Welcome to St. Patrick Catholic Church!
March 25, 2020
Dearest Parishioners,
Please know I am with you all in heart and prayer during this strange and trying time. Of course, no matter what, we want to keep living our Faith as robustly as possible. To that end I issue the following protocol for St. Patrick Catholic Church (Portland, OR) which will go into effect on Friday March 27, 2020 at 10 a.m.
- Mass: As you know by now, Archbishop Sample has dispensed all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Portland from their Sunday obligation to attend Mass until April 14th. In light of this, a daily, private, simulcast Mass will be celebrated 7 days a week at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick’s. This Mass is not open to the public per archdiocesan mandate. However, volunteer personnel i.e. readers, sacristans and musicians will be permitted to fulfill their roles only on Sundays provided the total number of attendants is less than 10. Unless grave, unforeseen circumstances dictate otherwise, only those who have already signed up for these ministries will be assigned. All Masses will be simulcast via our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/stpatrickpdx/). Other Masses in English and Spanish may be viewed here: https://archdpdx.org/live-masses https://vimeo.com/sanfernandocathedral Please create the proper space for a Mass in your home by following these guidelines: https://www.shbroussard.org/redbricks/creating-a-space-for-mass-in-your-home?fbclid=IwAR2SwlFYF873UzxIVbVYhWuRNSQK8dIDTS9ENwmAR_x3_2C9meGqWRrZxAc
- Spiritual Communion: The vast majority of us will not be able to receive Holy Communion until the ban on large public gatherings is lifted. In light of this fact I encourage everyone, whether alone or during one of our simulcasted Masses to make an act of spiritual communion. This act is an ancient prayer beseeching our Lord to give us the graces of His Eucharist in circumstances in which we cannot physically receive Him. The act may be found here: https://files.constantcontact.com/6cb561fb001/cb76387d-b31c-4dc3-833e-659a4572d40c.pdf https://www.aciprensa.com/recursos/comunion-espiritual-682
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Eucharistic Exposition will occur daily from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the church. Benediction will occur at 11:30 a.m. We ask that you spread out as much as possible maintaining a distance of 6 feet from each other sitting in every other row. Please maintain the limit of 10 adorers at a time. If you cannot join us due to illness, distance or restriction please consider adoring our Lord via 24 hour a day live Adoration here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMBusENP19M
- Confessions will be available from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. daily near the sanctuary in the church . A sign will clearly mark where you are to stand and wait. Please maintain a distance of 6 feet from the priest and each other. Once again, we must maintain a limit of 10 people in the church at any one time.
- Baptisms, weddings and funerals will continue as planned with under 10 people in attendance.
- Anointing of the Sick (last rites) will be provided for any seriously ill person or actively dying person.
- Parish groups such as RCIA will continue to meet via Zoom. My meetings will continue as planned. I am always happy to meet and talk and pray. For now, they will be via Zoom or phone call. Please email furlowappointments@gmail.com to make an appointment.
- Parish Prayer: If there’s one way to stay united, it’s in prayer. And so I would ask all of us to pray a daily Rosary and the “Stella Caeli” with and for each other. This ancient prayer to Our Lady was composed during the Plague in 1317. The prayer may be found here: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-prayer.html#more In addition, the Archbishop has provided an archdiocesan prayer: https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/12494/documents/2020/3/Covid%20Prayer%20Card%20sbs.jpg https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/12494/documents/2020/3/Covid%20Prayer%20Card%20sbs%20Esp.jpg
- Donating: I humbly ask you to keep donating to St. Patrick’s as you normally would. Most of the funds that keep us afloat are from Sunday collections. Without those funds we will be struggling to get by. I thank you for your generosity. Online donations can be given here: https://stpatrickpdx.churchgiving.com/
- Office Hours: The parish office is closed to the public until further notice. In an effort to extend our resources as far as possible the hours your calls and emails may be received and processed will be greatly reduced. The office will be able to capacitate such matters from 9-4 on Fridays.
- Other Resources: The Archdiocese of Portland has prepared a page of many other resources to help us stay connected to our great Faith. They can be found here: https://archdpdx.org/ Also, Formed, a fantastic site for Catholic movies, shows and materials is free for the next 40 days: https://leaders.formed.org/portland/?fbclid=IwAR1Zq3WKLr4sHfMMKAfBKYPSWW_0RPmWmx0RgBFv9DnGp_WOuYxdpX8pUCM
Remember, no matter where we are physically, if we stay close to our Lord and to each other in the power of the Holy Spirit, we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. God love you all.
Fr. Tim
Para leer esta carta en español, haga clic aquí.
This prayer will be said at the end of each Mass following the St. Michael the Archangel prayer:
St. Patrick’s is the oldest Catholic Church in greater Portland. The cornerstone for the church was laid on St. Patrick’s day in 1889 and was dedicated “To the glory of God in honor of Ireland’s Apostle, St. Patrick” in 1891. “St. Pat’s” operated a school until 1957 and was taught at different times by the Holy Names Sisters, Sisters of Mercy, and the Sisters of St. Francis.
St. Patrick’s was added to the National register of Historic Places on May 1st, 1974 and lies just beneath the Fremont Bridge at the edge of the Pearl district in northwest Portland.
Our mission is to bring the New Life of Jesus to the heart of the city, developing programs, ministries, and events that embody the spirit of the New Evangelization. St. Patrick is a parish of the Archdiocese of Portland.
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