Bishop Vasquez has lifted mass restrictions.
Some relevant information is available below.
Restrictions on mass attendance have been lifted by the Diocese.
Please be aware of those around you, and if they are uncomfortable, please accomodate them by maintaining social distancing or wearing a mask.
For those of us who prefer, we will be live streaming mass to the church hall.
THe USCCB has released a letter on the use of vaccines for COVID-19 and the moral acceptability of the vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. The letter can be found here.
The letter from the Vicar General specifying the mass protocols as updated on March 4th 2021 can be found here.
All public Masses and religious education programs at Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary's Church have been cancelled until further notice.
Father Dariusz will still offer a private Mass at Sacred Heart Church, but this Mass will not be open to parishioners. We, as parishioners of Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary's Church, are encouraged to participate spiritually in this Mass.
How can we do this? Well ...
The Diocese of Austin provides some guidelines for how we can still participate spiritually in the celebration of the Mass. The diocese website encourages us "to spend time in prayer, giving thanks to God and praying for the needs of the world and your needs".
A good start is to first read the readings for the Sunday liturgy. You can find a link here:
NOTE: The readings are for the current day. If you access the link on Saturday, the readings will be for the ordinary Saturday Mass. To get the readings for the weekend obligatory Mass, use the calendar to select the Sunday readings.
Consider reading the Sunday readings as a family. Then together, say the following prayer:
An Act of Spiritual Communion
My Dearest Jesus,
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot, at this moment, receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You
as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me
to be separated from You. Amen.
In addition, you might also consider participating in the Mass on TV or online.
The Eternal Word Television Network, or EWTN, features the Mass on TV on Saturday at 6:00PM and 11:00PM, and on Sunday morning at 7:00AM and 11:00AM. For DIRECTV customers, EWTN can be found on channel 370.
Numerous live streams of the Mass can be found online. Here are just a few:
Word on Fire – Mass with Bishop Barron
https://www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass
Catholic TV Mass -- National Shrine Mass
http://www.catholictv.org
EWTN Mass
https://www.ewtn.com/
The Diocese of Austin has additional information and lists additional resources on their website:
May God be with us all during this very challenging time.