TRI-PARISH NEW MASS SCHEDULE STARTS 1 JULY 2023
3 June 2023
Dear Parishioners:
The tri-parish community of Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, truly has a gift of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. This gift is shared at the Mass within our community on a regular basis. We have given prayerful consideration in reducing the number of Masses scheduled on the weekends from 10 to 8. Careful consideration has been given on the size of each church, the size of each congregation, along with many other factors.
A schedule must be developed in which one priest can physically preside at all Masses in an emergency (although not desirable). The tri-parish community is the largest within the Diocese of Norwich, based upon the number of people that attend each weekend. Druing October 2022, approximately 1,141 people on average attended each weekend. It is understandable that change is never easy; please know that your priests are trying their best to meet the increasing needs of Church.
The new schedule (effective 1 July 2023) will be as follows:
- Saturday Vigil, 4:00 PM - St. Mary, Mother of the Redeemer
- Saturday Vigil, 5:30 PM - OUr Lady of Lourdes
- Saturday Vigil, 7:00 PM - Sacred Heart
- Sunday, 7:00 AM - St. Mary, Mother of the Redeemer
- Sunday, 8:30 AM - Our Lady of Lourdes
- Sunday, 10:00 AM - Sacred Heart
- Sunday, 11:30 AM - St. Mary, Mother of the Redeemer
- Sunday, 5:00 PM - Our Lady of Lourdes
We are not unmindful that this change in the Mass schedule will certainly impact our regular weekend and familly patterns. Change is hard and it is more so for those of us who enjoy set schedules and routine traditions. Please be understanding and charitable through this process. We hope that you will see beyond the changes and embrace the opportunity to reach out to those who are not engaged in a life of faith. Please pray for our parish in the coming weeks and months as we adjust to this new Mass schedule.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Very Rev. Brian J. Converse Rev. Brian Maxwell
Pastor Parochial Vicar