Parish News

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Happy All Saints Day, and Happy November!  It is hard for me to believe that we are already deep into the Fall now, and that Advent is just a few short weeks away.  It is also hard to believe that we have been open for public celebration of the Mass since May, and we are still operating under restrictions imposed on us by the State, the wearing of masks, social distancing, the use of hand sanitizer, and restricted capacity.  Since February, the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days has been dispensed.  The priests have heard that the feeling among the bishops currently is to continue the dispensation from the Obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days through the balance of 2020.  

Even though the Obligation to attend Mass has been dispensed, and no-one is required, at this time to attend, so many of our parishioners, so many of you have decided to attend Mass and receive the Sacraments, and have been faithfully coming to Mass every weekend.  I recognize that this is not being done out of a sense of obligation, but is being done out of a sense of love for the Lord Jesus, and out of a desire to grow in love of Him, and to grow in the Faith.  I thank you from my heart for this witness to the Faith and to the Lord that you are giving to me, and to one another.  I commend you, and I am proud of you for your love of Jesus Christ.  I am also very proud of you for taking the things that we are being asked to do to minimize the possibility of the spread of the virus seriously.  Thank you for wearing your masks, keeping socially distant, and refraining from physical contact with neighbors whom I am sure we wish very deeply we could shake hands with or give a hug.  What you are doing is exactly what a Christian community, a parish, is called to do, pray with one another, lift one another up to God, and stand in solidarity and support of one another, especially when things are tough going as they are now with the pandemic.  Thank you for that, and may the Lord’s blessing continue to come upon all of us in our two parishes.

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Last week we all received the news that the President of the United States and several other members of his cabinet and advisors tested positive for COVID-19.  I must confess that I personally had become more lax with regard to the recommendations that have been given to us by the CDC and by State and local officials with respect to the wearing of masks and social distancing.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I was not the only one who had become complacent to a degree about the pandemic, after all we have been under this virus threat now since late February, and I am sure that most if not all of us are tired of social distancing and wearing masks.  The President’s diagnosis was a wake up call for me personally that we are not out of this yet.  In addition to this, I also recently became aware of a COVID case in the neighborhood where my parents live, in addition to the few members of the parish who have contracted the virus.  The threat continues to be all too real, and even though I, like many of you, am tired of the mask mandates and other restrictions, especially in church, we will continue to follow them in our pastoral region.  Our Archdiocese has decided to comply with and follow the Governor’s orders with respect to the pandemic, which means the wearing of masks in church by those attending, aa well as following social distancing.  I am aware that there are some who disagree with this, perhaps vehemently, yet this is a governmental mandate that the Catholic Church in Cincinnati has decided to comply with, and so I ask for your cooperation in this matter.  In the end, regardless of what we may believe or not believe about the masks and their effectiveness, it really is a small thing, a small sacrifice we are being asked to make to try and mitigate the spread, and to safeguard the lives of others.  I thank you for following the health/mask orders, even though none of us like it, and for taking up this small cross and following in the footsteps of the Lord.

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Pastor

It has come to our attention that a Sylvia J. Smith has been advertising a Loveland Craft Show for October 24^th or 26^th as a fundraiser for St. Simon Parish.

This is not a legitimate event and is not affiliated with St. Simon Parish.

 If you have paid any fees to Sylvia J. Smith for a booth, we suggest you take action with your bank to get your funds back.

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

In the bulletin this week, you will find the financial reports for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 which ended on July 30, 2020. These reports have been shared with our Finance Councils. Let’s look at the reports one at a time.

First. St. Simon the Apostle. Our revenues from Sunday Collections and Holy Day envelopes came in at $275,890.30, which fell well short of what was budgeted for revenue for the fiscal year. There were other sources of revenue as well, such as fees for Religious Education and Hall rental, which in total gave us total revenue for the Fiscal year of $307,655.71, which fell well short of the revenues that we expected and had budgeted to receive. On the expenses side of the report, our total operating expenses were $350,772.38, which was less than what our budgeted expenses were, which means that in our day to day operations, we were able to save some cost. We had a cost savings of $24,706.62, yet despite this, we fell short in day to day operations by $43,116.67. Capital revenues included the fund drive for repairs to the rectory and a single generous donation for that project from a non-parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous. The capital expenses are the total costs of the projects that the parish had to bear for repairs and work to the rectory to make it habitable, as well as HVAC in the hall and church that needed major work done. The new roof on the church and the interior paint was covered by insurance, and the reupholstering of the chairs was covered and performed by volunteers (who have not finished yet, but we thank them for their great work!) Adding the operations shortfall to the capital shortfall, we have a total shortfall of $57,321.58. In order to cover the basic expenses to operate the parish, which includes salaries and benefits, HVAC, utilities, and ordinary maintenance, (and not relying upon fees, hall rentals, or festival revenue which may or may not materialize in any given year and which should be revenues in excess of operations in any healthy parish), based on our budget for this fiscal year, we need approximately $6200 per week in Sunday collections. That is just to pay our operating expenses, to meet our bills. The amount of money in the reserve to fall back on is dwindling, and we cannot rely upon reserves to make up the difference. Also, we have a debt that we owe to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The number is approximately $147,000, and we are questioning that figure, and are working with the Finance Office at the Archdiocese to determine if that is the actual figure St. Simon owes. That figure is carried on the parish’s Balance Sheet, but what concerns us today is the parish’s Income/Profit & Loss Statement. As with any going-concern, it is important that we live within our means. We cannot continue to operate at a deficit for very long, or we won’t be able to cover the bills. We need to support the level of expenses that we have with Sunday and Holy Day donations, and/or we need to find ways to cut our expenses, but something is going to need to happen in this regard during the course of this Fiscal Year.

Now, St. Aloysius on the Ohio. The Financials for St. Al’s are very good for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2020. St. Al’s had a total Sunday and Holy Day revenue of $275,864.87, which was over our anticipated collections by $27,364.87. We also had other miscellaneous donations, which were made by very generous parishioners to help offset the cost of the major projects that we had to undertake in the past fiscal year, like the refinishing of the church doors, and the replacement of the boiler which melted down last November. We also had some revenue from memorial, as well as split the pot. It is important to understand that a good percentage of the revenue we received this past year was from “out of the ordinary” donations to the parish for specific projects, and donations such as this should not be relied upon year after year. What we should be able to rely upon for operating revenue is Sunday and Holy Day collections and envelopes. Memorials, split the pot, and special donations should always be “extra” revenue that can increase reserves. Our total operating revenue for the Fiscal Year was $345,285.32, which was over our anticipated revenues by $42,285.23. Our total operating expenses, including salaries and benefits, HVAC and utilities, normal day to day operations, and ordinary maintenance was $241,418.47, under our budget for the year by $46,581.53, representing a substantial cost savings for the parish. This gave us an operating surplus of $103,866.75. We did have capital expenditures for the boiler, the doors, and other projects and work done at the parish totaling $68,329.59, which leaves us with a total surplus for the year of $35,537.16. To cover our operations week to week, given the level of our expenses, based on our budget for this fiscal year, we need approximately $4700 per week in Sunday and Holy Day offerings. St. Aloysius on the Ohio also has debt in the amount of $85,658.41 owed to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in unpaid assessment, which also will need to be paid in time. Also, the Finance and Pastoral Councils have advised we pursue the sale of the old rectory, which should also provide capital revenue, and help us to be able to make needed repairs elsewhere on our buildings and grounds. Overall, the financial statements are very good, but we need to have caution regarding relying upon special donations, memorials, and raffles for our operations. We will always accept these, but they should be “extra” over and beyond the stewardship of the people’s Sunday giving. 

We continue our work towards regionalizing as much as we are able between the two parishes. Even though the books and finances always will be separate, because these are and will continue to be independent parishes, there are many areas where costs and resources can be shared, and should be shared, to the benefit of each parish, and the region as a whole. We are regionalizing the parish offices as much as possible, and have put in a common phone system which will make it easier for the staff to work together, even if they are at different locations. Most of our staff are now regional staff, whose salaries are shared by the two parishes, so what happens at one parish will effect the other. I know we have heard this so many times, especially with the pandemic, but it is true for our parishes and our region: “We are all in this together.” Let us continue to ask the Lord to bless us, and may His Divine Assistance be always with us. Amen.

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Pastor

St. Simon Annual Report, June 30, 2020

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

This past week, the staff met together and we discussed possible ways that we can increase the opportunity for prayer, even in the midst of the pandemic. For the foreseeable future, I suspect that we are going to be hampered in our efforts to have in-person meetings and programs by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but the point I made to the staff at the staff meeting was that we need to continue to strive to fulfill our mission, which is the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the Sacraments, and Divine Worship. To that end, I have made a couple of decisions that will go into effect on August 31st with regard to the church buildings, namely, that when the office is open at either parish, the church building will be unlocked and open for private prayer. At St. Al’s this is Monday through Thursday, and at St. Simon this is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The office typically opens between 8:30 and 9 AM and closes at 3 PM. The office is closed at St, Simon on Wednesdays, and closed at St. Al’s on Fridays, so the church will not be open in those parishes on those days respectively. Having the church unlocked and open will afford the Christian Faithful of this region the opportunity to make a visit to the church for private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle, where Our Blessed Lord awaits us. The second decision is to expose the Blessed Sacrament in the Monstrance on the Altar at St. Al’s every Thursday morning from the close of Mass until 10 AM at the conclusion of the Rosary. We have Rosary at 9:30 AM every Thursday at St. Al’s. I invite you to come before Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration and to offer prayers, especially for priests, and for our parishes at this time. I believe we are entering some very challenging times, and that more prayer is needed and necessary, not less, and I hope that these decisions will help facilitate more time in prayer before the Eucharistic Presence and Eucharistic Heart of Our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We are also thinking and discussing other opportunities for prayer as well, but for now, we will start with these.

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

We have received some guidance from the Archdiocese and the State of Ohio regarding non-sacramental gatherings, meetings, and so forth. As you know, the public celebration of Mass and the Sacraments has resumed as of May 25^th, but up to this point, there had been no guidance on non-sacramental gatherings. We now have some guidelines to follow, which convinces me that the majority of our activities will continue to not be held at least for another month, to be re-evaluated at the end of June, or as more information or guidance becomes available. The gist of the advice we have received is this: Social Distancing norms (the minimum 6-foot distance rule) is to be followed, and a maximum capacity determined for a space given the 6-foot rule. For Plagge Hall, that would be approximately 40 people, but there is more. All surfaces must continue to be sanitized after use, every use, and employees must wear masks, while guests are highly encouraged to wear a mask. Employees continue to be encouraged to work from home as much as is possible, therefore, I am encouraging our staff to do the same, therefore our offices will not always have a staff person present. Messages and voicemail will continue to be retrieved, and forwarded to the appropriate staff person. We encourage the use of email as much as possible to communicate with our staff, and with me. We continue to encourage folks to not just stop by, but to call first before coming to the office for any reason. We are asking this in the interest of protecting everyone’s health and safety. We apologize if any inconvenience created by this situation, and continue to ask for cooperation and patience, as well as prayers.

Many of our summer activities we usually enjoy have been cancelled. Our festival has been cancelled, our vacation bible school has also been cancelled. The state has allowed our Old-Timers to play softball following specific restrictions and protocols. Our First Communicant class (less than 6 people) will be finishing up their catechesis and receiving First Communion at a private Mass this July. Other parish activities and events are still cancelled, including women’s group, book club, and Youth Group. I am currently hoping to be able to resume parish leadership (pastoral council and finance council) in-person meetings in July, but this is still to be determined, based upon how things unfold with the pandemic, and any guidance we may receive in the coming weeks. Private events, such as family reunions, or other parties for Plagge Hall are still cancelled through the Fourth of July holiday, and this situation also will be re-evaluated monthly, based on guidance from the state and Archdiocese. We are doing this because of the necessity of deep cleaning and sanitizing after every event, and the requirement to social distance. We feel it is in the best interest of the parish and region at this time to continue to keep the Hall closed.

This continues to be a developing situation, and we are doing our best to serve in a way that is in the best interest of everyone, and in a way that safeguards the health and safety of our staff and parishioners.

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

A heads up for everyone, someone is again using my name attempting to get people to buy gift cards for eBay or other online stores.  

This time they are texting in addition to emailing.  

As a reminder, I would never and will never ask for anything of this sort.  I have reported this to the police.  Be on the lookout for scam artists.   I was tipped by a friend who was approached by someone using my name.  Please be vigilant !!

Fr. Bryan 

As a re-opening day for public Masses approaches, it is going to be very important that everyone understands that there are going to be some things that are different than they used to be. Social distancing will be observed, meaning we will be abiding by the 6 ft rule in the church. There will be a max capacity inside the church which we will not exceed, and we will only be using the front doors of the church so that we can monitor the number attending. We will have a max capacity of 60 at St. Al’s, and 120 at St. Simon. For those who can go to Mass during the week, you are highly encouraged to do so, rather than on Sunday, so that those who can only go on Sunday can more likely get in. Again, there is a cap on attendance which we will need to enforce. Remember, the Sunday Obligation is dispensed until further notice, so one can attend and receive communion any day of the week, not just Sunday. We are going to ask people to attend Mass to wear a face-covering or mask. We are very highly encouraging masks because this can help curtail the spread of COVID19 or any pathogen, which is still a threat. Also, please respect that we are asking that no physical contact be made with others. Our inclination will be to shake hands or hug those we haven’t seen in a while. Please refrain from that, to mitigate the spread of the virus. We are requiring no physical contact during Mass, the Lord’s Prayer, etc. There will be no holding of hands during the Our Father, no sign of peace, no communion from the chalice, and we ask that in the communion line, remain 6 feet from the person in front of you. There will be no hymnals in the pews, and I am leaning toward only having musicians sing because singing can put more exhaled air, potentially carrying the virus, into the atmosphere. Pews will be roped off in order to space people out for the purpose of social distancing. I am asking, please respect the social distancing guidelines and what we are trying to do to mitigate the spread of the virus. Those who are elderly, have underlying conditions, are fearful, or who are at higher risk should continue to stay home. Those who are sick, or experiencing symptoms of illness should stay home. Again, the Obligation to attend on Sunday continues to be dispensed until further notice. We are looking forward to seeing many of you in church again very soon, but we also need to be very careful since the virus is still out there, and we don’t want to have to suspend public Masses again because of a spike in cases.May God continue to bless all of us and carry us through this pandemic. More guidelines are likely to come.Fr. Bryan

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Late last week, the Archbishop sent an email to the pastors informing us that public celebration of Masses will resume beginning on Monday, May 25th. While we will be resuming Masses where the faithful may attend, the Archbishop also reminded all of us that this is not a return to normal. There is an expectation that we will follow the social distancing guidelines that have been set forth by the CDC, the governor’s office, and by the Archdiocese. There will be a cap on the number of people who can be in the church at any one Mass. The number of entrances will be curtailed. Pews and chairs will be roped off to keep people spread out. There will be no physical contact at the Our Father, no sign of peace, no Communion from the chalice, and no greeting after Mass at the door. Holy water fonts will be empty. Hymnals and Missalettes will be removed from the pews and chairs. Communion in the hand is strongly encouraged, and Communion on the tongue is very strongly discouraged. The use of facial coverings or masks by the faithful is highly encouraged, even though the use of a mask by the priest is discouraged. Ministers in the sanctuary will be spaced out for the purpose of social distancing. The Sunday obligation is still dispensed for all Catholics for the time being, and the elderly and at-risk groups are highly encouraged to continue to stay home. If you are sick or have symptoms of any illness, stay home! People who are sick who show up for Mass will be asked to leave for the protection of everyone else in the church. Please, if you are sick, do not come and potentially expose others. If you are fearful of contracting the virus, or are uncomfortable coming to Mass, you are encouraged to stay home. If you want to attend and receive Communion, but are not comfortable with a larger crowd on the weekend, you may come any day of the week. We will have daily Mass according to the normal schedule as well. Also, we hope to continue the live stream for those who are not comfortable or unable to come to Mass on Facebook Live (please understand that the live stream is not perfect but it is the best we can do with what we have available to us). Fr. John and I have discussed this, and I have also spoken with other priest friends about this, and we are going to carry forward with our normal Mass schedule for now, and see how it goes, and evaluate how it’s going week by week. If circumstances change, the weekend schedule may have to change. We also can expect there might be fewer lay ministers available during this time as well, which could affect things. We do intend to enforce the guidelines we have been given for the safety of all of us, and we ask your cooperation and understanding. I look forward to seeing many of you at Mass in church again very soon. The Mass schedule, starting Monday, May 25^th is as follows:

Monday 8 AM St. Simon, 7-7:30 PM Confessions St. Simon

Tuesday 8 AM St. Al’s

Wednesday – No Mass

Thursday 8 AM St. Al’s

Friday 8 AM St. Simon

Saturday 3:30-4:30 Confessions St. Al’s

5 PM Mass St. Al’s

7:30 PM Mass St. Simon

Sunday 8:30 AM St. Al’s

9 AM St, Simon

10:30 AM St. Al’s

11 AM St. Simon

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Musings of Fr. Bryan T. Reif

Last week, the Ohio Bishops extended the suspension of public Masses and liturgies, and by extension parish events and activities through and inclusive of May 29^th. I don’t know about you, but I have experienced a bit of cabin fever in the midst of all of this, and I am looking forward to being able to celebrate Mass again publicly in our two parish churches. In the meantime, I continue to celebrate Mass privately every day, and I stream those Masses live on Facebook every day except Wednesday. The technology we have allows me to do this, though it certainly isn’t perfect, nor is it professional production quality. The stream is simply using my laptop webcam, or my phone on Sundays, using WIFI in the rectory, or my personal cell data on Sundays to try and make the celebration of the Mass accessible to our parishioners. You do not even have to have a Facebook account to view the live stream (I just found this out last Sunday). I hope that for those who have been watching either live, or a replay, find something beneficial in it for their souls.

I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have continued to support and give to the parishes financially during this time of unprecedented isolation, and suspension of public worship. There have been many who have clicked the links on the livestream, or on our webpages to give electronically, as well as many others who have mailed in, or dropped off in the mailbox their envelops and Sunday donations. This has been extremely helpful for us to continue to remain current on our bills and operating expenses, and for this I am very grateful. We continue to publish weekly giving in the bulletin, which anyone can see online through the parish websites.

Given the extension of the “Stay at home order” and the suspension of public Masses, I was compelled to cancel the Regional Festival this June. I hope to enter into discussion with our Pastoral Councils once we are able to meet again, about alternatives or possibly rescheduling it, or doing something else in the fall. Will have to see what Council has to say and recommend in that regard, as well as see where we are with the pandemic, and how this will continue to unfold. Needless to say, we will certainly feel a pinch with the loss of that revenue.

Finally, I want to assure you all of my prayers for you, and to encourage you all to hang in there. We will get through this, and we will once again gather together as a faith community for worship in our pastoral region. God’s blessing, and His grace is still flowing to us, may we trust in Him!

Take Good Care,

Fr. Bryan