On Friday, 20 March, Bishop Lucia announced that all Holy Week Liturgies and Easter Sunday Masses will be suspended due to the coronavirus epidemic.
This means that there will be no Passion (Palm) Sunday Mass, no Holy Thursday Mass and Adoration, no Chrism Mass, no Masses for the Rite of Christian Initiation, and no Good Friday, Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday Masses.
He has also cancelled the Light is On Confession event, which was to take place on 6 April. He has also postponed the various Ordinations that were to take place in April to the diaconate.
The Bishop has dispensed the faithful from the obligation to abstain from meat on the remaining Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday, due to the difficult shopping situation. However, the obligation to fast on Good Friday remains in effect.
At Our Lady of Good Counsel, Confessions will be heard at the following times:
Wednesday 6:30-7:00 PM
Friday 6:30-7 PM
Saturday 7:30-8 AM, 2:30-3:30 PM and 6:30-7:30 PM
Confessions will be heard in the Confessional, which will be sanitized after each session. Disposable sanitary wipes will be available in the confessional for your use.
My dear parishioners, these measures, while necessary and understandable, are no less heartbreaking. I know how many of you are distressed and upset by them. No one is more so than your Pastor, who longs to feed his flock with the Bread of Life, Our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament.
Each day, as I ascend the altar to offer His Sacrifice, I take each one of you with me, and I offer you with Him to the Father, asking Him to spare His people.
I thank all of you who are praying throughout this trial. Our Lord will not be deaf to our prayers, especially when offered through His most Holy Mother, who is our Refuge, our Sweetness and our Hope.
God bless you.
Fr. Castronovo
Pastor, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church