News

A Note From Our Parish Pastoral Council

Dear Fellow Parishioners –

First off, I hope everyone had a blessed Lent and Easter journey! Certainly it was one unlike any other we have experienced. We are being challenged on many fronts – home schooling, working remotely and quarantining. Everyone is being called to make difficult sacrifices. However, we need to keep our faith in God and know that this too shall pass.

On behalf of the Parish Pastoral Council, I wanted to provide a few updates:

• First, thank you to the team of parishioners who continue to bring daily and Sunday Masses to our community! It was heartwarming to be able to celebrate Mass again from Our Lady of the Wayside. Thank you to Mike Madison, Dan McMahon, all the deacons and especially Martin and Elizabeth Bauer for their time and energy to bring this to reality.
• Secondly, I wanted to update you on the status of a pastor announcement. As you know, the last 30- 45 days have been truly unique, demanding everyone’s time and attention to the COVID-19 situation. As a result, the Archdiocese has delayed the announcement of pastoral assignments until sometime in May or June. Until then, please pray for Father Artur Marat, Father Brady, and all our diocese priests as they navigate these uncertain times.
• With the absence of Sunday Masses, our weekly collections have taken a substantial hit. Although the parish is able to take advantage of some of the financial advantages afforded businesses, our expenses have not been put on hold. If you have continued your financial support of the Church, I thank you! If you are not taking advantage of the electronic giving, I encourage you to enroll. If you want to physically donate, envelopes can be dropped off at the mail slot at the old rectory entrance on Park Street. Whatever way, I ask that you continue to support Our Lady of the Wayside.
• A special prayer goes out to all teachers, students and parents for everything you are doing during this challenging time. No one anticipated this situation, but everyone is doing their best.

Finally, together let’s pray and trust that God has a bright future planned for Our Lady of the Wayside Church. Now more than ever, we have to come together as a community in Christ, support and pray for one another and our priests. We need to trust in God’s plan for our parish. We look forward to the day we can together share in the Holy Eucharist again.

Should you wish to reach out to me, you can do so at pastoralcouncilchair@olwparish.org.

Sincerely,
Bud Trunk
Parish Pastoral Council Chair