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Back In Church

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by
Dear Parishioners,
It is with a thankful heart I inform you that ALL Masses are now being held inside the Church; thanks be to God! Please note that all previous safety protocols will still be observed (ie: 25% capacity, must wear masks, 6’ social distancing, disinfecting of pews after use, etc.). Thank you for your compliance.
In addition, I would like to mention that this weekend, February 13th (after the 5pm Mass) & 14th (after ALL the Masses), we will be holding a Mini-Ministry Fair – Mardi Gras themed. The purpose of this is to provide the opportunity for more participation from parishioners in serving the Lord by serving His people. Many of you may not be aware of the number of ministries here who are quietly at work in the background. There are many things a person can become involved with in the parish, and many of them don’t require a lot of time. All of our ministries will have a table set-up with a representative on hand to describe their activities and to answer any questions you may have. Some ministries, however, may not be active currently, but we hope they will be back to regular activities soon.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Quang Vinh Chu, Pastor

Pastor’s Message

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners,

First and foremost, thanks be to God for His blessings and grace, and thanks to all of you for praying and comforting each other with love and compassion. I am doing fine, and I wish you well! We have not seen many of you for months and miss you dearly!

I would like to provide you with some updated information:

  1. Thank you to our staff members and to the many of you who have supported Ms. Linda Gilbert’s family. She was a member of our staff who suddenly passed away last month! Linda served our parish as the Director of Religious Education for over 28 years and will be greatly missed.
  2. I believe that many of you still remember Mrs. Suzanne Donnelly, who was one of our parish secretaries for more than 21 years. She retired 6 years ago and just passed away last Monday. Please pray for her soul and her family. Her funeral will be held here on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at 10:30am.
  3. Some good news, we have hired Sr. Catherine Nguyen, LHC (The Lovers of the Holy Cross Sisters) as a part-time DRE (Director of Religious Education) to coordinate our Faith Formation Program. We are continuing our religious program as usual and will resume classes in-person beginning September 28, 2020. Please see our parish weekly bulletin for further information and register as soon as possible. Thank you!
  4. I would also like to inform you that our weekly offertory has been up and down (unstable). This is most likely due to a drop in attendance since about 80% of our parishioners are not yet ready to come back to church. Please keep St. Mary’s by the Sea in your prayers and continue to support our parish as much as you can with electronic donations (online), by mail, or you can drop off them off at the office. Thank you for your support and prayers!
  5. Following the virus curve and directives from the State and County, we are still on level 4 and holding Masses outdoors until further notice.
  6. Beginning on September 5, 2020, our Mass schedule will be changed:
  • Weekly Masses are still the same schedule at 8:00am.
  • Saturday evening (Vigil Mass) will be at 5:00pm (only one Mass).
  • Sunday Masses: 7:30am and 9:30am are in English, 11:30am is in Latin (no 1:30pm), and 4:30pm is in English.
  • Notice: No music at all Masses.


I wish you well and pray that you remain safe and in good health. Please continue to pray for peace, justice, and unity for our country, and especially pray for overcoming this invisible virus so we may return to a normal life soon. Thank you and God bless you always!

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Quang Vinh Chu, Pastor

 

 

Fr. McGivney Declared “Blessed”

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Fr. McGivney Declared “Blessed”

The Knights of Columbus of St. Mary’s by the Sea are proud to announce that  Pope Francis has approved the promulgation of a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney, a Connecticut priest who served his flock during the pandemic of 1890, before himself becoming ill and dying of pneumonia. Father McGivney is best known for founding the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, CT in 1882

The pope’s action means that Father McGivney can be declared “Blessed,” the step just prior to sainthood. An additional miracle attributed to Father McGivney’s intercession will be required for his canonization as a saint. The beatification Mass for Father McGivney is currently scheduled for October 31, 2020, in Connecticut.

For more information on the Knights of Columbus at St. Mary’s by the Sea, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Death of a Staff Member

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

DEATH OF A STAFF MEMBER

Dear Parishioners,

It is with a great deal of sadness that I inform you of the unexpected death of one of our beloved staff members, Linda Gilbert, the Director of Religious Education and Faith Formation who passed away early Sunday morning. Her passing has deeply affected us all. Linda had a profound impact on many parishioners, as well as the students she taught over the past 27 years. She was a devoted Catholic who truly lived her faith and supported St. Mary’s by the Sea in numerous ways. She is survived by her two sons, Justin and Blake. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

A fund has been created to help her family with funeral expenses. If you would like to contribute, please contact the Office at (714) 536-6913, x-0. Leave your name and phone number and someone will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you and God bless!

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Quang Chu – Pastor

Mass Outside Starting July 14

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners,

Great news! Fr. Pascal is now home. Thanks be to God!

On another note, even though the Governor has temporarily closed churches, this is only for seating inside. St. Mary’s by the Sea will continue to hold confessions (Saturday from 3:00-4:00pm), daily Mass and weekend Masses (excluding the Latin Mass until further notice) in the Courtyard. Please bring your own chair in the event of overflow. We will still wear masks and practice social distancing, with the exception of families who are able to sit together.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Quang Chu – Pastor

Daily Mass Resumes July 14

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners,

Good news everyone!!

1) Father Pascal was moved out of ICU late yesterday (Sunday).

2) My test for Covid19 came back negative! Therefore, we will resume Daily Mass beginning tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 7/14/20).

Thanks be to God and to everyone for your prayers!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Quang Chu – Pastor

Church Closed July 11-13

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners,  (see update below)

I wanted to give you an update on Fr. Pascal. As of yesterday evening, Father said his doctor was happy with his progress. He will transfer him out of ICU into a regular room in the next few days.

On another note, up until now, I have been fine. I do not have a fever nor any symptoms of the Covid virus. Unfortunately, I still have not received the results from my test. According to my doctor, all the labs are behind schedule. He did say next Monday or Tuesday for sure, maybe sooner. My doctor also suggested that we should close the Church this weekend and a few days after for the safety and health risks of others. So, I have decided to do this. I apologize, but the Church will be closed this weekend, and next Monday.

Dear Parishioners,
Good news everyone!!
1) Father Pascal moved out of ICU late yesterday (Sunday).
2) My test for Covid19 came back negative! Therefore, we will resume Daily Mass beginning tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 7/14/20).
Thanks be to God and to everyone for your prayers!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Quang Chu – Pastor

 

Message from Father Chu

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners, I would like to update you on the health status of Fr. Pascal Nguyen, O. Praem (who is the celebrant for our 11:30am & 1:30pm Latin Masses). He came down with a fever last week and was tested … Continue reading →

Reflection for 12th Week

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners,

I hope you are well and safe during this time of crisis!

Since our Church reopened, I can see that there is about one-third of our parishioners returning to Church. Another two-thirds are still staying-at-home for safety. It is wonderful to see you in-person and I miss those who are unable to return to Church at this time. Whatever it maybe, we are one together in spirit and we pray for one another.

Just to let you know that because of the low attendance ator the 6:00 pm Sunday Mass, with the consultant of Staff and Pastoral Council, I decided to cancel the 6:00pm Sunday Mass beginning July 5, 2020. I apology for any inconvenience!

This weekend, we celebrate the July 4th Independence Day. Please remember our ancestors and those who are in uniform (living and deceased) in your prayers. Especially pray for peace, justice, and unity in our Country. On First Friday, July 3rd, at 3:00pm, I will expose the Blessed Sacrament for Adoration and Benediction to pray for our Country. Please join us if you can to pray for peace and justice wherever it maybe. Please take time to pray and ask the Lord for healing and to restore our life, our country, and to overcome the virus soon so we can come back to normal life. Jesus calmed the winds and the sea when His disciples were faced with a violent storm. He will calm the storm of our life and our society if we come to Him and beg Him for help.

Please continue to stand firm in your faith and belief! Be not afraid! Do not settle for feeling overwhelmed or frustrated! Instead, let the Lord go before you always, come follow Him and He will give you rest.

God bless you always and God bless the United States of America!

Happy Independence Day! Happy 4th of July!

Sincerely yours,

Rev. Quang Vinh Chu, Pastor

Corpus Christi Reflection

St. Mary's by the Sea Roman Catholic Parish Posted on by

Dear Parishioners,

Greeting and best wishes to all!

I was so happy to see many of you in-person at church to celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. I also missed those of you who could not yet return to our church. I thank each one of you very dearly for your understanding, patience, and cooperation with the guidelines.

I thank our hospitality and cleaning volunteers for their time and talents. You have done a wonderful job in welcoming and assisting our parishioners before and after the Masses, and for the time you spent sanitizing the pews after each Mass. God bless you all! I can see many of our parishioners were so happy to return to church and see each other.

For the first time, we gather in-person after three months of lockdown. Our attendance was down about two-thirds this weekend because many people are not yet ready to return. I hope that in these coming weekends we will have more people return to church.

On the Feast of Corpus Christi, we can sum up three important confessions about our Faith:

  1. That God became physically present in the person of Christ – True God and True Man.
  2. That God continues to be present in His people as they form the Mystical Body of Christ in His church.
  3. That the presence of God, under the form of bread and wine, is made sacramentally real for us on the altar at Mass and preserved there for our nourishment and worship.

For these reasons, I would like to invite you to come back and join with our community to celebrate the Eucharist in-person in our Church.

Let us continue to pray for peace and justice in the world, especially in our country. Peace be with you always!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Quang Vinh Chu, Pastor.