The Ascension of the Lord May 24, 2020

He was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.

— Acts 1:9

Parochial Vicar’s Corner

I had such a fun time riding out on farms this week, blessing fields and seedlings. The joy that is being outside, with others, listening to their stories, and helping bring God more robustly into their lives is just grand. It’s hard to replicate as it utterly cannot be replaced. I long for these moments. The Lord desires that his faithful sanctify the day and their lives by bringing Him into their day to day. That’s what begins at the moment someone is baptized. We are called to holiness; and by being made into a temple of the Lord, everything they do and experience, the Lord is with them. “Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect” (Lumen gentium, no. 11). The ordinary means of receiving these graces are found namely in the sacraments of the Church and aided by the sacramental which helps dispose us, to dispose our souls to a greater reception of God in our day to day. That’s why when you call your priest out to the house or to the farm, there may be some fumbling around in his book for a moment. There’s not a situation that hasn’t been thought of or planned for by the Church. Boy is there a blessing for everything! It would almost be futile to search for a blessing which the faith does not have in her treasury. But to have all this, you have to know your resources. There is the Book of Household Blessings for families to pray for and ask God’s blessings in various situations, or you could make up your own special prayers written by the family. There’s many ways. There too is the standard, which is to have the priest come to bless or pray. This may be for an important project, the building of some structure, or some spiritual feast to be celebrated. Just like you would call in the good times, it’s advantageous to call in the tough times, the unsure times. In particular, I’m talking about going to the hospital. If you or someone you know goes into the hospital, whether for an emergency or a scheduled procedure, let us know. If you tell enough people, it’ll get to us. Or, tell the hospital to call. It is of the utmost importance for the sick and those in danger of death to receive God’s blessing and presence in the sacraments and blessings. The blessing of God’s grace is abundant and made for every situation. Call on the Lord and ask; beseech the Father in the name of the Son, and it will be given to you.

—Father Mark Shoffner

Fr. Scott and Fr. Mark trade months in offering a weekly reflection or catechesis in our bulletins. Be sure to check out what they have to share!

ALTAR WORKERS FLOWER GUILD CARPENTER’S CUP May 29: Mary Lees Wilson May 30: Steve and Sue Nielsen

PARISH INCOME LAST WEEKEND Weekly amount anticipated to meet budget Amount received last weekend WeeklyEnvelopes: $11,057.70 $5,531.00 (62) Loose Contributions: $326.93 $1.00

Special Collections: Lenten Rice Bowls Thank you for your generosity. $1,444.00

Update from Our Pastor, Fr. Thomas, On Returning to Mass

Dear Parishioners,

Last week, Bishop Joseph Kopacz distributed to all parishes in the diocese guidelines for safely reopening our churches for offering the Holy Mass and other Sacraments publicly. He has stated that public Masses can resume with great restrictions beginning the weekend of May 30/31. However, I am choosing to wait at least until the weekend of June 6/7 to resume here at St Mary Basilica and Assumption Parishes in order to ensure that we can provide a safe and sanitary environment for those who choose to come.

This past Thursday I was invited participate in a conference call with our Mayor and a few other pastors in town. It is the Mayor’s recommendation for us to remain closed at least through June 23. He is worried that the sudden resumption of Church services around town could cause a spike in the number of cases of COVID. He wants us to wait so that we can all see the effects of our local businesses reopening to the public and the increased traffic around town. Some fear that may cause a sudden increase in infections. Some pastors are agreeing with the Mayor on waiting, but I am not.

A huge difference between Catholicism and most Protestants is that we believe firmly in the Sacraments as the distribution of God’s grace. And this does not work over radio waves or the internet. Coming together for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is more than just going to give God praise. Rather, it is a real participation in our redemption and an anticipation of the life to come. And to withhold it from you for an extended amount of time is a disservice to you. Even though the Holy Mass has still been offered privately, you still have a need to participate. Therefore, I hope to have our parishes ready for public Masses beginning the weekend of June 6/7.

Remember that the obligation to attend on Sundays is still dispensed and remains such for the unforeseen future. This means that when public Masses resume no one is obligated to attend if they do not feel safe getting out, if they are feeling any symptoms at all, or if they have been around anyone showing symptoms. There will also be a change in the daily schedules so as to allow for more people to attend on different days, hopefully spreading our crowds out throughout the week.

More details on the new protocol for attending Mass will be given next week. In the meantime, please continue to pray for us, your priests, and for our community. And remember that until June 6, all Masses are still unfortunately closed to the public and can only be viewed online.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us!

Fr. Scott Thomas Pastor

When Should You Make an Act of Spiritual Communion? The most common occasion for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when we cannot fulfill our obligation to attend Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation, whether because of illness or bad weather, or some other reason outside of our control. It is also good to make an Act of Spiritual Communion when we can attend Mass, but when something prevents us from receiving sacramental Communion that day—say, a mortal sin that we know we have not had the opportunity to confess yet. But our Acts of Spiritual Communion do not need to be confined to those times. In an ideal world, it would be best to attend Mass and receive Communion every day, but we can't always do so. We can, however, always take 30 seconds or so to make an Act of Spiritual Communion. We can even do so multiple times a day—even on days when we have been able to receive the Eucharist. Why would we do that? Because each Act of Spiritual Communion that we make increases our desire to receive sacramental Communion and also helps us to avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Communion worthily.

ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though You were already there, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You; permit not that I should ever be separated from You. Amen.

ALTAR FLOWERS THIS WEEKEND The beautiful flowers on the altar of St. Mary Basilica this weekend, May 24, 2020 (the Ascension of the Lord), are donated by Paul, Suzanne, Aimee, and Jennie Guido in loving memory of Mary Elizabeth LeBlanc.

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

VOLUNTEERS FOR ALTAR FLOWERS NEEDED! Are you interested in placing flowers on the main altar of St. Mary Basilica in loving memory or honor of someone close to you? We still have open weekends for flowers for several Sundays in June, July, August, September, October, and November 2020. .

Volunteers who want to have flowers placed on the altar may arrange the flowers themselves for the altar, or they may call a local florist to do so.

If interested or for more information, please contact the church office at 601-445-5616 or email us at stmarybasilica.net.

FATHER SCOTT THOMAS TO CELEBRATE ON JUNE 5 10th YEAR OF ORDINATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD

St. Mary Basilica and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church and Cathedral School congratulate our pastor Father Scott Thomas on the occasion of this ten-year anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on Friday, June 5, 2020.

A native of Jackson, MS, and a graduate of “the” St. Joseph School in Madison, Father Scott was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson by Bishop Joseph Latino on June 5, 2010. Father Scott has been pastor of St. Mary Basilica and of Assumption Church since July 1, 2019. Previously he was pastor of St. Elizabeth Church and Immaculate Conception Church in Clarksdale, MS.

In lieu of the joyous celebration that the St. Mary Parish Life Commission had begun

planning to honor Father Scott on this special day in his life before the Coronavirus Pandemic hit, all parishioners and friends are invited to send Father Scott cards and well–wishes to honor him on his 10th anniversary.

Congratulations, Father Scott! We are so appreciative of your service to our churches and schools and are happy that you are here in Natchez! God bless you always.

Father Brian Kaskie lays hands on Father Scott during his ordination ten years ago.

FLOWERS ON ALTAR LAST WEEKEND The beautiful flowers on the altar of St. Mary Basilica last weekend, Mary 16-17, 2020, were lovingly donated and arranged in honor of Grace Anne Biglane on the occasion of her First Holy Communion on May 16 by her great aunt Kay Biglane Taylor.

The following friends and members of our parish need our prayers. Please add these names to your prayer list. Contact the church office 601-445-5616 to have names added to the pra-yer list. Names will be removed after four weeks.

Barron Black Cole Doughty Ken Beesley, Jr. Anne Giadrosich Dinah Ricks Daniel Miller Bobby McLean Phillip Mardis Willie Rymer Diane Golden Gwen McCalip Betty White Edna Rose Bellan Paul Vaughan Al Walker Anne Allmand ************* Charlene Rushing Pete Cantu Dennis McDaniel Erin Myers Barbara Burke Paisley Mardis Dennis Christian Connie Louviere Elsie Evans Kenny Nosser Delphine Prestridge Gerald and Yara Pitchford Bob McWilliams Fr. David O’Connor Donny Golden Butch Brown Anne Tebbetts Mullins Dr. Sam Tumminello Ed Eidt Pat Gamberi **************

Jack and Doris Kerwin Brian Warren Lance Gaude Mary Gunning Clarene Guercio Suellen Barnett Tommy O’Beirne Ben Butler Loveta Byrne Sissy Eidt Browning Wanda Mulvihill Mimi Maier Kate Ferguson Sonny Vance John Taylor Walter Maier Pat Dale Ron Gaude Brandon Garrity John R. Ferguson Mimi Sandel Murphy Ken Ezell Peyton Murphy Ricky Woolfolk Chut Billingsley *************** Orvis Marlow John Barnett Mary Brasher Louis Dallalio Johnnie and David Galer Paul Vaughan Clint and Elizabeth Smith Ken Beesley, Sr. Anita Souderes Gayle Anders Margaret Cooley

Charles Garrity Millie Weathersby James Weathersby Carolyn Krueger Selah Willard Michael Shaidnagle Richard Olier Cynthia Dollar Maureen Irby Ron Brumfield Patrick Biglane Karen Gardner

PRAYERS FOR MILITARY and LAW ENFORCEMENT

We pray for those listed below who serve in the military or in law enforcement at this time, especially any of those who are serving in Iraq or in other dangerous areas of the world.

Contact the church office at 601-445-5616 to have names added.

Ashley Bennett Tyler Wheeler Andrell Hardy Benjamin Long Delayne Bush Lee Best Josh Jackson Casey Snyder

Brandan Bordelon Christopher Shaidnagle Marcus Estes Aaron Moore Matthew Henderson Matthew Voss Xander Miller

Priester Byrne Mike Chapman Travis Patten Josh Gamberi Conner Burns Luke Eidt Brian Hughes Albert J. Hughes, Sr. Frank Smith

LIVE STREAM SERVICES AT ST. MARY

While all Masses are closed to the public until further notice, Father Scott and Father Mark will live-stream the Sunday 10:00 a.m. Holy Mass every Sunday on the St. Mary Basilica Face-Book page and online at greenwavesports.live. Please join in each Sunday! (DO NOT COME INTO THE CHURCH.) These Sunday Masses will be offered for the intentions of our parishioners.

At this time, the Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal) is offered at St. Mary Basilica and streamed here on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. It is a Low Mass (no music).

Also, the priests offer a 7:15 a.m. Mass (closed to the public) each day that is broadcast on FaceBook for the intentions listed on the back inside page of the bulletin.

STAY HOME - STAY SAFE: Temporary Changes at St. Mary Basilica The St. Mary Basilica staff is operating on shortened hours (8:30 am-12:00 pm M-F). If you call the office (601-445-5616) and there is no answer, please leave a voice mail or email us at stmarybasilica@cableone.net. We will respond as soon as we are able. Also, St. Mary Basilica will have an online bulletin every week. We ask all parishioners to check it out at www.stmarybasilica.org. We will pr int only a few paper bulletins (for those who do not have computer access) until Masses are active again. These bulletins can be found in the church each week. Please pick one up! Thank you for your patience during this time. God bless us all.

Second Collection May 24, 2020 Our diocese will have a second collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign this Sunday, May 24, 2020. This campaign connects people with Christ,

here and around the world in developing countries, through the internet, television, radio, and print media. Fifty percent of funds collected remains in our diocese to fund local communications efforts. Envelopes for this second collection are included in your packets of monthly envelopes. Please give generously.

ACH / MONTHLY DRAFT Make your life simpler by having your church contribution drafted. St. Mary offers a once per month ACH draft. You no longer need to write weekly or monthly checks or use your offertory envelopes. Please call Mary Flowers at the St. Mary church office (601-445-5616) or email her to set up this service at stmaryfinance@cableone.net or to change the amount you are currently having drafted.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT US!

The CYO still plans to hold a Garage Sale [date to be determined by the Covid-19 Pandemic]. So if you are cleaning out your closets or garages during this stay-at-home time, please hold onto items you may want to donate to our Garage Sale. IF you have no where to store your donations, please call our Youth Director Carrie Lambert at the church office.

We particularly need the following items: Craft Supplies, Baby Items, Household Items, Furniture, Hangers, Pet Items, Lamps, Linens, Tableware, Video Games, Electronics, Pots and Pans, Dishes, Shoes, Costume Jewelry, Scarves, Books, CDs, DVDs, and much, much more! [Please no broken items and no food or drink. All donated items should be clean and in good repair.]

PLEASE HOLD ON TO YOUR DONATIONS FOR THE TIME OR

CALL CARRIE AT THE CHURCH OFFICE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

REMEMBER YOUR WEEKLY/MONTHLY CHURCH CONTRIBUTIONS

During this Coronavirus pandemic, we thank all our parishioners who have mailed or dropped off their donations to help with our parish’s everyday operat-ing costs. We must still pay our bills!

Here are a few alternative suggestions that will help keep much needed offertory support going. US Mail – simply drop your check in the mail (107 S. Union St., Natchez, MS 39120) Bill Pay – many banks provide a bill pay service. It is a simple process, and your bank can easily walk you through if you have questions. For many it can be set up on your bank’s website. On-line – go to our website (www.stmarybasilica.org) and set up an online donation by using your credit card, debit card or directly from a checking or savings account. ACH Draft— see insert below this blurb

Thank you for your generosity. We pray that everyone stays healthy during this difficult time. May God bless us all.

We have been receiving Mass intentions for “Special Intentions.” Please note that all Mass intentions must be a named public intention. We cannot accept a special intention Mass

intention. Donors may be anonymous, but the Mass cannot be offered for a “special intention.” The intention must be specifically stated.

SYMPATHY We extend our sympathy to the family and friends of Julie P. Kendall who died on May 16, 2020.

May God be with this family in its time of grief, and may He grant Julie eternal life and peace.

CONGRATULATIONS! We extend our congratulations to Ben and Laura Long on the birth of their son Elliott Carney Long on April 17, 2020. He weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Elliott was welcomed home by big brother Gryffin Long and proud grandparents Dan and Kathy Usnik and Paul and Camille Kyzar and Larry Long.

HEAVEN The world is only peopled to people heaven. —St. Francis de Sales

Braxton Lane Allen Sophia Anne Catherine Bennett Abigail Lynn Branton Faith Anne Brown Kalia M. Campbell Sydney Caroline Cauthen John Alexander Dale Shyanne Elizabeth Day Clayton Evans Devening Hailey J. Ellis Kennedy R. Evans Trey Anthony Gill I'Leyah Janae Green Fred Dow Hairston Jonovan Charles Harris Elizabeth Carolyne Heatherly Ethan Trisler Huff Catherine Fisher Iseminger Christopher Lloyd Johnson Karlee Elizabeth Keeth Pilar Della Lee Ledford Danielle Rivers Lee Taylor Claire Lessley Anna Katherine McDonough Olivia Grace Moore Parker Kole Murray Haleigh Madison Nunnery Blake Anthony Perrin Ryleigh Addison Probst Eliza Catherine Romero John David Russ Kirsten N. Sanguinetti Carrie Maria Serio Madeline Sydney Smith Kayla Noelle Starr John Thomas Taylor Gillian Taylor Thompson Emma Bailey Warden Olivia Claire Waycaster Benjamin James White Emma Brooke Whittington Erinn Madison Williams

CATHEDRAL SENIORS—CLASS OF 2020 CONGRATULATIONS!

A CLOSED GRADUATION CEREMONY WITH BISHOP JOSEPH KOPACZ WILL BE LIVESTREAMED ON JUNE 5, 2020 AT 6:00 PM ON greenwavesports.live

CROSSES AVAILABLE Walter Maier has made 43 crosses from the wood of the old pinnacles of St. Mary Basilica. A few years ago, he made over 100 crosses from this wood, but they have long since been sold. After many requests to make more of these crosss, Mr. Maier used the last of the old wood from the Basilica pinnacles to make

these 43 crosses. Several of these crosses are still available for purchase from the offices of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption Church and directly from Mr. Maier (601-597-0800). The cost remains at $30 per cross. These crosses make beautiful RCIA gifts, Confirmation gifts, wedding gifts, house warming gifts, etc. Get yours before they sell out—unfortunately, there will not be anymore.

PRAY TO MARY DURING MAY

Pope Francis, Archbishop Gomez (President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), and all the bishops of the USA, have encouraged all Catholics to increase our devotional prayer during the month of May – a month traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Francis has encouraged the daily recitation of the rosary.

At St. Mary Basilica, we place a statue to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Communion rail during the month of May. Parishioners are urged to make a visit to pray or recite the rosary during this month. Also, if you have a statue of Mary at home, consider crowning her with a wreath of flowers and placing flowers at her feet. She is our mother and the Queen of Heaven.

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS . . .

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION: James Brown Alice Martin Aiden Messmer Camille Anderson Camille Daniel Alex Rojo Mary Virginia Waycaster Vivienne Gibson Grayson Tossspin Rivers Atkins Brooklyn Rayborn Macy Carter Grace Biglane Audrey Janette Tyler Orr Laura Verucchi

CONFIRMATION: Rose Schwager Mia Romero Chase Kaiser Ryan Skates Lesley Martinez Clayton Devening Ayden Rojo Liam Blackburn Nathan Gaude Dylan Overby

RCIA CATECHUMENS: Matthew Thomas LeTard Suzannah Ketchings Lucas Maloney

RCIA CANDIDATES: Gary Blackwell John Branton Mitchell Brooks Heather Burget Devin Dunaway Sela Gaude Sandy Hall Bryant Killen Carlyle Killen Toni Lambert Sidney McLeod David Ryan Christina Welch Josh Welch Adeline Burgett Barrett Burgett

RCIA CONFIRMANDS: Richard Branyan June Brown Kari Caldwell Lindsey Callon Kole Junkin John Kennon Janice Walters

AN AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILATOR (AED) IS LOCATED IN THE BULLETIN ROOM /CONFESSIONAL

ON THE ELEVATOR SIDE OF THE BASILICA.

USHERS AND MASS COORDINATORS ARE AWARE OF THE LOCATION.

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION IN TIME OF PANDEMIC

O Mary, you always brighten our path as a sign of salvation and of hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the Cross, took part in Jesus’ pain while remaining steadfast in faith.

O loving Mother, you know what we need, and we are confident you will provide for us as at Cana in Galilee. Intercede for us with your Son Jesus, the Divine Physician, for those who have fallen ill, for those who are vulnerable, and for those who have died.

Intercede also for those charged with protecting the health and safety of others and for those who are tending to the sick and seeking a cure.

Help us, O Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who took upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows, so as to lead us, through the Cross, to the glory of the Resurrection. Amen.

Under thy protection we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God. In our needs, despise not our petitions, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. —Adapted from the prayer of Pope Francis

FORMED PICK OF THE WEEK

SIGN UP FOR FREE AT FORMED.ORG/SIGNUP

1. Visit formed.org and then click Sign Up 2. Select “I belong to a Parish or Organization” 3. Type in St. Mary Basilica Natchez,MS 4. Enter your email—and you’re in!

Call Ruth in the church 601-445-5616 if you have any questions.

THE WILD GOOSE Father Dave Pivonka

The Wild Goose is a work of the Holy Spirit, which is awakening in the hearts of all those

participating God’s love and transforming power. As you walk through this series, pray for the Spirit to breathe life into your heart.

“PUSHED” OUT ON MISSION There is a delightful character in the original Dr. Dolittle Tales called the “Pushmi-Pullyu.” It is a beast with two identical halves, with a head at each end. No matter which direction the beast walks, one end is the “push me” and the other is the “pull you.” Today’s feast is a bit like that in the life of the church. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, it is the ascension of Christ that calls for the Holy Spirit, which consequently sends or “pushes” the church out on its mission. This is the message that we hear from the angels today as they tell the friends of Jesus not to look up into the clouds, but to get busy. It is the message of Jesus himself in Matthew’s Gospel, as he sends them out to baptize. He also tells them, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And it is this message, confident in faith that Jesus has ascended to shouts of joy, that “pulls” us along to our final destiny. The life of the faithful disciple, sent into the world on mission, will one day know the same risen, ascended glory. —Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

ST. MARY YOUTH PROGRAMS CALENDAR

We continue to offer opportunities to our youth to connect virtually through this unusual time of our lives. This Memorial Day weekend we are offering 1 very special night. Our guest speaker on Friday night is amazing – and we will be joined by another youth group out of Texas. See below for full information!

JCYO (6th-8th grade) No activities planned for this weekend. CYO (9th-12th grade) Fri., May 22 - 8-9pm – Zoom meeting with special guest Stephanie Clouatre Davis. Stephanie has been a youth minister for more than 22 years and she will speak about “quarantine life,” St. Ignatius, and real prayer for real people. Stephanie is a mother of 2 teenage girls and truly has her hand on the pulse of who today’s teens are - and the challenges they are facing. She has spent time teaching, directing youth ministry programs, as well as speaking nationally in various venus and acting as a retreat facilitator. We will be joined by a Devyn Buschow and her youth group from Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville, Texas. We’ll be having our own mini-Youth Rally this night! Wed., May 20 & 27 - 6-6:30 pm – Zoom Bible Reflection. All you need to do is show up and take a beat. I will lead you through a short reading from the Take Ten Daily Bible Reflections I post on GroupMe that day. This is personal prayer time for you. I’ll guide you through contemplative prayer and at the end you’ll feel refreshed and revitalized. Find a quiet spot and join me.

YES PLEASE! This is a GroupMe for parents and other adults who are interested in various motivational, information, faith formation opportunities that I discover when searching for ways to benefit our youth. If you would like to be part of this GroupMe, please email Carrie Lambert at stmaryyouth@cableone.net Please be sure to tune in Monday-Saturday at 7:15 am and Sundays at 10 am for daily broadcasts of Mass on St. Mary’s Facebook page, and Sundays on greenwavesports.live. Check the bulletin for more information. Thank you to Father Scott, Father Mark, George and all those who make the broadcast of the Masses at St. Mary possible.

The last few weeks I’ve enjoyed connecting with my youth and their parents by going out and bringing them little

treat bags. [See photos on next page.] I miss seeing y’all face-to-face and look forward to the day that we’ll be able to gather together. I continue investigating ways in which we can participate in a camp this summer – although it may be virtually. Everything is still fluid, but I’ll bring our options and ideas to you as soon as I am able to gather them. We must acknowledge that so much has been missed out on by our youth this year due to this terrible virus, but I am ever so grateful that our youth and their parents have thus far remained happy and healthy. These are challenging times and to help us get through it we must hold fast to the knowledge that while we cannot yet gather as we once did, it seems that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the mean time, always remember that we are united spiritually as members of the Body of Christ. May we continue to lift one another up in prayer and pray for an end to this difficult time. We must also continue praying for our family, friends, country and the world. I continue to thank God for the many blessings I have in my life – which includes all of you. Also, let us keep priests and religious, lay ministers, seminarians, Pope Francis, and all who continue ministering to us in our daily prayers. I look forward to the day that we are able to gather together once more at Mass and physically receive the Eucharist once again. Until then – have a great Memorial Day Weekend and stay safe. Blessings, Carrie Lambert, Youth Director

YOUTH DIRECTOR MRS. CARRIE VISITS WITH . . .

Mia Romero

Ayden and Alex Rojo

Ryan and Ella Skates

Rhett Trosclair

Caroline Sutherland

Meredith Lessley

Mass INTENTION INTENTION DONOR DONOR

7:15 a.m. Mass On FaceBook

MAY Monday, 25

Dorothy Karre (D) Friend

Tuesday, 26 Sydney Phillips (L) Anonymous

Wednesday, 27 Frances Richard (D) Ed and Karen Foley

Thursday, 28 Paul Byrne (D) Dale Steckler

Friday, 29 Joe Sanguinetti (D) Jeanne Sanguinetti

Saturday, 30 Helen Petermann (D)

Carol Jones

Sunday, 31 10:00 a.m. Mass People of the Parish

MEETINGS THIS WEEK ST. MARY BASILICA

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab; Jn 16:29-33 Tuesday: Acts 20:17-27; Ps 68:10-11, 20-21; Jn 17:1-11a Wednesday: Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30, 33-36ab; Jn 17:11b-19 Thursday: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; Ps 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11; Jn 17:20-26 Friday: Acts 25:13b-21; Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab; Jn 21:15-19 Saturday: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; Ps 11:4, 5, 7; Jn 21:20-25

May 24 Joe Eidt III George Ann Hale John Ward Junkin Dorothy Drouillard Father Leopold Keffler May 25 Agnes Holloway Elaine Steckler Owen Bertelsen

Parishioners, please contact the parish office if your birthday is not listed. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

May 29 Chisum Mardis Patrick Biglane, J r. May 30 Karen Hill Kay Taylor

May 26 Bee Byrnes Clarene Guercio Jody Foster Gryffin Long May 27 Sally Durkin Cole Sisung May 28 None

WHILE PUBLIC MASSES ARE CANCELLED due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Father Scott and Father Mark will offer private Masses every day for the intentions listed here.

ALL MEETINGS CANCELLED due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Our priests and staffs of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption Church thank you for being so wonderful and supportive during these challenging times – as we all are in uncharted territory. One thing we know for sure is that our Church cares about each and every one of you.

Our weekly and monthly meetings and gatherings continue to be cancelled for the time being as nationwide and worldwide situations evolve. We fully intend to resume all of our parish’s wonderful activities and commission projects as soon as we are allowed. God bless you all.

CHURCH OFFICES CLOSED

The church offices at St. Mary Basilica and Assumption Church will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2020, in observance of Memorial Day.

Father Scott, Father Mark, and the staffs of both churches wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday.

CELEBRATE * HONOR * REMEMBER