A message from Fr. Tharp

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Ann Parishioners and friends:

March 25 (nine months before Christmas) is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord.  Since we are prohibited from gathering at Mass or any gathering, the Holy Father Pope Francis has ask everyone, both Catholics and all other Christians, to pray the Our Father at noon in your local time zone.  What a wonderful opportunity for all of us to join our voices together in the prayer that Jesus gave us as our “family prayer.” 

I continue to pray for all of you at my private Mass each day.  I am hearing Confessions at the regular times both at Sacred Heart and St. Ann.   I have signs up stating that all in line must obey social distancing requirements of six to ten feet separating each person.  I also am keeping Sacred Heart Church open from about 7:00 a.m. until about 7:00 p.m. for those wishing to make private visits to pray in church.  St. Ann is accessible as usual by punching in the code to the keypad on the handicapped door.  Again, all have been following the “social distancing” requirements.  I am also doing private services for family of those who pass during this time.

I am meeting Thursday with our IT consultant who will be showing me how to tape the Masses and put them on the Parish Website for all to watch.  Please say a prayer that the Holy Spirit gives me the cyber knowledge to learn how to do this.  He assures me that my celebration of the Sunday Mass for March 29th (the Fifth Sunday of Lent) will be available on our website by the weekend.  I will try to do a brief but hopefully insightful homily on the story of the raising of Lazarus.  It will be hard interacting with a camera, but it will make me appreciate and look forward to the time we can be together again.

I offer my sincere gratitude to all who have sent their Sunday envelope inside another envelope to us through the mail.  When I reviewed the mail delivery earlier today, I said a special prayer of gratitude to the Lord for your generosity is this time of uncertainty.

I hope to send an email blast on Friday or Saturday informing you that the Mass is available on the Sacred Heart website and soon on both parish websites.  The priests of the Archdiocese had a virtual meeting through our computers earlier today.  The younger priests explained all the social media magic they have been able to do on their smart phones.   In the days to follow, I will try to become more social media skilled; but I am painfully aware of how difficult it is to teach “an old priest new tricks.”  

God bless you all, and remember that I have been and will continue to be willing to bring the sacraments to you should an emergency arise. 

Father Tharp