A Message from Father John,

Today I made the painful decision to cancel our Holy Smoke Barbecue Festival. Admittedly affecting my decision is the fact that I’d had some recent close experiences with Covid. I also believed that holding the event would place staff and volunteers in a position of unnecessary risk. While this was something many of us were looking forward to, at this time I believe the nature of the event posed too many risks.

This is one of the only changes I see us making at this time. Many of our other activities are gatherings of smaller groups, activities that last for a relatively short period of time, or are meeting in a larger space like our church. However every activity or gathering offers an inherent risk. Therefore one guide we utilize in deciding about activities is their importance in regard to our faith. Sunday Mass does present a risk because of the large number of people. But it is our most important gathering. Small group meetings involve a smaller number of people and are important for many in supporting their faith lives. The Holy Smoke would have brought a larger number of people together and has less impact on our faith, but important for our life as a community.

With canceling, thank you to our volunteers and staff who were involved in planning. A “thank-you” also goes out to our many volunteers who had signed up to help in one way or another. Of course thank you also to all who were planning to participate in some way. We all look forward to when everyone can gather safely. And oh yes, we will still hold the raffle Saturday evening at 7:15 pm. Make sure to have your tickets turned in this Saturday evening. We will hold the drawing on the newly paved lower parking lot. You are welcome to stop by for the drawing.

But this is also a good reminder that if you are feeling sick, please stay at home and get well. If you have any symptoms of illness you automatically qualify for a personal dispensation from attending Mass. Remember we continue to livestream Mass every Sunday at 8:30 AM and Wednesday at 8 AM.