Covid Crisis - Information Updates

We received an update on March 30 that the Archdiocese has postponed all confirmation Masses through April. This includes our own date on April 28. More information will be coming soon about future dates and what confirmation will look like this year. Please be patient as we work through the details.

As a result, the Rite of Sending, Guardian Angel revelation/reception, and rehearsal set for April 19 is also postponed. Again, more information to come.

These events are not simply cancelled; candidates will be confirmed in the Spirit. It's just a matter of when. And the good news is- God knows exactly when! Surely this is a difficult time in life. Our faith reminds us that the Lord holds our future. We may not understand what is happening or how long this will last, but God sure does. Trust in the Lord with all your heart! He directs our paths.

Pastoral Care Update from Father Joe - March 23, 4:30 p.m.

I would like to update you regarding ongoing pastoral care ministries at St. Timothy. We are concerned to both support the sacramental/pastoral needs of our parishioners and support the federal and state healthcare directives as best we can, and to that end, we foresee some significant impacts on our pastoral ministry for the next several weeks at least. At the moment, here is what we are doing to provide this ministry within the limitations we now have:
 
1. All regular, non-emergency communion calls and pastoral visits to homes, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and hospitals, are suspended. This includes our BeFriender ministries visits. We will resume these ministries when the health department officials and the facilities in question allow such activities to be resumed.
 
2. Fr. Joe is available for sacramental anointing and (if possible) communion for those parishioners who have entered what medical professionals describe as an actively dying stage, or, those who are in danger of entering into such stage. Please contact the parish office to make arrangements. If a sudden death occurs at home or in a medical care facility, please contact Fr Joe at the parish office. If your call is placed after hours, the parish office switchboard will direct you to our answering service. Please be aware that most nursing home facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and hospitals, have imposed restrictions on visitors. Some may require that only their onsite chaplaincy staff respond to such needs. Other facilities permit visiting clergy with restrictions toward the number of family allowed to be present. In the case of COVID-19 infections, any pastoral care interactions will be directed by the infectious disease policies of the hospital in question. In all cases, St. Timothy will abide by the particular policies in place at each facility.
     a. At this time, our priority of care remains with our current parishioners.
b. We will consider the following situations on a case-by-case basis: Former parishioners requesting end of life ministry. Parishioners calling on behalf of a family member who is not affiliated with St Tim’s or another church, or has not been active in church for some time.
 
3. Funerals:

1. Most funeral services should be delayed until such time that we can safely gather larger groups of families and friends in the church. Presently, we can do a funeral service, but one that is limited to no more than 10 people, including parish and funeral home staff. That leaves no more than a few spots for family members. This seems unlikely to meet the needs of most families.
2. We have indefinitely suspended funeral visitations prior to Mass, and funeral lunches.
3. Graveside services are available, provided they are done within the  healthcare directives issued by state and federal health authorities, and additionally, will be subject to any additional limitations set forth by cemetery policy.

              d. Our recommendation is that families consider an immediate burial with casket or cremation urn, within the above limitations, which would be presided over by Fr. Joe or a member of our funeral ministry team. We would then plan with you a date for a memorial Mass, when your family and friends could attend without restriction. The memorial Mass could then include the visitation before Mass and a luncheon, provided such groupings will be allowed by that time. The memorial Mass would not be a typical funeral Mass, as the remains of the deceased would not be present. However, in every other aspect the Mass serves as a funeral Mass.
 
If further changes are needed we will provide further updates. All of us hope these changes will be needed only for a very short time. If you have questions about these policies, please contact me or our pastoral care minister, Maggie Philbrooke, at the parish office. In the meantime, we continue to pray for one another and for all those most affected by this disease. May those who are ill find healing and quick recovery, and may those who are assisting the ill recover at our hospitals be kept safe. God bless you all,
 
Fr. Joe

(Late on the afternoon of March 18, Archbishop Hebda suspended all Masses in the archdiocese.)

As you know, we at St. Tim’s will always put the safety of our parishioners and staff first. To that end we have decided that effective immediately, all liturgies and activities will be suspended here at the parish. That includes all Masses (weekend and weekday), rosary, stations of the cross, meetings, rehearsals, faith formation, etc. This suspension will be in effect until April 3, 2020, at which time we will reassess the risk level of reinstating our liturgies and activities. We make this announcement with a heart that is burdened by this sad situation but also full of hope that God will guide us and preserve us in these troubled times. Please note that we do plan to have our parish office open but that could change if we receive directive from the Department of Health or other governing bodies. We are also looking at ways to stay connected to you during this time and we will continue to update you as those avenues are put in place.
 
Father Joe Whalen, Pastor
 

March 14, 2020, 10:45 a.m.

Dear Friends:
 
We are living a true Lenten experience. The crisis in virus management is at a critical stage, and on Friday the Minnesota Department of Health, and the governor’s office, issued recommendations for public cooperation, the specifics of which are posted to our website for your information. Similar protocols are being instituted throughout the country. Churches are requested to refrain from gathering any more than 250 people at one time, and to assure individuals maintain social distance of 6 feet between persons. Furthermore, places of worship are recommended to offer audio/video service, presumably as a substitute for communal gathering, although this is not exactly clear within the language of the directive. Earlier this week, the Archbishop dispensed all Catholics from the obligation to attend Mass during this health crisis, and that means no one is under a moral obligation to participate in Mass at this time. Friday evening, the Archdiocese suggested parishes make Masses available, unless parishes cannot assure compliance with the Department of Health directives.  
 
Yesterday I consulted with parish staff and pastoral council leadership and in light of those conversations and my sense of the matter, I have decided to comply with the DOH requests as best we can, and therefore I am cancelling Masses this weekend. We cannot guarantee that any one Mass will have fewer than 250 people in attendance, nor that we can maintain adequate social distancing throughout the Mass regardless of the number present. Out of the deepest concern and respect for everyone’s safety, and especially our most vulnerable members, we need to do everything we reasonably can to prevent infection and transmission of disease within ourselves and between our neighbors.
 
I understand some of you will be disappointed by this decision, and I respect your concerns. St Tim’s can and will be available for spiritual sustenance in this time of uncertainty and fear. This can be accomplished under these circumstances without the gatherings that pose such a threat to public health. All of us need to consider the potential repercussions of our actions for the foreseeable future, especially as we consider whether, and how, to come together in such a way that increases the possibility of spreading infection, especially to the elderly and those with chronic conditions who are most susceptible to severe and potentially fatal disease. As a community of faith, grounded in the Gospel value of love of God and neighbor, we can come together spiritually, in a sacrificial attitude that is the mark of our Lenten pilgrimage. I ask that for this hopefully brief time, we willingly sacrifice our own needs, so that by doing so we might contribute to an even greater good. This sacrifice is in itself a corporal and spiritual act of mercy, and we should all feel that in entering into this with such an attitude we feel that we are meaningfully and intentionally doing our part to live our Gospel commitments more deeply. We can and should seek to contribute to the common good as best as we can by doing all we can to support the recommendations of our public health leadership.
 
As churches close or minimize Masses, some may feel the need to attend another parish’s Mass this weekend or in the future. I would only ask that you prayerfully reconsider such a decision, as parishes remaining open will struggle to maintain compliance with meeting thresholds and the demands of ministries amidst such uncertainty. Additional visitors will make their efforts that much more complicated, and also raise the level of risk of transmission. I sincerely hope churches of all denominations in Minnesota will quickly act under a unified vision and voice, joining together in common cause to prevent as much infection and transmission as is possible.
 
At St. Tim’s, we will continue to communicate to you throughout the week, including updating the status of Masses, programs, and other parish events. Also, please check the website for updated times when the church and/or chapel will be open for prayer. Additionally, we are working on posting livestreamed Masses over the parish website and will update you as that effort progresses. In the meantime, you can find several televised Masses on national and local cable stations. Finally, we will post on our website messages and reflections to accompany you and your loved ones through these difficult times.
 
It seems counter-intuitive that at a time when we most need the security of community, the community is asked to disperse. It has been some time since a virus pandemic has presented such a threat, but we have been here before, and will undoubtedly be here again in the future. We can learn and grow from all things, and so I encourage everyone to consider that perhaps for this short time we may experience the lack of Sunday community as our own desert experience, our Lenten pilgrimage this year, and that we might grow in the strength of the unbreakable bond of spiritual community forged within us by the Holy Spirit. As surely as the Lord led the people of Israel in their immense misfortunes in the desert, we can rest assured that our Lord will help us through this time of trial, helping us to appreciate even more the great gift that is our faith and St. Timothy parish.  
 
Be assured of my continued prayers for all of you, and please pray for me, our parish and Church, for all those who are now or will become ill, and especially for the monumental efforts being offered by our healthcare professionals in clinics and hospitals, by our police, fire and emergency responders who risk their safety to be of service to all of us when we are sick and in need. May God bless them all, keep them safe, and always remember their sacrifices, and may the Lord bless and remember you and your sacrifice this season of Lent.
 
Fr Joe
 

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html
https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2020/covid031320.html

 Dear Friends:
Archbishop Hebda notified all parishes that he is dispensing all Catholics from Mass attendance until further notice. This is a dramatic and unusual gesture, one I certainly support, and that means all Catholics in the Archdiocese have no moral obligation to participate in Mass at this time. Everyone needs to use your best judgment in determining what crowds of people you may wish to be exposed to at this time. Most especially, if you are over 60 years of age, or have an existing medical condition such as hypertension, heart or lung conditions, or diabetes, the CDC recommends additional precautions because you may be more susceptible to complications from a COVID infection.
 
There are some additional measures at St Tim’s we are enacting now, in an attempt to be proactive in reducing disease spread. We have cancelled Friday Lenten fish fries, Friday evening Stations of the Cross, Sunday breakfasts, and all funeral lunches. We are monitoring the continuance of programs and events, and may suspend or cancel events and programs as conditions warrant. Please continue to check our website and Facebook page for updates on particular events and programs.
 
During Masses, we ask everyone to refrain from handshaking before, during or after Masses. We will refrain from holding hands during the Our Father. The baptismal font and small wall fonts have been emptied of Holy Water for the time being. Communion will be offered only in the form of the communion host, and only in the hand of recipients. We encourage everyone to bring your own hand sanitizer for use before communion. Our communion distributors will sanitize their hands prior distribution, and we are considering the further use of small tongs to further reduce the chance of transmission during communion. We are looking into the possibility of livestreaming Masses via our website and/or Facebook page. We will let everyone know if and when that becomes feasible.
 
Through this all, we are called by God to support one another, to be Christ for one another, and most especially in times of crisis. St Timothy has a long tradition of doing so, and we will continue to so, because we are united in faith, prayer, and living out these Gospel values in all aspects of our lives. We hold in prayer those who are ill, those who may become ill, and the magnificent care our health care and emergency responder friends offer to all of us. They are on the front lines at this time, so please let them know of your prayerful support and gratitude for their service.
 
Fr. Joe

Update 3/13/2020, noon: The two remaining adult formation sessions with Fr. Joe (March 21 and April 4) are postponed, announcements will be made about rescheduled dates.

Update: 03/13/2020 11 a.m.: Shamrock fun day scheduled for March 21 has been cancelled. 

Update 3/12/2020, 5:45 p.m. Out of an abundance of caution, we are cancelling the parish council meeting for tonight and the fish fry and stations of the cross  for tomorrow. Also, the final listening session of the synod, which was scheduled for Saturday at St. Alphonsus, has been cancelled. 

Update 03/12/2020 1:30 p.m.: At this time we do plan to hold our fish fry tomorrow night. We have checked on CDC guidelines for large gatherings and plans are in place to follow all their directives. Check back regularly to see if anything changes. 

Update 03/12/2020 10 a.m.: We continue to monitor the current situation and are updating our practices as needed. Important information will be posted here on the homepage of our website as needed, as well as on our Facebook page and will be sent out to our Flocknote subscribers. To learn more about Facebook and Flocknote please click here. 

Posted March 11:

Effective immediately,  we will suspend the following activities at all Masses
until the virus threat diminishes:

1. Communion from chalices
2. Hand shaking (please refrain from shaking hands in greeting others before, during or after Mass)
3. Hand holding as we pray the Our Father
4. Receiving communion on the tongue
5. Baptismal font and finger bowls will be drained of holy water

St. Tim’s will  also begin additional disinfecting procedures on as many commonly shared surfaces as we can, as often as possible. Individuals are encouraged to bring along your own hand sanitizer and use generously.

If you feel unwell, such as having a cough or fever, or believe you may have been exposed to Coronavirus or seasonal influenza virus, please stay home, and follow the Department of Health guidelines for self-quarantining as much as possible. No one has an obligation to attend Mass if your presence potentially risks infecting those around you. Thank you for adhering to these precautions.