebook page where he is Live Streaming a private mass from this page. On the page are recordings of Mass, vespers, and prayer from the monastery, and devotions for people during this quarantine time.

Go to https://www.facebook.com/St-Simon-the-Apostle-St-Aloysius-in-tne-Ohio-105547221081035/ to stay connected to Father Reif and our Regional Parish of St. Simon the Apostle and St. Aloysius in the Ohio during this time of no public Masses.

FYI – The typo in the title of the page is name that was published.

Document Link

Text of statement:

Special Announcement
from Fr. Reif
This afternoon, Monday March 16th, Archbishop Schnurr and the Ohio Bishops Conference suspended the public celebration of the Holy Mass through Easter Sunday. That means there will be no scheduled Masses at either St. Simon or St. Al’s through Easter Sunday. All the Catholic Faithful are dispensed from their Sunday Obligation to attend Holy Mass through at least Easter Sunday. This has been done because of the grave threat the spread of the Coronavirus poses to public health. This virus is serious, and we must take it seriously. I know that there are many, myself among them, that will be disappointed that Mass will not be available for the next several weeks. However, the Archbishop and Ohio bishops are acting for deep concern for the common good, and for public health. The priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, myself included will be celebrating Mass privately, and I for the intention of the People of St. Simon and St. Al’s and for the lifting of this coronavirus pandemic. All other Mass intentions will be rescheduled in the future. Please be assured of my prayers for you, and please continue to pray for me and our parish communities. Also, please keep an eye on our websites www.stalsontheohio.org and www.stsimonparish.org for further news and updates. The websites are being maintained regularly now.
In case of a funeral, at this time (subject to change as the situation with the pandemic changes) we will be permitted to celebrate funerals with congregations of less than 50 people only, and all those attending must be asymptomatic of the coronavirus. This of course will be managed case by case.
As for the other Sacraments: The Sacrament of Confession will still be available for the faithful on Saturday at St Al’s from 3:30-4 PM (note change in time), and on Monday evenings at St. Simon from 7-7:30 PM. Confession is also available by appointment. I can be reached by email at frbryanreif@gmail.com, or at the office number at St. Simon for appointments for confession. Email is more reliable. We will not be using the confessionals as the Health experts recommend not using a confined space like a confessional, so I will hear in the main body of the church. There should be no more than ten people in church, and if there is a line, keep more than six feet from one another, and plenty of distance from where confessions are heard to preserve confidentiality. Please also email or call if someone needs the Anointing of the Sick. Again, Anointing is for the seriously ill or dying. One does not need to wait until the last moment to ask for the anointing. Protocols are being developed by the Archdiocese for ministering to those who may have the Coronavirus.
The Archdiocese is recommending we open our churches for private prayer. St. Simon Church will be open for private prayer of the Faithful from 9 AM-Noon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. St. Al’s Church will be open for private prayer from 9 AM to Noon Monday through Friday. The Archdiocese and public health officials require no more than 10 people in a space at one time. While church will be unlocked, there should be no organized groups, no organized rosaries as a group, etc. This is individual private prayer before Our Lord Truly Present in the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle. Again, keep plenty of space between each other, and no more than ten in church at any one time.
Even though Public Masses, and activities and programs we normally do will not be available to us, this is a time that we need as the Faithful of Holy Mother Church to double
down on our personal and private prayer. Each of us should spend time everyday storming heaven with our prayers for an end to this pandemic, for protection from the virus, and for our neighbors, families, and friends. No-one is unaffected by this.
I recommend the following for daily prayer:
The Most Holy Rosary
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Novena to Our Lady Health of the Sick
The Way of the Cross
Reading of the Daily, and especially the Sunday Readings from the Scriptures
Watch Mass on TV at EWTN, or watch it streamed from our Cathedral at www.catholiccincinnati.org
Keeping up our daily prayers is critically important, and I dare say the duty of every baptized Christian always, but especially in times such as these.
Consider downloading the “myparish” app from iTunes and the google play store. Search for St. Aloysius on the Ohio, you will find the daily readings, prayers and the bulletin right at your fingertips. We will also be sending notifications of any changes through the app.
Also, as a practical and temporal matter, I raise our awareness that while Mass and activities are suspended, our parish bills are not. Please consider giving online or mailing Sunday donations to our parishes so we can continue to pay our bills and keep current. This is critically important!!! When we re-open after all this is over, we want to not be in a big financial hole trying to climb out.
Finally, please stay safe! Stay Healthy! Follow the directives to remain socially distant so that the spread of this virus can be stopped, and if you need medical help, call your health care providers, and if it’s an emergency, call 911.
God’s Blessings upon all of us,
Fr. Bryan T. Reif
Pastor

With everything in the news and changes in our Catholic lives, please check our page ‘Catholic News via Twitter’ where you can view the latest posts from Pope Francis, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and The Catholic Telegraph.
Visit http://stsimonparish.org/news-via-twitter/, you do not have to be a Twitter user to view.

Document Link

Text of document –

Special Announcement from the Pastor

            We are all watching with great concern the spread of the Coronavirus, known as COVID-19, throughout the world.  This virus first appeared in January in Wuhan China, and over the course of the last few months, it has spread all over the world.  The World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19 is a global pandemic, and it should be taken seriously.  As of this writing, several cases have been found in Ohio, and Governor DeWine has issued an executive order banning large gatherings over 100 people.  The Governor issued this order to try and create social distancing in order to mitigate the spread of the virus, in order to protect people, especially those most at risk, those who are over 65 years of age or those with underlying health conditions.  Included in the Governor’s order was a closure of all schools in Ohio for three weeks.

            The Bishops of Ohio in collaboration with each other have determined a course of action, for the common good, and for the physical and spiritual health of the People of God.  Our Archbishop has sent a letter to the priests of the Archdiocese outlining that course of action.  Archbishop Schnurr in his directive states the following:

• The Catholic Faithful of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are dispensed from their Sunday Mass obligation through the weekend of March 28-29.
• Masses may be celebrated as currently scheduled with the following restrictions
  • No holding hands during the Our Father
  • Suspension of the exchange of the sign of peace
  • No reception of Holy Communion from the Chalice
  • No reception of Holy Communion on the tongue
• Holy Water fonts will be drained
• Unconsecrated bread and wine for Mass are to be kept out of public areas, and not be part of an offertory procession.

Current general precautions should continue to be followed.

• Anyone who is sick, or experiencing any symptoms of any kind of sickness, or are at risk are strongly encouraged to not attend Mass, and out of charity for their brothers and sisters in Christ, should remain home.
• Priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion should practice good hygiene, and wash hands before Mass, and discreetly use hand sanitizer before and after distributing Communion if possible (hand sanitizer has very rapidly disappeared from store shelves).
• All vessels used for Holy Communion should be washed after Mass with hot, soapy water (this has been our practice anyway).

In addition, the Archbishop adds the following that will effect our Pastoral Region

• Non-Sacramental parish events or gatherings (that is any gatherings where a Sacrament is not conferred such as Mass or Confessions) is to be canceled.  This will include anything outside of Mass, Confessions, Baptism, or some other conferral of a Sacrament, including but not necessarily limited to:
  • Book Club
  • 40 Hour Food Fast
  • Religious Education Programs
  • Youth Group
  • Women’s Group
  • Stations of the Cross
  • Retreats
  • The Simple Soup Supper

In addition to what the Archbishop has sent to us, I also ask the following:

• Parishioners try to refrain from stopping by the parish office unannounced.  We want to protect all of us, parishioners, and staff.  Please call first before you stop by.
• I ask that the People of parishes continue to pray the Most Holy Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, The Way of the Cross, make Novenas, and other devotions at home for the specific intention of God’s protection against pestilence.  Prayer is powerful, even if we have to be socially isolated in a time of pandemic.
• If you are experiencing symptoms, please call and follow the directions of your health care providers, and if its critical, call 911.
• There is no cause for panic.

I also must remind all our parishioners that even though this health crisis is going on around us, and we are responding in ways meant to minimize the spread of the virus, our bills and expenses are not suspended.  I encourage you, even if you choose to not attend Mass, or even in the event of a disruption of public celebration of Mass should that happen at some point down the road, out parishes will still need to pay our bills.  Please consider sending your Sunday offering to the parish by mail, or even better, consider electronic giving, so that we can continue to keep our bills paid. 

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Pastor