WELCOME
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Coronavirus Information Update:
1. During this time I will be saying Masses privately. I will continue to offer these Masses for the requested intentions that are published in the Sunday bulletin which you can find below.
2. Until the suspension of public Masses and other restrictions has been lifted, Confessions will be heard on Saturdays from 4:00- 5:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
3. Families are welcome to take Missalettes and Stations of the Cross booklets home to use during this time. Kindly return them after our normal schedule begins again.
4. If you know of members of our parishes that do not have access to the internet and this website, please print off any information that might help them and share that with them.
5. Please take advantage of any of the links we have posted below that will help you during this time.
Thank you all for your patience and vigilance as we work together to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
From Father H:
**********************The Parish Pastoral Council Meeting and Luncheon for March 29 has been postponed********************
March 26, 2020
By now I am sure it is starting to sink in that this might well be a longer disruption to our lives than we had hoped for. Having said that, we must not lose hope and give in to the temptation of panic and hysteria. If anything, we all need to continue doing our part to combat the spread of this virus by being conscientious of one another. Please continue to be vigilant in doing the things necessary to protect yourselves and others from contracting the Coronavirus. The experts continue to remind us that there is still a lot we do not know about this virus, even though we learn new things each day. Please understand that our behavior needs to be grounded in our faith as true Christian believers that only want the best for all people. This is why we as a diocese have taken what seems to be such drastic measures, i.e., not having publicly attended Masses, cancelling so many events and functions and placing extreme limitations on things like baptisms, weddings and funerals. While these limitations are in fact challenging, we must remember that they are temporary. The better job we do with being vigilant about stopping the threat of spreading this virus, the sooner we will be able to return to a more normal existence. Please don’t lose heart. I know this is an awkward and difficult time for all of us, some more so than others. If there is anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact me. The best way to converse with me right now is by email or by calling the office. I would ask that you add four specific intentions to your daily prayers during this time. First, for the repose of the souls of all those who have died from the Coronavirus and those who mourn their loss. Second, for all those who have become ill from the Coronavirus that they will experience a quick recovery, most especially those who have been hospitalized. Third, that employees who have lost their jobs during this time will be provided the means necessary to “stay on their feet” if you will, until they can either return to work or find new jobs. This is a most important intention because I am sure we will have members of our parishes facing such challenges. Fourth, for any business owner that has or is facing the possibility of shutting down that they too will be given the means to help them stay afloat until this crisis is over. Again, this also might affect some of our parish members, so please don’t forget to pray for them as well. Please stay optimistic, please stay hopeful, please stay as positive as you can. Most of all, please be safe and stay healthy. God bless you all.
Father H
Monday, March 23, 2020
Greetings everyone. I am checking in to see how all of you are doing after this first weekend of suspension of Masses. I hope that you are all doing well and beginning to adapt to our temporary way of living as a faith community. Know that you continue to remain in my prayers in a special way during this time. Please remember that you are welcome to take Missalettes and Stations of the Cross booklets home to use in your homes. In addition, as you probably know by now there are several parishes in Wichita including the Cathedral that are live streaming the Sunday Mass. I myself viewed the Mass with the bishop before I offered Mass that morning. You can also watch the Mass on EWTN. We will be placing Sunday Bulletins at the entrances of the church on Friday after they come to us from the bulletin company that prints them for us. You are welcome and encouraged to make visits to the church during this time in order to be with the Blessed Sacrament. It is important to remember that adoration of the Blessed Sacrament can take place with the Blessed Sacrament reposed in a tabernacle or exposed in a monstrance. Our Eucharistic Lord welcomes our visits and continues to bring graces upon us as we spend quality time before the Blessed Sacrament. I will start leaving a row of lights on throughout the day so when you do make a visit you will have enough light to read, especially during the early and latter parts of the day. I will ask Father Ken to do the same at St. Mary. As we are changing our routines and schedules during this time, now would be a great time for us to use some of our time to move deeper into our faith via additional time for prayer, spiritual reading and continued study of our faith, especially as a family. What better way to spend time as a family reading and discussing some Scripture, praying a Rosary, doing the Stations of the Cross, or watching a religious themed movie together. I prayer that we all seek ways during this time to use some of our time for greater spiritual growth. While we may not be able to actually receive the Eucharist at this time, we still can receive abundant graces from these various religious efforts we participate in. One final thought; if you are experiencing stress and anxiety because you can't go to places you are normally free to go to, or hang out with the network of friends that you so often depend upon, please spend some quality time with God. We can pray anywhere at any time, most especially when we are anxious, fearful or concerned about many things. Let us go to God with our anxieties and challenges. Please pray for those who are struggling the most among us as we all pray for a quick end to this pandemic. God bless you all.
Father H
Dear Members of St. Anthony and St. Mary
March 20, 2020
As we are about to face our first weekend with our temporary suspension of Masses, events and meetings, I wanted to reach out to you and let you know that I am thinking about you and hoping that you are doing your best to adapt to these extreme changes in the practice of your faith. I know that living without the Mass and other events is causing you great sadness, anxiety and even some frustration. I know this is especially true for those of you that come to Mass daily. Please know that you are all in my prayers in the most special way during these days. Like you, I too am having to make major adjustments to my daily routines as well. This is most evident as I say Mass each day and you are not there with me. Know that I truly miss you and the wonderful interaction that we have with one other when we gather for Mass. We must stay positive and optimistic that this disruption to our ordinary living will eventually pass; and we can return to a more normal way of living, hopefully sooner than later. Please include in your prayer intentions that this pandemic can and will end as soon as possible, and that all of us will do our part in bringing that about. Kindly keep me in your prayers as well. Let us all rely on the great faith we have as a worshipping community to keep moving forward as we hope for an end to this unfortunate challenge. May we all be a people and community of hope. Know that I love you all and you remain in my thoughts and prayers daily. God bless you all.
Father H
Some thoughts about the recent Coronavirus outbreak.
March 18, 2020
There is no question that life for us has changed abruptly this last week. While we so often have the temptation to panic in such situations, it is most important that we be as grounded and calm as we can while being genuinely concerned as we deal with this outbreak. Being calm does not mean that we don’t care. Nor does it mean we are in denial or not taking this situation seriously. I think being calm means tapping into two of the greatest gifts we have, namely, common sense and our faith. May I suggest that each of us humbly assess what we might do with our common sense in helping stop the spread of this virus. The health experts who are trying to lead us through this unfortunate pandemic have been quick to offer us concrete guidance and advice about how we conduct ourselves in public with respect to hygiene, avoidance, prevention and social distancing, etc. As people of faith, we must also trust that we can and will weather this challenge and find personal growth and betterment when it is over. Now is not the time to forget the words of St. Paul as he wrote to the Romans:
“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Father H
To Keep Informed - Click a link:
https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/ https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/news/
https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/ https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/news/
Stewardship...Our Way of Life.
Parish Announcements
Office of the Bishop - Letter regarding Coronavirus COVID 19 as it relates to Masses, etc. Updated March 17, 2020
