COVID 19 Update for St. Pius X

Spiritual Resources for all ages are available on our parish website. Click on the links below to check them out. 

• Kids and Teens
• Adults 

What you need to know:
 
Masses:
The Archbishop has suspend all regularly scheduled public celebrations of Mass in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul Minneapolis, effective immediately. Given both the moral impossibility of attending Mass, as well as the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass that was extended to the faithful of the Archdiocese last week, please rest assured that the missing of Mass in these conditions should not weigh on your conscience. Read the Archbishop’s Letter

New Updates /Cancelations 

Starting on Saturday March 28

• St. Pius X offices and building will be closed. Staff will be working from home. Email will be the best method to contact staff but they do have access to voicemail.
• Lenten Day of Mercy scheduled for April 2 is canceled.
• All parish activities are suspended through April 10 (Faith Formation, Adult Enrichment, Confessions, RCIA, and meetings are included)
• Adoration of Jesus in the Tabernacle is suspended. 

 
Financial Support
St. Pius X parishioners have always come forward to support their parish in times of need. We know that everyone is in a place of uncertainty now but we ask that you prayerfully consider continuing your weekly support of St. Pius X through your financial donations.

• Consider Online Giving Online giving or e-giving is a convenient way for you to continue your support of parish Ministries without having to make a trip to the parish office during the week. You can make one-time donations online via the parish website www.churchofstpiusx.org and click on the 'Donate Online' button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. You can also set up regular electronic giving through the parish office. To set up e-giving with St. Pius X, contact the parish office at 651-429-5337.

• Envelopes If you choose to continue your support with your weekly envelope, please mail to the parish office (St. Pius X 3878 Highland Avenue White Bear Lake, MN 55110)

All programs and meetings at St. Pius X are suspended until April 10. This includes Fireproof Rehearsals, choir practices, Boy Scouts, Men’s night, all Adult Enrichment classes and meetings. 

• Fish Fry on March 27 is canceled
• Winterfest Leader wrap up celebration for March 31 is canceled
• Xtravaganza on May 30 is canceled. 
• April 7 - Soup Supper and Living Stations of the Cross has been canceled. 
• JAM (Jesus and Me) will not be available at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass for the remainder of the school year. It will also not be available for the Easter Masses.
• Liberty Classical Academy has suspended classes through May 4. 

• Faith Formation will continue as home Family Formation Lessons for the remainder of this year’s Faith Formation Calendar (April 29^th). Faith Formation families should look for an online lesson each week. First Communion and Confirmation families will send additional information regarding any changes to the calendar should it become necessary.

Questions regarding our response to COVID-19 should be directed to Bryan Zimmerman, Executive Business Administrator at 651-429-5337
 

March 20, 2020
 
Brother and Sisters in Christ,
 
The psalmist says, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are at my side. Your rod and your staff comfort me.” 
 
These are genuinely times of uncertainty! There is a lot of information going around, panic, and fear. All of this is understandable. We are concerned about our loved ones and ourselves. Yet at the same time, we know that the Lord’s grace is new every morning. Now we have received word that effective immediately, all public celebrations of Mass across the Archdiocese are suspended until further notice. You can read the Archbishop’s letter to the faithful on the parish website.
 
Take heart to know that I, and the priests of the archdiocese, will be celebrating Mass every day, and that I will be keeping you in prayer.  Every single time the holy sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated, tremendous sacramental grace is poured forth into the world. The efficacy of Mass, whether in the grandest cathedrals of the world or the smallest private chapels still satisfy the four ends of Mass- adoration, atonement, thanksgiving, and petition. We thank God that the grace of the sacrifice of the Mass is never restricted. Rather each Mass is a mystery to bring salvation through Jesus to the whole world.
 
We know that the sacrifice of the Mass is the source and summit of the Christian faith. Fortunately, God is not bound to the sacraments, and Holy Mother Church has an indispensable treasury of spiritual wealth for us to rely upon. There are things we can all do to stay connected to God’s grace during these times. The first thing to do is to stay connected to God’s Holy Word. Reading the daily readings for each day and spending 10-15 minutes in personal prayer meditating upon them is a good thing to do. The second thing to do is to stay connected to our Blessed Mother. If we stay close to our Blessed Mother, particularly through praying a daily rosary, we will stay wrapped in her mantle of love. The third thing to do is to stay connected to the liturgy of the church. I would highly recommend the Liturgy of the Hours for those who are interested. There are a few great apps on electronic devices and it is a great spiritual tool to sanctify the different hours of the day. These are just three of dozens of spiritual exercises we can perform during these times. Watch the parish website and Flocknotes for more things we can do to stay connected to God’s grace.
 
We recognize that everyone is in a place of uncertainty, but we ask that you prayerfully consider continuing to support St. Pius X through your financial donations. St. Pius X parishioners have always come forward to support their parish in times of need. You can mail your envelopes to the parish or consider on-line giving by going to the parish website and clicking the “Donate Online” button in the upper right corner. You can also contact the parish office for assistance with setting up online giving.
 
Lastly, I want to remind us all that this is not the first time Catholics have gone without Mass and nor will it be the last. I think of our ancestors in the faith throughout the centuries who had to live decades without the sacraments in their lives. I think of Catholics after the French Revolution. I think of Catholics in Spain leading up to its civil war. I think of the Catholics in Mexico, Vietnam, China, Poland in the past century. I also think of Ireland, where it was illegal for Catholics to attend Mass and frequent the sacraments for close to 200 years during the Penal Laws. Great saints arose during those times since they allowed God’s grace to be ever with them.
 
Take care of yourselves! Be kind! Pray for and take care of one another!  St. Pius X, pray for us! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!
 
In Christ,

Fr. T.J. McKenzie