Mar 20, 2020

Greetings,

Let me begin by saying that you have all been in my prayers and intentions in a particularly deep way. And I thank all of you who have been returning prayers for your parish and all of your offerings of assistance and your great patience, understanding and kindness. Balancing all that is required of institutions against wanting desperately to serve, I think we are doing what we can but are certainly open to your suggestions.

I am writing this to you on Tuesday mid-afternoon, anxiously checking my email about once every ten minutes awaiting an overdue recommendations and best practices memo from our administrator of the diocese. (I certainly do not envy him his job. Please say a prayer for him!) This makes me nervous about writing to you because every time we scramble and put protocols in place, the next minute new directives come out and we must dive back into the trenches and re-work everything we had just established.

To that end, this is the best information that I have so far and that which seems to have some staying power. If you want to confirm if this information is still correct, please call the front office during business hours and check our daily “Angelus Letter” which will come out every day around noon that can be found in your email or accessed from our website.

WHAT ISN’T HAPPENING:

There will be no public liturgical celebrations in the state of Ohio through Easter Sunday. Since the Federal Government has ordered that there shall not be gatherings of larger than 10 persons, there will not be adoration or compline/benediction on Tuesdays. Fr. Simone and I are thinking that we might still have confessions outside depending on further directives and weather. All other activities at the parish are cancelled.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Keep checking our website for further updates as to what is happening at our parish.

If you have question that might be good for the whole community to have answered, send them to marketing@stsebastian.org.

If you have a petition that you want remembered at our private Masses, send them to marketing@stsebastian.org.

If you or someone you know is elderly, isolated or ill and who could use a regular phone call to make sure that they are well, please call the rectory at 330-836-2233 and leave a name and number with either Cathy Sivec or Jennifer Jones. Please call this same number if you are willing to make these phone calls.

If we determine there is a safe way for persons to volunteer at the parish and you are willing to step up, please call Milissa Smith, our business manager who will be coordinating volunteers, at 330-836-2233 or email her at smithm@stsebastian.org.

We have attempted to post our Mass every day so keep an eye out for that.

There will be other videos to view on our YouTube channel, which can also be found on our Facebook page.

There will be other things to listen to on the St. Sebastian podcast. This can be found by clicking on “Homilies” from our webpage. I hope to get Deacon Terry to do such things as pray the rosary with you with his soothing voice.

Even if the doors of the church are locked, you may come to the front glass doors of the church (or slow down as you drive by) through which you can see the tabernacle, and say a prayer to Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Please keep your prayer life intact. Remember to make a spiritual Communion and a prayer to St. Sebastian, one of the saints to invoke against the spread of contagious diseases.

Mass readings and the Liturgy of the Hours can be found on the free app “iBreviary”.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The staff and faculty of your parish continue to work hard every day to do what we can. Even though it appears that so many things are cancelled, our work load continues and our expenses have not gone down much though our income and investments have. Thank you to everyone who has been so thoughtful as to bring by their envelopes. A special prayer for those sacrificially  gave extra for these lean times. Thank you to those who continue to give online and for those who might wish to do so, sign up for online giving at this link: https://osvonlinegiving.com/229

Thank you for doing all that you can. I am so proud and lucky to be a part of this St. Sebastian community. May this time of trial also bring blessings into your life. Tell someone you love them. Be ready to say, “I’m sorry.”  Turn off the television and social media and truly spend time with each other. I know how difficult that is and we are doing it in the rectory when vegging out is such a temptation. Please stay healthy.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck