St. Marcelline Catholic Parish

TO THE COMMUNITY OF ST. MARCELLINE

The Coronavirus outbreak is stirring up anxiety, confusion, and major inconveniences. We can easily overreact or underreact in a situation. How can our faith tradition guide and comfort us through this troubling time?

A good starting point is to remember that the most repeated phrase in the Bible is “Do not be afraid!” or “Have no fear!” God probably sends us this message so frequently because fear is such a big part of human nature. Fear can alert us to dangers in our lives to keep us safe, but fear can also lead us astray; toward selfish responses.

The consistent message we hear in the Bible is that we need to trust God, who will provide enough for everyone. The problems come when people begin to take more than they need. Fear of the coronavirus has caused some people to stockpile and hoard unreasonable amounts of hand sanitizer, facemasks, and of all things - toilet paper.

In the midst of the virus, we need to take care of the most vulnerable and the vulnerable take on many forms. Most obvious are those who are elderly or have other health conditions that might make them most susceptible. Those who are younger many not be concerned about certain health risks, but if they help to pass on the virus, it can be a life-or-death situation for others.

Others are financially vulnerable and do not have the flexibility to take sick leave that many of us take for granted. That puts them in a difficult situation when they become ill, and may have to choose between putting their job at risk, and staying home to protect others. Likewise, many parents do not have the flexibility to stay home when school is canceled for their children. The situation is affecting many others, such as small business owners who may already be on shaky financial ground, and churches that are closed who rely on the generosity of their parishioners to supply services to them.

Community is essential to us as Christians. We are the Body of Christ, and we know that when two or more gather in Jesus’ name, he is present with us. So let us stay positive and pray for each other, for those who are ill, and for those who have lost their lives during this critical time in our world. “Do not be afraid,” He is always with us.

May God’s grace and peace be yours.
 

TO THE PARISHIONERS OF ST. MARCELLINE (Submitted, March 24)
 
            I have gone through many different emotions since March 13^th when the news was sent to me that all liturgies and meetings in the parishes of the Archdiocese would be suspended until further notice. I immediately turned my attentions to Holy Week and the Easter liturgies that also were eventually cancelled. My thoughts and prayers have been with all of you as we experience this pandemic together. We are all suffering in many different ways. Some people are working from home others have become unemployed. All children are being home schooled. Parents have to juggle their time to help in their children’s education.  And most importantly through all of this, people are getting sick and dying around the world and in our own country. My question has been when will all this end? How can our faith tradition guide us and comfort us.

Over four years ago we as a parish celebrated our fiftieth anniversary as a Catholic Church in the Schaumburg area. Most of you may recall that I asked Vince Ambrosetti to come and give our parish mission that year. On one of the evenings, Vince asked me and one of our cantors, Katrina Dato, to sing one of his compositions titled, “Be Still.” As I was praying the other morning, the words of the refrain came to mind and I would like to share them with you. Vince wrote, “Be still and know I am your God, just call upon my name and I will be your strength.” There for me was the challenge to guide and comfort us through these challenging times together.

As a faith community, I need to offer all of you another challenge. My vocation as pastor is to make sure that St. Marcelline’s continues to be a viable parish for the Archdiocese of Chicago. I need your help in order to do that. Since I have been your pastor, you have continuously responded generously for various parish needs that were presented to you. Our parish needs your help. I know that many of you are also being challenged financially during this time and so is our parish. We rely on your generosity at the weekend masses to sustain our parish. To pay our bills and the parish Staff. I humbly ask that those who can, to try to continue to make your weekend donation either by mailing your weekly or monthly donation to the church or by using the link on our website (www.stmarcelline.com) to Give Central. On Give Central, there are many opportunities to direct your donation to the Offertory collection, to Easter, or to other parish organizations.

No matter how long this pandemic may last, you have my promise that I will be a faithful steward of your generosity and will do all that I can to continue making our parish a viable faith community in the Archdiocese. 

May God’s grace and peace be yours.

PARISH NEWS UPDATE | March 19, 2020
 

Today, March 19, we have been informed by the Arcddiocese that Holy Week and Easter will NOT be celebrated as a community. This includes the celebration of Palm Sunday. You may celebrate virtually with the faithful of the Archdiocese by going to https://radiotv.archchicago.org

Please stay tuned to this site, as it will be updated regularly. God Bless!

 

PARISH NEWS UPDATE | March 28, 2020
 

Cardinal Cupich updated his video message to the Archdiocese. See button below.