Butler Area Catholic Parishes

April 5, 2020

     As we enter Holy Week 2020, please know that you all remain in my thoughts and prayers daily as we continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
 
     Please do all that you can to remain in good health, taking all of the necessary and recommended actions that we hear about constantly these days.
 
     We continue to do our best in serving the community of believers via the televised and livestreamed Masses, keeping in touch with our homebound and nursing home patients, feeding the hungry Tuesday evenings at St. Paul Church, and educating our students at Butler Catholic School (BCS) from home. 
 
     Additionally, we continue to update everyone via announcements at the end of the televised Masses, and via our website homepage (we also continue to publish the bulletin on the website).  Please visit the website frequently for such updates at ButlerAreaCatholicParishes.org.
 
     Lou Grenci, the parishes' business manager, and Krissy Wissinger, BCS's bookkeeper, are in communication with each other (and with diocesan personnel when possible) regarding the possibility of BCS and each one of our parishes receiving any government assistance during this pandemic.  The situation and the information that we are receiving from the diocese change daily, as the laws and the application process change daily.  This is experience is like no other that we have encountered in our lifetimes, to state the obvious.
 
     It certainly is the case that we are "learning to live without.....", and you can fill in the blank after the word "without" with many different things.
 
     For example, Fr. John is learning to live "without seeing the Rolling Stones in concert this summer", which is quite a bummer  :-)
 
     In all seriousness, we know that we cannot live without Jesus Christ as the center of our lives, the one who takes all sin upon himself for our sake so that the suffering of the world for all of human history is redeemed through his passion, death, and Resurrection!
 
     Keeping the focus of our minds and our hearts on The Christ through the good and the bad times, the sufferings and the joys of life, is essential to leading as full a life as possible during our precious time on earth.  This should always be the case for us; the coronavirus spread seems to remind us of this reality of faith.
 
     We have been receiving very grateful notes that oftentimes accompany people's financial contributions, at other times are in Easter cards.  The faithful of our community, and beyond, are very appreciative of all that we are doing to serve them in this time of great need.
 
     Thank you to everyone for your efforts, your service, and the expressions of your love for Jesus Christ and for his people.
 
Yours in Christ,
 
Fr. Kevin