Welcome to the Church of Saint Henry in Monticello, MN

Dear Parishioners and friends,                                                                           3/26/2020

As you know, Governor Tim Walz issued an order for Minnesotans to stay at home for two weeks – beginning Friday night – to try to contain the spread of the corona virus and buy time for our health care system to prepare.  We need to do our part to minimize the impact on those who have the virus, those most vulnerable to it, and on our courageous and dedicated health care workers who will serve the public in this most extraordinary way.

This order will go into effect Friday night at 11:59 PM and be in place until 5:00 PM, Good Friday, April 10^th.  It is unknown as to what the restrictions will be after that time, but we can only pray that they will be able to be relaxed, even if only slightly.

Given this order we outline what will be available at the Church of Saint Henry during the next two weeks as follows:

• We will continue to have no public Masses or scheduled gatherings of any kind.
• We will record a Mass celebrated by me each day and place the recording online.  For Sunday, we will have the recording available by the morning.  For Mass in Spanish we hope to have the recording available by early in the afternoon.  For daily Mass, we hope to have it posted by mid-morning.
• On our website, we will continue to post resources for watching and listening to Mass and personal and family prayer on either our front home page or under the coronavirus tab.  I would like to begin offering several reflections during this time to be posted in these places.  For faith formation, please take advantage of the opportunities available to conduct faith formation at home as our directors, Jessica Soden and Jenna Leighton direct.
• We will hold the “Good Fridays” confessions time tomorrow evening, Friday, March 27^th.  This will include confessions at various stations within the main church by screen only.  A custodian and an usher will be on hand to direct the process and do various cleaning.  We will have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as well during this time.
• We will also hold confessions on Saturday, April 4^th at 9:00 AM as needed and on Tuesday, April 7^th at 6:00 PM as needed.  A custodian/usher will be on hand to direct the process.
• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will close at midnight, tomorrow, Friday, March 27^th and remain closed until at least Easter Sunday at 6:00 PM, depending on restrictions from civil authorities and the Archbishop at that time.

While Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be suspended during this time, and knowing that our Lord is present in the tabernacle of the church, and out of a respect for the need to come to the church in this critical and difficult time to pray, and understanding that this pastoral need follows the guidelines of the governor’s order, the main Church will remain open next week for quiet prayer, Monday – Friday at 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and the following week, Holy Week, Monday – Wednesday at 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Holy Thursday 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Please maintain social distancing when coming to the church to pray and we will monitor closely how this activity is proceeding. 

• We will have limited staff on site to answer phone calls and conduct pastoral care.  Please do not hesitate to call if you have questions or need pastoral assistance.  I or a deacon (where applicable) will be glad to visit someone who is sick and to administer the sacraments to them.  For after hours, dial our main number 763-295-2402 and press 9 for these requests.
• We are a drop-off site for Wright County at this time.  Please bring donated items to the parish office. There is currently a need for healthcare items such as masks and gloves. We will also be collecting essentials for those in need as early as Friday, March 27^th.  These will be collected at the parish office as well. Monday through Friday 8am-4pm.
• Because the governor’s order extends to 5:00 PM on Good Friday, we will not hold a regular Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.  However, It is too early to say whether or not we will hold a Good Friday celebration of the Lord’s Passion or an Easter Vigil or regular Easter Sunday Masses and exactly how we would celebrate them.  We hope an update from the authorities             comes sooner than Good Friday so that we can make an appropriate decision and update you. 

Let’s heed the Archbishop’s spiritual advice during this intense desert experience and Lenten penance.  Even though we will be physically isolated we will be able to live our faith in new and creative ways.  It will not be easy, but let’s turn to the Lord and ask for his help and to teach us what he wants to teach us.  And let us pray that we may enter spiritually into an ever-deeper communion with each other, with our Lord, and with our entire Church.  Finally, let’s continue our prayers for civil authorities, those suffering from the virus, and those who care for them.

In Christ,

Father Tony

We have compiled several resources for you on our parish website under the Coronavirus tab, as well as other resources are posted on our Facebook page. You can find our Mass recordings on our SoundCloud account as well.
 

Regular Mass Schedule

Weekly Bulletins

Newcomers: We are located at 1001 East 7th Street. The Church of Saint Henry is a thriving parish. We are having new member registration on the Fourth Sunday at 11:30 AM. Please call Marj at 763.295.2402 for an appointment. Being registered means participating in the life of the community by coming to Mass weekly, and contributing your gifts of time, talent and treasure.