March 26, 2020
Dear Parishioners of St Jude:
I am writing this letter to inform you about a decision that was made by the Bishop, in consultation with his priest council. In the Diocese of Jackson, we are extending the ban of public gatherings in our parishes and throughout the Diocese through the end of April. With the surge of COVID-19 cases in our state, the priests council and the Bishop decided this was the proper decision to make. Knowing that this covers the period of Holy Week and Easter, this decision was made with heavy hearts. However, our safety, our health, and the good of all are of prime importance during this crisis.
We as the pastor and staff of St Jude are here with all of you during this time. We are going to devise a plan this week to continue to reach out to all of you the best we can during this time. Already, as you know, we have been posting live masses and devotions every day since public masses were suspended last Tuesday. We will send you out a Flocknote email to let you know of the schedule during the week. These videos will be on both our parish Facebook Page and our Youtube Page. The Facebook videos will be live, but you can watch them at any time. We will continue to have Masses, Adoration, and other devotions. At the end of this letter, I am posting the times of the devotions and liturgies through this Sunday. We will notify you what our plans are for Holy Week, but know that we plan liturgies for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday that will be streamed on the internet.
This Sunday, March 29, we will have Mass on FaceBook Live at 10:00 am in English and 11:00 am in Spanish. In addition, on Sunday at 1:00 pm we will have “drive-in” adoration in front of the rectory, at which time you may come in front of the rectory in your cars and participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which Deacon John McGregor will be leading. At that same time, Father Lincoln will have the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the rosary garden, practicing the social distancing protocol.
Know that as your pastor, my love and prayers go out to you at this time. Know that we are still together as a faith community, even though we are not having public liturgies in person. It is important for us to be united in prayer and hope at this time. We are having to find creative ways to practice our faith together during this crisis, but know that we will do so.
Our prayers go out to everyone who has been affected in any way by the COVID-19 virus. Our prayers also go out to those who are most vulnerable and at risk.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can still contact me or the parish staff. My email is lincoln.dall@jacksondiocese.org. You can reach the office staff by leaving a message on their voicemail by calling 601-939-3181. It will be forwarded to their email.
Also, know that we will be communicating regularly through Flocknote emails, our Facebook Page, and the St Jude website. These will be the primary ways through which we will communicate.
During Lent we are journeying with Jesus in his forty days in the desert in his passion on the way to the cross. This year, Lent certainly has a very profound significance for us this year. At Easter time, the disciples and followers of Jesus had to make sense of the new reality of the resurrection. It is going to take time for us to make sense of this new reality, too. Even with all that we are going through, the hope of the resurrection is with us. We have hope that the Lord is with us every step of the way. We have hope as we continue to journey as a parish community, as disciples of Christ, walking by faith every step of the way.
Blessings to all of you,
Father Lincoln Dall
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