RESTORING PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF MASS and the Sacrament of Reconciliation

REVISED DECEMBER 11, 2020

Pope Francis is urging everyone to pray the Rosary every day during the month of May, for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic. He has offered several prayers to help us: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-04/letter-on-the-month-of-may-full-text.html
 

• Liturgical Press: Give Us This Day
• Magnificat: English | Spanish
• Bayard: Living with Christ
• The Word Among Us: English | Spanish
• GIA Publications 
  Augustine Institute: Free Subscriptions of FORMED for 40 days
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (for parents)
• RENEW International 
• Loyola Press 
• Oregon Catholic Press 
• Liturgy Training Publications (LTP)
• Our Sunday Visitor 
• Sadlier 
• RCL Benziger 
• Pflaum: Resources for Families 
• Catechist.com Resources 
• My Catholic Faith Delivered

Find more resources from Association of Catholic Publishers members.

Free Resources from the United States Conference of Cathoic Bishops

• Continuity of Learning and Community Plan for Parents and Student
• The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Educational Resources and Ongoing Discipleship Formation
• Ideas and Recommendations for Families with Children who have Diverse Learning Needs
• Daily Readings: English | Spanish
• Daily Readings Audio
• Video Reflection
• Tips on Livestreaming the Mass
• Mass in Time of Pandemic | en español

Free Resources from Others

• 7 Resources to Help Bring the Faith Home

During this unprecedented time, please know that we are seeing to the safety and health of all, while keeping within our limitations of time and space. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Thank you to everyone who is making this possible. Out of an abundance of care for you and the wellbeing of our Priests and volunteers at Mass, we will continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the government and the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.  

St. John the Beloved Parish offers daily mass at 8:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday. Sunday masses are 5:00 p.m. Saturday and 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 a.m., and 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please check your temperature before arrival. Those who show symptoms of a virus are asked to stay home. 

A dispensation from Sunday obligation is given for the vulnerable and those still uncomfortable to be in public at this time. During this time our parish will continue to provide a video of our Sunday Mass on our website. The present format at St. John the Beloved Church is as follows:
 

• All members of the assembly and ministers are required to sanitize their hands upon entering the church.  

• Properly worn face masks, covering both the mouth and nose, are required of all the assembly. ONLY Toddlers are exempt. 

• The faithful are asked to sit 6-feet apart from each other. Members of the same household may sit together. Designated markings on the pew show the allowed seating arrangement. Please follow the instructions of the host usher.

• The ministries of those who serve at Mass are postponed for now.  

• Receiving Communion in the hand is preferred.  

• No other gatherings are permitted in the church. Scheduled weddings, funerals, and baptisms with social distancing and attendance limitations in effect.

• The church will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on weekdays and Saturday for Mass and private prayer. The disinfecting of the church has to take place afterward.

Reconciliation is available on Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. in the sacristies. Masks are required.
 
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Fridays, after 8:00 a.m. Mass, through 10:00 a.m. We will continue this devotion on Fridays when most mornings are available.  We ask that the faithful keep a vigil at this time.  It is a wonderful opportunity for private prayer for our many needs. 

FUNERALS
As we move forward slowly and cautiously, funerals will be celebrated with the same restrictions as Sunday Mass (mask use, physical distancing, sanitizing, attendance limitations, etc.) and mindful of reducing gathering and the time spent in the church. In accordance with the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Covid-19 guidelines for funerals, we can not offer visitations in the Church, or processions at this time.

For those who attend the Masses we are offering, please drop your envelope/collection in the baskets, or click here to donate online. For those who remain at home, please mail your offertory to St. John the Beloved Church, 907 Milltown Rd. Wilmington, DE  19808. Your contributions are needed to keep our parish intact. 

Our appreciation goes to everyone who is contributing one way or another. A big Thank you and God Bless You to everyone who helps coordinate and facilitates the present Mass process. Our ushering and cleaning and cooperation all around are deeply appreciated. If you are able, assistance is needed after every Mass currently held at St. John the Beloved Church.
For more information regarding our parish open/closed status, click here.  

Other church activities such as choir practice, lecturing, ushering, cantoring, etc. remain suspended for the present. If you have questions, please contact the Facilities Management Office at kduffy@sjbde.org.

To reschedule a canceled event, please use the MIDAS reservation system by going to sjbde.org. Click on the "ABOUT" tab. Click on "Facilities & Maintenance" in the drop-down box and follow the directions there.

Click here to pray the Coronavirus Novena. While we face the coronavirus pandemic, let us turn to the face of God in prayer and ask for His healing, His help, and His protection. Let us also turn to and ask for the intercession of our Most Blessed Mother Mary, our hope in times of crises and of all the saints.

Psychologists have coined the term “COVID Stress Syndrome” to describe the pandemic’s impact on emotional health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released some recommendations to cope with our present situation:

This is a uniquely stressful time for all of us, but with good sense, God’s grace and the support from the people we love, we can make it through this journey together.

Gratefully,
Father Joe Piekarski

As we face this unprecedented time of economic instability and a global public health crisis, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. You do not have to face the fear of unemployment, safety for yourself and your family, on your own. You can access real help through Catholic Charities’ Behavioral Health Services, which is currently accepting new clients.

How do you begin? Phone the Catholic Charities office — Wilmington, Dover, Georgetown, or Eastern Shore — closest to your home. Speak to the Counseling Services intake support staff. The intake worker will conduct a brief, confidential phone interview so you can describe your problem and ask questions. During the phone interview, we will gather the necessary information so we can begin your admission to the program. We are able to accept most third-party insurances, as well as Medicaid and Medicare. If you do not have insurance, we have a sliding fee scale to make counseling affordable. Currently, all services are provided remotely, and safely, via video-link.

We also welcome calls if you have questions or concerns about a family member. Sometimes the person who needs help the most is the most reluctant to make that first call. It can be helpful to reach out and have your questions about cost, counselor availability, and treatment expectations, answered in advance, so when the potential client calls to make an appointment, it is an easier call for that person to make.

For additional information and to find your closest office, please visit our website at www.cdow.org/charities and click on “Behavioral Health Services” from the “Programs” drop-down box at the top of the page.

A message from Bishop Francis Malooly of the Diocese of Wilmington, Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Following the best guidance of the scientific community and the legitimate restrictions on public life placed by our state governments, our churches are closed and we do not have access to the sacraments at this time. I am not going to take any unnecessary risks to this mandate by making exceptions. I have to be a good citizen, and I have to follow my conscience and not put anyone in danger.
Today, we are being invited to lean all the more into our faith to draw strength and peace from Christ our Savior. Jesus has never abandoned his Church, and he is not doing so now. God’s grace, certainly present in the sacraments, is not bound by them. God can—and does—come to us by grace when we are unable to receive him sacramentally.
Though for different reasons, this is not new to this area. When Catholicism first came to our area, many of our communities would have to wait weeks, if not months, for a priest to come to baptize, witness marriages, hear confessions, and say Mass.
Today, we are waiting for the day when we can return to our parishes and celebrate the sacraments, but we can take comfort in the knowledge that by staying home, we are fulfilling the second great commandment—to love our neighbor—by doing all we can to slow the spread of this disease and protect the most vulnerable among us. In this Holy Week, we are reminded that every suffering and longing—including our longing for the sacraments—will be followed by the glory of Easter. Please join me in praying for the Lord’s blessing and a quick end to this disease so that we can return to our churches.