Aug 20, 2020

Greetings,

Did it feel to you as though your parish shut down for the summer because of COVID? Let me assure you that it didn’t.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the MANY St. Sebastianites who took on various roles and kept the fires stoked and the wheels turning.

Of course, there is your staff whose work load either did not decrees a jot or actually increased because COVID did not cut out what they did but often made it more difficult and time consuming to get it done! From maintenance to teaching, the amount of work your staff has put in has been nothing short of amazing and honorable.

A lot of you volunteered for various things. There were, of course, those things that cannot be put off because of a pandemic. The grounds crew and garden tenderers, money counters, ushers, sacristans and all of the typical things that need to happen at our parish were still carried on by dedicated and concerned volunteers.

Then there were those who stepped up for things that never existed before! Thank you to those who cleaned the church every day so that we could keep our doors open. Then there are those who established and manned our live-streaming. There is no way we could have pulled that off without their talented assistance.

There were still activities (keeping within health guidelines) that took place this summer from Bible camp to concerts. These don’t happen magically. They happen because St. Sebastianites care about their community and strive to make things happen.

We cannot forget our seminarians who pitched in so much: keeping our ministries going, working around the parish and producing so much of our online presence. How were we so fortunately blessed?

Fr. Anthony has been a rock during all of this. It would be easy to become frustrated or discouraged, but he plowed through valiantly and positively.

There are so many other blessings to note that I fear forgetting some that have been on my mind such as those who continue the mission of the parish through sacraments and through prayer for the parish. Those who make their appreciation for what the parish does and stands for through continued monetary support, through extraordinary gifts and through supportive notes. Then there are those who continue the ministries to the less fortunate both through donations and through volunteer hours. Lastly (and probably forgetting some things that I wanted to remember) is the general positive attitude during a challenging time. What better sign of a believing community is there than that?

Thank you, thank you, thank you. And may God bless you. May you and this parish continue to be a beacon of light during, what is for many, a dark episode. Please know of my prayers for you. You are amazing.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck