At Home...Now What?

Due to the coronavirus and social distancing, St. Ann Parish has new challenges and opportunities.  Our first priority is to care for our families and minister to them in every way we can.  

As you know, we have joined other dioceses and parish in suspending all public Masses until further notice.  This does not mean that we have “canceled Masses,” but rather that Masses will be celebrated privately.  This matters because the purpose of the Mass is not "to distribute communion."  The purpose of the Mass is the worship of the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.  At Mass, the priest enters into this great mystery and represents God’s people at the altar. Every time Fr. Hung or myself ascend the steps to worship the Father, we bring you, your family, and your intentions with us.  

Many feel a deep longing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and to be present at the mystical worship of God.  If only everyone wanted to worship God so badly!  While there is no substitute for attending Mass, I encourage anyone who yearns for God to dig into the rich treasures of Catholic devotional life.  Rosaries, Stations of the Cross, scriptural reading, novenas, candles, writings of the saints, hymns, and silent conversations with Jesus, are all ways to encounter the living God everyday.

The health of the Church is largely dependent upon the health of the family, also called the “domestic Church.”  The Catechism says: From the beginning, the Church was formed from believers "and their whole household."  New believers wanted their family to be saved (Acts 18:8).  In our modern world (often hostile to religion), religious families are extremely important centers of living faith.  They are "domestic churches" in which the parents are the first heralds of faith.  In the home, father, mother, and children exercise their baptismal priesthood in a privileged way.  The home is the first school of the Christian life where all learn love, repeated forgiveness, and prayerful worship.

Faith professed on Sundays must also be professed at home.  Especially now that we cannot gather on Sundays, the family should gather in both formal and informal ways to profess the faith.  Family prayer might be new or even awkward, but it is very important.  For ideas on how to pray as a family, contact me, other families, and this website: Tools for Building the Domestic Church

Here are some great resources to help you and your family grow in faith for free: 

• iBreviary app  (Android & iPhone):  The Liturgy of the Hours is prayed everyday by all Priests, religious, and many lay faithful.  Whether you pray Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer, it is a great way to join the Church in her ancient public prayers.  You’ll never be alone. 
• Ascension Presents and Bishop Robert Barron : Two fantastic youtube channels.  Looking for answers, inspiration, or prayer? These channels will not disappoint. They are also live-streaming/recording daily and Sunday Masses. 
  • Ascension Presents: How Should Catholics Respond to the Pandemic?
  • Bishop Barron: On the Coronavirus Quarantine
• Use a group video chat app (like Zoom or Skype) to pray with other people.  I’m praying Night Prayer with a group of young adults every night at 9pm.  Be brave and invite some friends into prayer!

Many of us will invest in entertainment, hobbies, extra toilet paper, etc. to make it through the next couple months.  Ask yourself: is your faith worth investing in?  Both time and money are a good measure of what we value.  Here are some resources I use to nourish my faith and are worth paying for:

• The Mass Readings Explained.  I listen to this every week.  Dr. Pitre is awesome.  14-day free trial!
• Hallow app  (click here for video-review):  An app that will guide you through prayer and meditations.  3 month free trial!
• Formed.org :  The Catholic Faith. On demand.  Lots of high quality movies, music, talks, formation programs, bible studies and more. 

What now?  Here are three things that I’m asking you to do right now, today:

• Pray.  Please pray for those suffering from this illness, and all who are affected. Please also pray for our parish, for me and for the world. And know that you are in my prayers. 
• Find Fr. Hung or myself on Facebook.  It is one way to stay connected. Our email addresses are: frfye@stannnash.org and frpham@stannnash.org
• Continue to support our parish - online.  I am very thankful for the continued financial stewardship of parishioners and friends during this time.  With public Masses suspended for the near future, I’m asking every family to move their financial support online.  You can find giving options online at: saintannparish.weshareonline.org.  If you need assistance, please contact Mandi Pitt-Reed at 615-298-1782 in the parish office.  Your gifts are as important now as they have ever been. They will be used to provide ministry and support that families desperately need during this time of crisis.  God bless you for your generosity.

I will continue to provide updates through email.  If someone wants to sign up for email updates, send them this link:  www.saintannparish.com/sign-up.
You are in my prayers. Have faith and let us rally together behind what is most important in our lives – God, family, and our community. 

God bless,

Fr. Michael Fye
Pastor of St. Ann Catholic Parish