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Dear Parishioners, ADVENT is here. It is the Season of HOPE and EXPECTATION. The Advent and Christmas seasons will look very different for all of us this year – in our homes, in our parish, in our schools and workplaces.

The Sacrament of Penance will be offered once again on Saturday afternoon from 3:30 – 4:15 pm beginning next Saturday, June 6th. Our parish confessional remains unsafe due to the closeness of the priest and penitent seated only a few feet apart or separated only by a grill not designed to prevent virus transmission.

We are excited that the day has finally come for us to offer public celebrations of the Mass and the sacraments. Since there are still restrictions in place set forth by Governor Baker, Bishop McManus has continued suspension of the obligation to attend Sunday Worship until December 31, 2020. That means we want to welcome those who feel that they can comply with the restrictions set forth by the Commonwealth - and who are not in a high risk group.

In response to Governor Baker's announcements today regarding re-opening Houses of Worship, Bishop McManus has issued the following:

THANK YOU to the hundreds of parishioners who joined us yesterday in our surprise car parade for Msgr. Mike and Fr. Javier. Thank you to Beth Duncan who thought up this wonderful idea. A continuous 40 minute stream of cars, that at times backed up to 140, flowed into the parking lot.

One of the last in-person Youth Ministry group gatherings was to host a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper helping us to all kick off the Lenten Season. They set up the Hall, greeted parishioners and flipped and served about 500 pancakes to a large crowd.

We remain a community that is spiritually united together though we are physically apart. Our parish staff members are working remotely from home and spending some time at the Pastoral Center and we are all finding new ways to stay connected.

Dear Parishioners of St. Mary’s, As we come together today to celebrate the great Feast of the Resurrection….. Wait a minute. That’s how I began my Easter letter to you last year….. Let me try this again: As we stay at home today to celebrate the great Feast of the Resurrection….

Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners, Today is Palm Sunday when we typically join the crowds of long ago in the streets of Jerusalem commemorating Jesus’ entrance into the holy city and claiming him once again as our Messiah and Lord. Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.

On Palm Sunday blessed palms will be available in the church parking lot from 9-11 am. We will be wearing gloves and keeping a respectable distance from parishioners who will drive up and receive them in their cars. Parishioners may also get palms in the afternoon and throughout the week inside the church.

Dear Parishioners of St. Mary’s,   We hope that this letter finds you well.  You and your loved ones are in our prayers each day during this difficult time. We are writing to you about prayer in this time of pandemic. Bishop McManus has asked that each parish in our diocese take one day - one 24 hour period - during which,  from home, one or more of our parishioners would pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, the healing of the sick, the salvation of the dead and the protection of healthcare workers and those who keep the necessities of life flowing in our nation and throughout the world.   

The Covid-19 Pandemic continues to impact every aspect of our daily lives. The uncertainty of when life will return to normal can be overwhelming and even frightening. We long to return to our familiar routines at home, at work and in the community.

Hearing confessions in a time of pandemic is one of the great pastoral challenges we face in these days before Easter.  There is a unique solution which maintains the minimum "social distance" of six feet (keeping both confessor and penitent safe) and respects the privacy of the penitent coming for confession. Here is how it works...

Parishioner, Nancy Hughes has been coordinating and working with over 30 sewers in the parish and Shrewsbury community to sew face masks to help alleviate the national shortage in medical-grade protective gear that medical workers are facing. T

When we were in the seminary, none of us could have dreamed that we would one day be faced with the situation we are in today with no public celebrations of the Liturgy, including Sunday Mass and all our other gatherings being cancelled.

On Wednesday, 18th, March  Phil Lemieux, Jen Smith, and Martha Serafin's high school religious education classes were scheduled to cook and serve a meal at the Mustard Seed.  Due to the COVID 19 restrictions students were no longer able to gather together to cook the meal.

Join us for Mass at St. Mary's on Facebook, Flocknote, Parish Website and Shrewsbury Channel 28.  During these days when we are prevented from celebrating Mass together, Father Javier will celebrate Mass on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 9:00am live streaming from St. Mary's Parish Facebook page ( @StMarysShrewsburyMA).  Msgr. Mike will celebrate Mass for the 4th Sunday of Lent on video which will be posted to the parish website ( stmarysparish.org/massrecordings) and Channel 28 or 328 on your television this Sunday.  Let us remain united in prayer during these days when we are separated from one another.

My dear friends in Christ, As we confront almost hourly news reports about rising cases of Coronavirus, additional measures to restrict exposures to the threat of this insidious virus, and concerns about our own health and the wellbeing of our loved ones, we can become very anxious.  

In cooperation with Governor Baker's announcements yesterday, the Diocese of Worcester has issued the following statement by Bishop Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester:

The Mass schedule the weekend of March 14-15 will continue as normal. Parishioners who are ill or suspect they are ill are not bound by the Sunday Mass obligation and should remain at home and return to church when they are well.