Church of Our Lady of the Assumption Fifth of March 29, 2020

“In cases where the faithful cannot receive the Eucharist, the Church encourages us to make an act of “spiritual communion,” where we unite ourselves to God through prayer. It is a beautiful way to express to God our desire to be united with him when we are unable to complete that union in the reception of Holy Communion. The ultimate goal of our lives should be communion with God and an act of spiritual communion can help a person draw closer to that goal.”

The Morning Offering “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your , in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.” Amen. Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

81 Center Road Woodbridge, Connecticut 06525 Tel (203) 387-7119 Fax (203) 387-4281 

March 25, 2020

Dear Parishioners,

I am writing to you in the midst of the great health crisis that we are all facing as a result of the corona- virus pandemic. It’s been over a week since we’ve not been able to gather for parish activities and the Celebration of the Mass. Last Sunday was the Fourth Sunday of Lent, referred to as Laetare Sunday, in reference to the Entrance Antiphon, “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all you who were in mourning.” As I celebrated Mass privately the antiphon was a poignant reminder during this sad and surreal time that we always have reason to rejoice because “God is with us” through it all. At the same time, it is hard to accept that to contain the virus lay Catholics here and elsewhere are not able to receive our Eucharistic Lord to strengthen, comfort and sustain them. As I celebrate Holy Mass privately every day and continue to be nourished the Body and Blood of Christ, my heart goes out to so many of you who acutely feel the loss of this nourishment. Please be assured that I’m not only remembering and praying for you but, along with many other priests, practicing additional penances for our people who are sepa- rated from the .

As your pastor, in addition to my primary responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the parish communi- ty, I’m also responsible for the temporal welfare of the parish. As I’m sure you can imagine, our parish revenue has dropped from close to $7,000.00 a couple of weeks ago to just a couple hundred dollars this past Sunday. That being the case, I ask that, to the extent that you are not adversely affected materially by the pandemic, you not forget the needs of your parish as we continue to fulfill our obligations. I ask you to consider mailing or dropping off your offering at 81 Center Road or utilizing our recently initiated ONLINE GIVING by going to: assumptionchurch.com and clicking the link for “online giving.”

This is not the Lent that we had planned. But once again we are reminded by Saint Paul not to “receive the grace of God in vain.” God will bring about some good through this experience. Hopefully, we will come through the crisis with a renewed faith in Jesus, who taught us to “fear is useless; what is needed is trust.” Let us pray for each other, and pray also for those who are affected by the virus in any way and for those in government and especially those in the medical profession working so hard and selflessly. Our Lady of the Assumption, our dear Patroness, pray for us.

In Christ Jesus,

Reverend Christopher M. Ford

9 day  Novena Church of Our Lady of the Assumption 81 Center Road, Woodbridge, CT. 06525 Mass intentions 203-387-7119; Fax: 203-387-4281 S