Message from the Pastoral Council
April 21, 2020
Dear fellow parishioners & friends,
I hope this finds you and your family well, coping as best you can with the consequences of the global pandemic.
Holy Week has come and gone; it certainly was not that to which we are accustomed. However, thanks to all who worked hard to present the traditional services via live-streaming, we were given the chance to participate in the beautiful rituals of Palm Sunday and the Triduum in the safety of our homes. We owe much gratitude to the Archbishop for his comforting and inspiring words, to Tanya Bergen and the cantors for the music which enhanced the services, to the liturgical committee who organized the lectors, to all who participated on the altar, to Shannon Chapple and her family for the flowers that adorned the sanctuary, to Rob Chapple for all he did during the Easter Vigil, and to the Knights of Columbus who rang the church bells during Holy Week and continue to do so twice every Sunday. A special thanks to Brad Hanowski for his work on the sound system, and to Gabe Dipple and Braden Kuntz, whose electronic and filming expertise allowed us to "be present" at the services. Most of all, thank you to Fr. Dan for the smooth orchestration of all the services, and his attention to the details which kept the participants "safe".
There have been many comments about the services being moving, about the filming bringing out the beauty of the cathedral, creating a solemn fullness rather than an emptiness. Indeed, the experience made us realize that in this time of crisis the church is not really closed, because we are the Church and our community is bound together not by bricks and mortar but by faith and hope.
Live-streaming of Masses from Resurrection parish church continues every day at 9:00 a.m. and can be accessed at any time of the day. (Livestream)
Holy Rosary Cathedral continues to be open for private prayer: Sundays 9:00-12:00 a.m., 7:00-9:00p.m.; Tuesdays-Fridays 8:00-9:00 a.m., Saturdays 8:00-10:00 a.m. Fr. Dan is present in the church at all those times, and is available for private confessions by appointment.
We are not printing the Sunday Bulletin these days, for obvious reasons, but we will continue to keep you up to date with items on our web-site and the occasional e-mail. At the moment there is no news, so to speak, with our usual activities at a standstill. Our office manager is working from her home, and our accountant continues to do our banking and paying our bills. The one item in our usual Bulletin about which we can continue to inform you is our financial state. For the month of March, our collections (including for the building fund), amounted to $25,094. For comparison, our collections in March 2019 came to $38,226. The larger picture shows that for the first quarter of 2020 (January - March), our collections amounted to $86,743. What we had anticipated in the budget was $120, 227. To date, our shortfall is over 30%.
To those who continue to send in their donations, our thanks. To those who would like to continue to donate but are unsure how to do so, here are suggested methods:
* by mail: Holy Rosary Cathedral Office, 2104 Garnet St., S4T6Y5
* by drop-off in the basket at the back of the church during open hours
* by pre-authorized direct debit
* credit card (please see https://archregina.sk.ca/giving for instructions)
* by e-transfer direct to our parish (please send to holyrosary@myaccess.ca)
We do not wish to add a further burden on those who are facing financial difficulties during the pandemic. Our hope is to reach those who are more fortunate, and who can continue to support our parish.
Keeping connected to you via e-mail is proving efficient and cost-saving. If you know of parishioners who are not receiving these communications, please ask them to provide their e-mail address to Ana, our office manager: 306-565-0909; holyrosary@accesscomm.ca
Thank you.
Keep safe, keep smiling, keep hoping and praying.
Samy McCarthy
Chair, Pastoral Council