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News and Updates
MESSAGES FROM THE PASTOR
June 4, 2020
Dear Parishioners,With you all, I am eagerly awaiting the full reopening of our parish. We are still in Level I, with the parish open for prayer and confessions. I expect that we will move into Level II - baptisms and weddings with 10 attendees - sometime next week when Orange County enters Phase II of New York State's reopening plan. You might be interested to know that the level descriptions have changed slightly. Level III will be funerals and daily Mass with limited attendance (previously this level was Communion outside of Mass, which has been eliminated). Level IV will be Sunday Mass with the church at 25% capacity. At Level V we will resume all church activities with the church at full capacity. Please pray that we move through these levels quickly yet safely.
God bless,
Fr. David
May 29, 2020
As of tomorrow, May 30th, Confessions will once again be held in the Church every Saturday from 3:30-5:00. The confessional has been slightly reconfigured so as to ensure 6 feet of space between priest and penitent, but penitents will still have the option to confess face-to-face or behind the screen. Both priest and penitent must wear a face mask. Penitents are asked to sanitize their hands before entering the confessional using the hand sanitizer provided at the entrance to the confessional, and to distance themselves while waiting in line by standing on the tape that has been put down on the floor. Sanitizing wipes will be available in the confessional for anyone who may wish to wipe down the chair or kneeler before using. Thank you for your compliance with these regulations. Hope to see you there!
May 28, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
The pastors of the Archdiocese received another memo from the Vicar General last night. I copy below the part that I believe will be of interest to parishioners:
"We know that parish priests are being questioned and pressed for answers from their people about when we can begin to gather again for prayer. They and we all want to know when we can be 'back in action.' We don't have that answer, for the very good reason that we must try to help people stay safe from this virus. And being good citizens and not medical experts, we must follow the advice and rules of elected officials and health care professionals. Coronavirus is not yet contained and personal protective equipment works. So does washing hands, and using physical distance.
"Complicating things is that our archdiocese is a diverse unit of ten counties. Seven are less vulnerable and they will be given permission to do things before the New York City boroughs. Therefore, I ask you to follow the principles and protocols laid out in the carefully-crafted Faith Forward document published last Thursday. It remains in effect until we can change or speed it up. As soon as I know what the state rules will be, then I can offer you likely dates – probably different for upstate and down. Please patiently work with us in this step-by-step process to return to our sacramental life without risking the health of our members.
"WHAT ARE THE NEW YORK STATE PHASES OF OPENING? Currently, the Hudson Valley counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester have entered phase one (construction and manufacturing and some retail stores are open for curbside pickup.) It is expected to last for two weeks. Phase two is the broadest part of the reopening, and includes professional services, more retailers and real estate firms, finance, insurance, and administrative support, among others. This would include parish offices. Phase three includes restaurants, bars, food services and hotels. The last pieces of regular life to reopen will be the places many of us go to unwind or to enrich ourselves: arts, entertainment, recreation and education. Houses of worship are absent as a category on the list. We believe we are in this phase, but we are hopeful that we can be moved up to phase two. This hasn’t happened yet."
In Christ,
Fr. David
May 25, 2020
Dear Parishioners,In the interest of keeping you all as informed as possible, I share with you this message from the Vicar General of the Archdiocese, which was just sent to all of the priests. Looking forward, along with all of you, to getting to that final phase. God bless and Happy Memorial Day!
In Christ,
Fr. David
From the Vicar General:"Cardinal Dolan appreciates the sensitivity of President Trump in acknowledging that churches are essential services and need to gradually reopen, but he also takes very seriously the course of action that the president and governor and their health care professionals have put out to guide us in those decisions. We need to keep everyone safe. So, we are following the carefully-crafted Faith Forward document we published on Thursday. We do anticipate that we will be able to assign dates to our timeline. But as of today, nothing further has changed. Currently, the first phase which is in effect right now, is opening the churches for private prayer and confessions. It is expected that different regions of the archdiocese will begin the process of reopening at different times. The next phase which will commence at a later date, will be the resumption of small religious services (baptisms and marriages, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament) all under the ten-person limit. The third phase will be distribution of Holy Communion without Mass during the week. The fourth phase will be limited weekday Masses and funeral Masses. The last phase will be Sunday Mass with supervised attendance. When the time comes, this approach can be implemented parish by parish with commencement of each phase to be announced in the vicar general’s bollettini [announcements]. "
May 23, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
With recent statements by the Governor, the President, and the Cardinal, many people have questions regarding when Mass and other sacraments will resume in our churches. The answer, given by Cardinal Dolan in his Thursday morning press conference, is that our parishes will be cautiously returning to their normal operation in six phases. It will be up to the Archdiocese, in consultation with health experts and elected officials, to decide when a particular parish will enter a particular phase. Here at Sacred Heart, we are currently in Phase 1 (our church is open for prayer from 6am-9pm, and confessions are heard in the office by appointment and on Saturday afternoon in the parking lot). Below, see a description of each phase. I’m sorry to say that there will still be no public Mass for some time. Please continue to pray for our quick and safe return to full sacramental life.
In Christ,
Fr. David
Phase 1 – Churches open for private prayer and confession
Phase 2 – Celebration of Baptisms and Marriages (limited to 10 attendees)
Phase 3 – Celebration of the Rite of Distributing Holy Communion Outside of Mass
Phase 4 – Celebration of Daily and Funeral Masses with limited attendance
Phase 5 – Celebration of Sunday Mass with limits on attendance (25% capacity of church)
Phase 6 – Resume full Sacramental life
April 9, 2020HOLY WEEK SERVICES
Masses and Services are not open to the public but can be viewed online. To watch live please click here for Sacred Heart's Facebook page or here to view them on YouTube.
HOLY THURSDAY
Mass at 7:00 PM
GOOD FRIDAY
Service at 3:00 PM
EASTER VIGIL
Mass at 8:00 PM
EASTER DAY
Mass at 10:00 AM
April 2, 2020
Three updates:
1) As per a recent instruction from the Archdiocese, palms will no longer be made available this Sunday. When Masses have recommenced, palms will be blessed and distributed.
2) All parishioners are asked to send a photograph of their family to the parish office. Photos will be taped to the pews during Easter Mass. Photos can be e-mailed to gladys@sacredheartchurch.org. See my video message at the following link for further details: https://youtu.be/VI03LEUFJZ8
3) Palm Sunday Mass will be live-streamed from Sacred Heart at 10am, this Sunday, April 5th. To view the Mass, go to Sacred Heart's Facebook page, or watch on YouTube live, using the link below. I know that many people were not able to view the live streaming last Sunday via YouTube. That problem should be resolved this Sunday.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIO61b-W00gEiuEKWB-vFhQ
March 29, 2020
In case you missed it, here is a link to Mass celebrated this morning at Sacred Heart.
https://youtu.be/EOMl4psgoAA
March 28, 2020
Mass will be live-streamed from Sacred Heart at 10am on Sunday, March 29th. Go to the parish Facebook page (click on Facebook icon in top right corner of this website) and watch through Facebook Live, or click on the following link to watch live through YouTube. Church will open at 11:30 for Eucharistic Adoration and remain open until 7pm. Please spread the word!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIO61b-W00gEiuEKWB-vFhQ
March 23, 2020
Dear Sacred Heart Families,
In response to multiple queries, I am happy to report that Eucharistic Adoration is still taking place at Sacred Heart. According to the guidance provided with Governor Cuomo’s most recent executive order (EO 202.6), churches are not considered essential businesses. However, the guidance states that “houses of worship are not ordered closed” provided that “no congregate services be held and social distance be maintained.” In light of this guidance, I will not be shutting down Eucharistic Adoration. We have already taken away so much from our people that I simply cannot bring myself to take this away too. If you signed up for an hour and do not feel comfortable leaving your house, it’s perfectly fine, you do not have to come. Remember, all we need is one person per hour to keep adoration going. However, if you desperately need Jesus’s living, consoling presence in the Eucharist now more than ever, know that He is waiting for you on the altar at Sacred Heart in Monroe, Monday through Friday, from 4pm to 9pm. Know, also, that our church is being disinfected regularly and that doors are being left propped open so that people can come to pray without making contact with anyone or anything. Should you decide to come for a visit, please do your part to use the doors that are already opened, to avoid touching the tops of the pews with your hands, and to stay at least six feet away from anyone else who may be there in prayer. Let it be known that Jesus and the Church have not abandoned us in our hour of need and are there waiting for all who wish to draw near. May God bless you all and keep you safe.
In Christ,
Fr. David
March 20, 2020
Dear Sacred Heart Families,
I hope you are holding up well during these very difficult times. You are all in my daily prayers.
As you well know, our Masses have been canceled for the foreseeable future. With no Masses, our collections have dropped drastically. Some of our wonderful parishioners have come in and handed us their envelopes, and for that I am grateful. However, it is no longer advisable to do this. Many others, quite understandably, have not been able to make the generous contributions they usually make when attending Sunday Mass. And yet, while these contributions have temporarily ceased, our Church’s bills, of which there are many, continue to pile up. Contrary to popular belief, the parish is not wealthy and does not receive any financial help from the archdiocese.
I know that this is a difficult time economically for many businesses and families, so please know that I turn to you for help with the utmost sensitivity to the challenges that you may be facing in your own personal finances. With that said, I would like to clearly state that we really need your help if we are going to meet the many expenses of running our amazing parish.
The best way you can help is to sign up now for automatic giving. You can do this in one of two ways. You can contact your bank and ask them to include Sacred Heart among your recurring bills, in which case they would mail a weekly or monthly check with your contribution to the parish. If you already participate in online giving, this is a simple matter of adding Sacred Heart as another one of your payees. Or, you can sign up for WeShare, a secure way of registering a credit card, debit card, or checking account to which weekly, automatic contributions will be charged. To sign up for WeShare, click on the following link and follow the instructions:
https://sacredheartchurchmonroe.churchgiving.com/Regular
Please give serious consideration to signing up for one of these two methods of automatic giving. It only takes a few minutes, but it makes a huge difference in our parish finances. If you have any questions, or run into any problems, feel free to contact our bookkeeper, Cathy O’Hare at cathy@sacredheartchurch.org.
Thank you for considering this request, and please know that I completely understand if it is not possible for you to do what I am asking due to your own financial hardships at the moment. Please know of my prayers for you, and please keep our parish and our parishioners in your prayers at this time.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. David
March 17, 2020
Dear Parishioners of Sacred Heart,
Peace of Christ!
As you all know, we are currently living in trying times. Times like these call for even greater faith, deeper trust, and more fervent prayer than usual. They also call for greater solidarity with one another. Please know of my solidarity with each of you and my prayers for you as you face the challenges of these days.
Here at Sacred Heart, we are committed to serving your spiritual needs however we can, while respecting all the regulations currently being put in place by government and church authorities. For the time being, His Eminence Cardinal Dolan has suspended all public Masses - both Sunday Masses and daily Masses - until further notice. You can fulfill your Sunday obligation by watching Sunday Mass online or on TV, or by listening to it on the radio. Mass from St. Patrick's Cathedral will be broadcast and available on many cable systems via the Catholic Faith Network and its website at https://www.catholicfaithnetwork.org as well as at https://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/live. In addition, please know that I am celebrating Mass privately every day, and that you and your families are being remembered in my daily Masses. I strongly recommend that parishioners make a spiritual communion every day that they cannot attend Mass. The words of a spiritual communion can be found here. I am not preaching homilies during Mass right now, as I have no one to preach to. However, in an attempt to stay connected and bring you some inspiration, I will periodically be posting audio messages on my website. Please go to the homilies tab at https://www.fatherdavidrider.com to listen.
Eucharistic adoration will continue Monday through Friday from 4pm-9pm, for as long as we are still allowed to have it. We will also have adoration during the hours that we would normally have Sunday Mass. If you cannot come for the hour you are committed to, it's okay. I would really like to keep adoration going for as long as possible, as I believe that we need to have access to the consoling presence of Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament now more than ever. Thank you for helping me to keep this available by coming to keep Jesus company while he is exposed on the altar.
Stations of the Cross will not take place until further notice, insofar as gatherings of over 50 people have been prohibited by New York State. Our parish mission has been postponed for the same reason.
As for confessions, we have been instructed by the Cardinal that confessions are to be by heard "upon reasonable request" and "preferably by appointment." Therefore, if you wish to go to confession, please call the parish office (do not come in person) and a priest will be happy to make an appointment with you.
Our parish outreach will continue to serve our community as much as possible. Our food pantry will be open on Wednesdays from 10am-11am and Our Father's Kitchen will be handing out take-out meals on Wednesdays from 4:30-5:00. Both operate out of the basement of our chapel on Stage Rd.
Finally, I am ready at a moment's notice to administer the anointing of the sick to anyone who may need it, including anyone infected by the coronavirus. St. Paul tells us that true love casts out fear, and in that spirit, I am ready to go wherever a priest is needed to minister to the sick, even if it involves a risk to my health. Please know that I am with you as your shepherd and I am ready to suffer, if need be, with those of my people who are suffering.
May Jesus fill your hearts with his peace, and may this be a time of deeper conversion for each one of us. May God bless you, and may our Blessed Mother, Health of the Sick, watch over you and your families.
In Christ,
Fr. David