Blessed Sacrament

This past Sunday we began a process of resuming public worship by holding communion services throughout the diocese.  It is the first step that will eventually lead to the opening of churches for Mass.  Here at Blessed Sacrament we offered communion from 9:30 to 10:30 am and again from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.  Despite the rain, we had around 240 people come to receive communion.  Everyone brought masks and observed the rules of social distancing.  Ushers were in place to help direct traffic and hand out umbrellas while people waited for their turn.  They approached the entrance to the school in small groups where they were greeted by the priest and led in a short prayer service.  They received communion and closed with a prayer and blessing.  It took about five minutes.  Another group then approached and the service was repeated.  For the most part everything seemed to run smoothly.  We plan to do it the same way this coming weekend.  The times will remain the same (9:30 am to 10:30 am and 11:30 am to 12:30pm.)  My hope is that in a few weeks we will be able to attend Mass in the church.  I know that most of us certainly look forward to that time. 
 
Sometimes we don’t know what we have until it is no longer there.  Celebration of Mass, reception of the sacraments are things that too many of us took for granted.  Suddenly they were not there and many began to realize something important was missing. This loss even brought some to tears.  I remember the same thing when I was at the refugee camp in Africa.  Because of violence and unrest, many had not been able to attend Mass or receive sacraments for quite some time.  When they could finally go again, their response was not anger, but tears of joy.  Maybe this pandemic will give us a new appreciation of what Jesus has given us.  Jesus is not something we can take when we decide we want him.  He is a gift.  We neither deserve nor earn him. Letting Jesus control our lives can give us a new way of living in a world that we cannot control.  It gives us a destination.  It gives us someone to trust.  If we find ourselves angry and upset at the things we cannot control, now would be the time to renew that surrender to Christ.
As the church struggles to get back to “normal”, this would be a good time to re-examine the treasures of our faith.  Do we appreciate the word of God and listen to it regularly?  Do we cherish the sacraments and receive them frequently?  Do we see the needs of others and respond generously?  For these are gifts from God to bring us peace of heart.  The day may come when we are unable to find these gifts.  Instead we will see unhappiness, frustration, and anger.  Please don’t wait until then.  It may be too late.  Now is the time to seek God’s peace.

Father Jeffery Grant

• Communion will be distributed on Sunday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 AM and again from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the front entrance to the school.
• Vehicles should enter the parking lot from the Walnut St. entrance closest to the rectory. Park your car and wait (Glenwood entrance will be closed)
• The sidewalk along the north side of the lot will be marked in 6 foot increments. This is the communion line.  You may wait as a family or an individual, but remember, this is not a time for visiting.  It is a time to prepare yourself to receive the Lord. We ask that you pray the Our Father as you approach the school.
• You need to wear a mask as you approach the entrance.
• When you reach the front of the school, there will be a hand sanitizer station for you to clean your hands - please use it.
• Two communion ministers will be stationed at the doors to the school. When it is your turn and the person in front of you has departed, you may approach and receive communion and then exit on the other side.  Be sure to offer a prayer thanking Jesus for allowing you to receive Him today.
• Return to your car and leave the parking lot via the south exit on Walnut.  
• If you are unable to get out of you car because of health reasons, let the attendant know and they will direct your car to a place where communion will be brought to you.

 Click HERE to read recent messages from Father Jeff

We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God.   
                                                                           
In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you, Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.          

Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic.                                      
Comfort those who are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves them deeply.                                                          

Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and, who in order to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them.                                           

Fill with hope those who are troubled by the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.                                                           

Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies,that this great suffering may end and that hope and peace may dawn anew.                                  

Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and trust.              

Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this emergency, and are risking their lives to save others.                                            

Support their heroic effort and grant them strength, generosity and continued health.      
Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who in their pastoral concern and fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.            

Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find effective solutions to overcome this virus.                                       

Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by farsightedness and solidarity.                                                                          

Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing  and stockpiling arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.                                                   

Beloved Mother, help us realize that we are all members of one great family and to recognize the bond that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need.  Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.                                                                  

Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch out his all-powerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its normal course. 

To you, who sine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope, do we entrust ourselves, 

O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary.      

Amen.

The Parish Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  You may drop off your contribution envelope or mail it to Blessed Sacrament.  You may choose to make an online payment here or call the parish office at 528-7521  to set up an ongoing monthly or weekly contribution.  View our Parish Giving information under Stewardship by clicking here.

Here is what Blessed Sacrament is doing to allow you to practice your faith as fully as possible during this crisis.

• There will be no public masses until further notice. Everyone has a dispensation from the weekly obligation to attend Mass. There will be no daily Masses for the public starting immediately. Weekend Mass at Blessed Sacrament can be viewed online - there is a link here on the website.   You can make a spiritual communion. You can also call the parish for all other spiritual and sacramental needs.
  
  The church is open each day until 5:00 PM. However we ask that you come in through the hallway next to the Adoration Chapel or the handicapped entrance in the front. There may be times that the maintenance crew is cleaning in the church and it may not be as quiet as you like. We apologize for the inconvenience.

• The parish is not closed - questions can be directed to the parish office at 217-528-7521. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM.  

• Adoration Chapel continues to be open from 5 AM to 10 PM. If there are more than four people in the chapel, you may go into the main church to pray. The chapel is wiped down every morning and wipes are available for you to use for your chair.  We ask that you not pray out loud or in a way that distracts another person trying to pray privately and please do not speak on your cellphone. Please respect other people in the chapel by social distancing (six feet) from them.  If you not feeling well, please be considerate of others.

• Holy water is available in the dispenser in the chapel.  Please bring your own container to take it home. If you are taking large amounts, please see one of the priests to have them bless your water.

• Confessions are heard Monday through Friday from noon to 1 PM. Confessionals are being sanitized daily.

• Visit the parish website at www.bsps.org. This is the best way to know what is going on in the parish. You can also sign up to receive electronic messages at the right hand side of this page.

• The parish depends on your stewardship and generosity in order to bring sacraments and spiritual services to you.  With everything severely curtailed, our finances have suffered. Please remember to mail in your contribution or donate online through the secure link on our stewardship/parish giving page.  This will help us meet our obligations. Call the parish office to sign up for ACH (automatic contributions). Many parishioners are also suffering financially from this crisis.

• A donation to H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People in Emergencies), formerly known as St. Vincent de Paul, will let our parish reach out to them.

• Scrip gift cards will be handled through the parish office while the school is closed.