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Parish News
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Fr. Chris Update Sunday, September 20, 2020
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Goodbye to Virginia EadeGoodbye to Virginia Eade, our Pastoral Minister!Virginia has faithfully served the parishes of our community as pastoral minister for the past eight years. She has directed our RCIA program, conducted baptismal preparation, First Confession preparation, First Communion preparation, headed up our bereavement ministry and served as chairperson of the Kent deanery. Thank you Virginia for your deep faith and love of God and for sharing your gifts with us! We wish you all the best with your future plans and will keep you in our prayers. Virginia has written a letter to our parishes, found below.Fr. ChrisDear parishioners of Kent Lambton Roman Catholic Family of Parishes,This past spring and summer has been a challenge for everyone with the many uncertainties and changes due to Covid-19.It’s given us all the opportunity to slow down and think and reflect on our priorities and perhaps gain a new perspective on what is most important in our lives.After much thought and prayer, I have made the decision to step away from my position as Pastoral Minister for Wallaceburg, Dresden and Port Lambton in order to be more available to my family in Ridgetown.It is certainly not easy to leave such a vibrant and faith filled community with so many faithful, loving, and generous parishioners! I have met and made some wonderful friendships and feel so blessed to have been a part of this community for eight years. Even though I don’t live in the area, I have always felt very much at home for which I have you to say thank you!I will miss each and every one of you but certainly hope to be back to visit from time to time! Please know that all of you will continue to be in my prayers!God bless you,Virginia Eade
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Pastor's Pen - August 14, 2020
Dear Parishioners of the Kent Lambton RC Family of Parishes,
CK mask bylaw - As many are already aware, the municipality of Chatham-Kent last Monday passed a bylaw requiring masks to be worn at all times in businesses open to the public as well as in churches. Unless someone has a medical reason preventing them from wearing a mask, or is under 9 years of age chronologically or developmentally, masks must be worn while entering and remaining in the premises. If you are not able to wear a mask for a medical reason, simply stating that to our volunteers at the door is sufficient. One is not obliged to provide any certificate or even to say what the medical reason is. The by-law provides for fines for non-compliance ranging from a $500 fine to a $100,000.00 fine for each day the offence occurs. We will try to have masks at the church entrance for anyone who may have forgotten to bring one available free of charge, and any donations to help cover the cost of these would be certainly welcomed! The celebrant and readers while reading or leading prayers are not required to have a mask in the sanctuary. Though Port Lambton is not affected by this CK bylaw, many are expecting Lambton County to soon pass a similar bylaw.
Thank you volunteers! We would like to once again thank our many volunteers who assist with checking people in on arrival and ushering, as well as sanitizing the pews after each service. We could not have our masses without you. Thank you to everyone for your patience and cooperation throughout this time. Please continue to follow the directions of the ushers for seating in the church, as we have been directed by the diocese to fill the seats in the front of the church then work to the back.
Ordination of Fr. Steven Eckert - Congratulations to Father Steven Eckert on his priestly ordination Saturday August 15 at St. Peter's Cathedral in London. He did his pastoral internship here with us recently. While the ceremony itself is by invitation only due to Covid restrictions, the mass will be recorded and able to seen on the diocesan website www.dol.ca later that day or the morning of Sunday the 16th. We welcome Fr. Steve back to celebrate the 5pm, 8:30am and 10:30am masses with us August 22 and 23.
KLRCFP Golf Tournament - Sept 13, 2020. Please mark your calendars. Prices for golf and dinner and information on how to register to follow.
First Holy Communions Dates - We are pleased to announce the following dates for First Holy Communions that were supposed to be last spring but were postponed when the churches were closed:
Tuesday Sept 22 - 7pm Holy Family (1 of 2)
Wed Sept 23 - 7pm Holy Family (2 of 2)
Thurs Sept 24 - 7pm St. Elizabeth and ecole St. Philippe
Wed Sept 30 - 7pm Sacred Heart
Thurs Oct 1 - 7pm Christ The King
Families previously registered should have heard from Virginia Eade our pastoral minister recently for further instructions. If you have not, please contact the parish office.Enjoy the rest of the summer! God bless.
Fr. Chris
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Pastor's Pen - June 27, 2020From the Pastor's Pen - Our first week back to having open churches has been a success and gone smoothly thanks to our parish staff and many volunteers! We are all still adjusting to our new requirements for coming to church now such as reduced seating capacity, physical distancing, and signing in for contact tracing purposes. We will be continuing with a "first come - first served" model for church admittance until the church has reached capacity. As Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Michael reached their capacity last weekend, we will be directing overflow to the parish halls of these two churches this weekend. We hope to be able to offer the same for Holy Family and Sacred Heart parishes if needed sometime later. The halls will be hooked up at least for sound (and possibly video as well) and Holy Communion will be brought to the hall during the mass for those seated there.General Absolution - Bishop Fabbro is permitting general absolution during this time of pandemic until at least September 30. We had about 40 people come out for our first general absolution June 19 at Our Lady Help of Christians. The service lasts approximately 20 minutes involving instruction, scripture reading, an examination of conscience, an act of contrition, then the simultaneous absolving of sins for all present who desire it. If one is conscious of grave matter (mortal sin) then one must resolve to go to individual confession when possible. We will be offering this roughly biweekly from now until the end of September at rotating locations as follows:Tues July 7 - 6:10pm Sacred HeartThurs July 23 - 7pm St. Michael'sThurs Aug 6 - 7pm Holy FamilyWed Aug 19 - 6:10pm Our Lady Help of ChristiansTues Sept 1 - 6:10pm Sacred HeartThurs Sept 17 - 7pm St. Michael'sFri Sept 25 - 8:30am Holy FamilyWe have just received great news. Deacon Steve Eckert, who did his internship with us here, will be ordained a priest this August 15 (together with Deacon Rob Renaud and Deacon Phil Guimares). Unfortunately due to physical distancing requirements and limited seating, attendance at the ordination ceremony in London is by invitation only. We hope to have "soon-to-be Father" Steve come to our family of parishes shortly after to celebrate a mass of thanksgiving. Please keep Steve and our other "priests-elect" in your prayers!God bless!
Fr. Chris -
Our Churches will OPEN! June 19, 2020Reopening of Churches - It is with great joy that we can announce today the reopening of the churches in our family of parishes (to a maximum of 30% seating capacity) this Friday, June 19, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with mass at 10:30am at Our Lady Help of Christians. The bishop has given permission for General Absolution, so we will have a special celebration of that (with scripture reading, an examination of conscience, the confiteor and then the priest gives the general absolution) at 9:30am right before our first mass on the 19th, and periodically after that until the end of September. To receive general absolution one must be resolved to go to individual confession when able afterword if they are aware of mortal sin, for counsel and guidance. Individual confessions will be resuming as of this Saturday as well.Weekend mass schedule - Holy Family Sat 5pmHoly Family Sunday 8:30amSacred Heart Sunday 8:45amOur Lady Help of Christians Sunday 10:30amSt. Michael Sunday 11:15am(note: the 12:30pm OLHC Lifeteen mass will resume after Labour Day)Our normal weekday mass schedule will resume Tuesday June 23, with the exception of the nursing and retirement homes.Sacred Heart Tues 7pmOur Lady Help of Christians Wed 7pmSt. Michael Thurs 8:30amHoly Family Fri 9:15amBishop Fabbro has extended the dispensation from the Sunday mass obligation until the beginning of Advent, so if anyone due to compromised health, age, or concern over the spread of the virus, is not ready yet to return to church they are free to stay at home and "Remember to keep holy the Lord's day" as the commandment states by another means at this time such as watching mass from our website or facebook page, watching another mass on TV or reading the scriptures.Measures to be followed if attending mass:One's temperature should be checked at home, and if running a fever or not feeling well, please don't come to church.Face masks are highly recommended.Please arrive early. Admittance for now will be on a first-come, first-serve basis until we reach our 30% seating capacity maximum. We may have to consider another means such as signing up ahead of time if we are having to turn people away regularly, but for now we will try to keep it simple with the first-come first serve method. You will be asked for your name and phone number for contract tracing should someone at mass be shown to have the virus. Ushers will direct you to a seat. Pews have been marked off to ensure physical distancing of 2m or 6 feet for all except those of the same household.Please try and use the washroom at home before coming to church as washrooms in the church should be for emergencies only and will need cleaning after every use. We will have a volunteer ready to do that during mass but please help by not using them unless it is really necessary.Hand sanitizer is available at the doors of the church for use.Offertory collection baskets will be at the doors of the church and not passed around during mass. Thank you for your ongoing support of our parishes!We will not be shaking hands for the sign of peace - a nod or smile or 2 finger peace sign will suffice!Please follow directions for the reception of Holy Communion, and maintain physical distancing while in line. The dialogue between the minister and communicant should take place 6 feet apart, then the communicant advances to receive Holy Communion on the hand. (Please note: communion on the tongue and communion from the cup are not permitted in the diocese during this time of pandemic).Studies show singing projects 6 times the number of droplets into the air as simply talking, so congregational singing is not encouraged at this time. Books and pamphlets have been removed from the pews. We may have a music minister or choir (who must be physical distancing as well) providing music for us.Please follow instructions for leaving the church, while maintaining physical distancing.The church pews and doors will be sanitized between masses.Funerals in church are now permitted to 30% capacity, as are weddings.We will be providing more information on the delayed 1st Communions and Confirmations shortly, but they will not be taking place before September.The parish office will remain closed at this time, as per the directives of the diocese.We thank you for your patience and cooperation in following these directives as we enter phase 1 of the reopening of our parishes. These directives are for the health and safety of our community, and they are but a small sacrifice to be able to receive the Lord in the Eucharist once again!God bless! I'm looking forward to seeing soon all those who are able to join us at this time.Fr. Chris
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Chaplet of Divine Mercy Sung