Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I'm contacting you today to let you know what is going on in the parish. The life of the Church continues even in these uncertain times.  In truth, it is during difficult times that we do our best work.  When faced with adversity, Christ's Church is able to clearly announce the Good News and assure people of God's abiding love.  Here at St. Bartholomew Parish this work continues every day.
 
The St. Vincent de Paul Society continues to serve the needy with food outreach.  The men and women involved in direct service to those in need have served hundreds.  Thanks in great part to your generosity through the "Pay it Forward" campaign, St. Vincent de Paul has also been able to help families experiencing financial distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Over $20,000 has been collected through the Pay it Forward campaign.)  The Gabriel project has also been active in the past weeks and has done great work, currently serving 25+ destitute pregnant women.  I share with you part of an email I received from Linda Fowler, who directs the Gabriel Project;
Here is a brief overview of where we are.

• 2 of these mothers are on the verge of being homeless. We are working with CCFW to make sure that doesn’t happen.
• Approx. 30% of our moms have experienced job loss as a result of COVID either themselves or their spouses/boyfriends.
• 2 are high risk pregnancies.
• All have been coming in on a regular basis for baby items. As a result of your support and the generosity of the parish we have been able to provide them with everything they have asked for thus far.
• We are working with 1 mom to get her GED
• On more than one occasion a mom has been brought to tears because of a service we were able to provide to them, simply because they didn't know how they were going to make it happen.

We all must thank the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Gabriel Project for their important work.  Please pray for all those doing this important work.

The Sacramental life of the parish goes on.  Masses are being celebrated at the normal times on the weekend and during the week.  We continue to livestream the 11:00 am Sunday Mass and the 1:15 pm Sunday Mass in Spanish.  Also, daily Masses are being live streamed.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available on Saturday at 3:00 pm--the normal hour.  People have been very cooperative about wearing masks during reconciliation.  If you come for confession you will be shown where to stand and wait, always following the guidelines for social distancing.
 
We missed the Easter Vigil, and the people planning on entering the Church are waiting.  On the Vigil of Pentecost at the 4:30 pm Vigil Mass we will celebrate the baptism and confirmation of ten people who are entering the Church.  The following day at 11:00 (English) and 1:15 (Spanish) we will celebrate the Profession of Faith and Confirmation of people entering the Church.  We have separated these groups due to the limited seating required by social distancing regulations.  Please pray for all who are being baptized or are making a profession of faith.
 
Our first priority at St. Bartholomew is the safety of our parishioners: for this reason if you are for any reason concerned about the transmission of COVID-19 please feel free to stay home and stay safe.  BIshop Olson has dispensed Catholics from the obligation to attend Mass for a good reason: your health and safety.  With that said, I would like people to consider returning to Mass--we are following protocols that make it reasonably safe.  

• All people are required to wear face masks before, during and after Mass.
• Ushers assist people in finding a place to sit and people are seated at least 6 feet apart.
• The offering boxes are being used.  No passing baskets.
• There is no holding hands or sign of peace being offered.
• Communion is given only in the form of the consecrated host--no chalice.  Also, Bishop Olson has asked that out of charity people exercise their right to receive Holy Communion in the hand.  
• No hymnals or missalettes are in use--this reduces the possibility of transmitting a virus.
• At the end of Mass people leave the Church starting with the back rows to avoid close contact.
• We have had less than 400 people total--between all 4 Masses: it is not crowded.  If you are concerned with the larger numbers at the weekend Masses consider coming to a weekday Mass.  Usually there are less than 25 at the weekday Masses. 

Please remember to pray for all those who suffer with COVID-19 that they will recover quickly and completely.  Also pray for the many people in our society who live in fear that they can have greater confidence in God's loving providence.  Please stay safe!
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Karl Schilken
Pastor