St. Catherine of Siena

Beloved of God!
 
This is the Day the Lord has made, let us Rejoice and be Glad. I pray you are in good spirits, feeling supported, and persevering in these days. Our heartfelt concern for the thriving of our community, spiritually and physically drives much time of prayer and thought in the days we are experiencing together. First of all, you are not alone! If you are struggling, please know you are not alone. This is a stressful time for many people. Second, please reach-out and be proactive as prayer and emotional support does make a difference. Thirdly, be encouraged as there are better days ahead.
I just finished a webinar from the Governor’s office and then with the Archbishop so here are the basics:

1. We will continue to the sign-ups for mass Tuesday through Friday and limit mass attendance to 25 people in the Church. The civil government officials are considering expanding that number of people allowed for larger spaces. Currently, we are not allowed to open a second location (the parish center) for live-stream then communion. This last option is being considered by the Archdiocese.
2. We kindly ask everyone to sanitize their hands upon entering the church and exiting the Church. As we ramp-up our return to civic life we need to ramp up our hygiene by measures suitable for times of a virus outbreak. Wash your hands often.
3. Some have questions about the lists of names for mass. The primary intent of these lists is to help limit the number in the Church to 25 and assure that there is a fair rotation of people who attend the Holy Mass. The secondary purpose is for us (St. Catherine’s) to contact people who attend a mass, should an attendee test positive for covid-19. There is a slight chance that health officials will ask for the list, should an outbreak occur.
4. We will continue to sanitize the Church after each mass. (sorry for the smell of sanitizer but it is required at this time)
5. A new change is that the priest (me) will be required to use a mask when distributing Holy Communion. Please do not be alarmed as it is a new requirement to which I am very happy to comply. Our concern continues to be to use measures to limit or prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Please be encouraged and keep the Faith! It looks like some forms of limitation will be in-place for a while so maybe a chance to read a biography of a saint to which you are drawn. Pope Francis refers to the saints as living interpretations of the Bible. This is so true! If we want to learn how to follow Jesus, then learn from the lives of those who followed Jesus the best! You could also watch a movie or two about a life of a saint. Being that tomorrow is Our Lady of Fatima, you might consider watching a film about the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.
Next,  I am sorry we are going through these days. It would be great if we were not experiencing such days. It is clear we would not wish such circumstances on anyone.  I pray that we all can find ways to survive or thrive!
Also, just an encouragement to work with your health care provider to make sure you are doing what you can to keep your immune system running as best as possible. Taking care of body and soul is important.
I pray for each of you daily in my daily prayers and ask for your prayers as well. I hear regularly in church and around town of a strong and growing sense of the civil government over-stepping legitimate and limited authority so please pray for all those involved in these circumstances.
Also please pray for all those who are suffering from Covid-19, those who are caring directly for those suffering with it, for vulnerable populations and all those affected by the loss of employment and the “domino effect” of the extreme cautionary measures. It is not easy for anyone. Yet, with prayer, discussion, and goodwill we can work through this together. The impact of the virus and the extreme measures will be with us for months and months, if not a year or two, so let us really hold in our hearts the good of all, praising God in all things, and allowing the Holy Spirit to raise us up!
May God’s Holy Will, which is Love and Mercy itself, be accomplished through our cooperation.
To Jesus through Mary,
Fr. Theo+

We're a small country church with great passion to grow in our faith by experiencing Christ in the Holy Mass and Sacraments, handed down to us from Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. We are called to share the joy this brings us with a world in great need of hope.

   Weekends:                                             Weekdays:
Saturday 5:30 pm – English          Tuesday 6:00 pm - Latin
Sunday    9:30 am – English          Wednesday 6:00 pm - English
                11:00 am – Latin             Thursday 6:00 pm - Latin
                1:00 pm – Latin               Friday 6:00 pm - English
                             Saturday 8:00 am – EF/OF rotation

NOTE: PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL TO MAKE A RESERVATION AS WE ARE LIMITED TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO MAY ATTEND AT ANY ONE TIME.

The USCCB has posted some excellent resources for in-home prayer and engagement, including links to online Masses, daily readings, prayers, spiritual tips and ideas: https://catholiccurrent.org/covid19/
livestreamed Mass that will be offered by Archbishop Sample each Sunday at 11:00 am at the Cathedral: https://www.facebook.com/archdpdx/
Also: resources for livestreamed Masses: https://archdpdx.org/live-masses
 or https://www.nationalshrine.org/mass/
 or https://www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass/

 Prayer Resources:

Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon  prayer for this time: https://files.constantcontact.com/6cb561fb001/34090d93-a578-4451-8953-025b0f455d68.pdf
Act of Spiritual Communion: https://files.constantcontact.com/6cb561fb001/cb76387d-b31c-4dc3-833e-659a4572d40c.pdf
Prayer in time of need: https://files.constantcontact.com/6cb561fb001/74e23c14-a960-45c8-8ccf-aa8d1b8311cf.pdf
 
St. Catherine of Siena YouTube channel:
https://files.constantcontact.com/6cb561fb001/74e23c14-a960-45c8-8ccf-aa8d1b8311cf.pdf

https://catcommlc.wixsite.com/ccolc