Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we are facing the challenges and fears caused by Corona Virus, we stand together as a community of faith to help one another through this unprecedented and difficult time. Armed with the power of our prayer and our faith, our Cardinal gave further instruction to his people regarding the practices of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. You may find the letter from Daniel Cardinal DiNardo below with the list of specific instructions.

First and foremost, we must take good care for the most vulnerable in our community, the people who are advanced in age, and those with compromised immune systems due to a secondary illness. We pray to God for the protection of their bodies and souls. As we hear from the community of medical science, these are the people for whom the Corona Virus may be most harmful, or even deadly. We are to protect them first, but to protect them we need to protect ourselves as well. We have heard many times on TV how important is our personal hygiene (washing of hands, disinfecting, protecting others when you cough or sneeze).   Everything is important, but still the most effective action in stopping the spread of this virus is social distancing. In times like this, we pray to God to protect us from this horrible illness.

Yes, we know that God has the power to stop this pandemic! He is Almighty and can protect us from even contracting the virus, but we also know that God gave us an intellect to help us to make wise decisions with our life and our health. Therefore, we should not put our God to test by engaging in risky behaviors by not following the recommendations of our medical community.

Please stay at home and pray the rosary daily for the end of the pandemic. The parish staff is accessible by email or by phone, Mon-Fri.  Phone number and email addresses are included in the front of the Bulletin, on the left hand column. Cardinal DiNardo has stopped all public masses for the intended safety of his flock. (see below) This new set of directives are in addition to the cancellations and postponements we already have in place regarding all parish activities at St. Edith Stein. 

I will celebrate mass with no congregation at our regular scheduled mass times. I will celebrate the mass with one of the deacons. You will be able to be part of this celebration by watching the mass on your computer or your phone at home. Since we can’t gather physically, we can gather remotely from our homes as one community.  The link to watch the mass may be found on our www.stedithstein.org website. You may also make a spiritual communion during this time (check the website for more information).  

Again, we must rely on our faith during this difficult time, and recall the Responsorial Psalm from the Sunday Liturgy, The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.   May God bless each one of you!

Blessings,

Fr. Ryszard Kulma

Did you know that Catholics can make an Act of Spiritual Communion?

(Source: Archdiocese of Detroit) - It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion means uniting one’s self in prayer with Christ’s sacrifice and worshiping Him in His Body and Blood. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily. When unable to receive Holy Communion, pray the prayer below:

A prayer for Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen

Additional resources on “Spiritual Communion” can be found at 
https://www.archgh.org/resources/health-updates/spiritual-resources/

To access the STATIONS OF THE CROSS booklet and follow the prayer during live streamed event at the church,
CLICK HERE