G’Day one and all: Since it’s becoming more and more apparent that this period of ‘social distancing’ is going to be with us longer than we might have expected, (Première Legault just issued an edict restricting groups to nothing larger than 2 people!) I am beginning to implement some unusual practices to try and serve our three parishes.

First up, we will soon be live streaming Masses out of the St. Joseph’s Church. This will include one Sunday morning Mass as well as weekday Masses from Tuesday to Friday. All Masses will be at 10:30 am. They can be found on our new Facebook page: ‘Catholic Parishes of the Upper Pontiac‘. They will also be available on YouTube as well. We will additionally be streaming out the exposed Blessed Sacrament from St. Joseph’s when Mass is not being said.

We will also start praying the rosary online, celebrating the Stations of the Cross, and offering a ‘penance service’ as a preparatory step leading to my hearing confessions in the parking lots of the three parishes during Holy Week. We’ll keep our distance from each other as you can just drive up in your car and confess through your car door’s window. Like I said… strange times call for strange solutions.

Finally, for this post, I want to point out to each and everyone in our parishes that while the revenues we receive from our Sunday collections have dried up, our bills haven’t taken a similar holiday.  I am exploring ways in which people can offer their support online (GoFundMe campaigns perhaps?) so that we don’t financially fall behind. I’ll post both here and on the parish Facebook page when details are finalized.

Bottom line folks: Stay safe… Stay indoors and away from other people… And please join your prayers to those lifted up by the rest of us that this scourge that’s afflicting our world and country will soon pass.

Fr. Tim