Liturgy Schedule Change

Dear Parishioners,

As you all know, I’ve been trying to discern how we can free our Children’s Faith Formation (formerly called children’s religious ed.) from taking place at the same time as Mass as well as trying to accommodate a Sunday Mass in Cave Junction. After a rather difficult discernment which included input from the Archbishop, discussions with Esperanza, our Hispanic Minister, reflections from all the councils, advice from many parts of the parish, and His- panic ministers outside of the parish, I’ve come to a difficult conclusion. It is clear that there is no perfect solution, but in order to attempt to meet these two main concerns as well as a myriad of others that were brought forward during my discernment with all these groups, it became clear that several things would have to shift.

So below is the new liturgy schedule which takes effect on Labor day Weekend (Sept. 4/5). It frees Children’s Faith Formation from competing with Mass, allows St. Patrick of the Forest to have a Sunday Mass, creates time for adult faith formation classes between the two Masses on Sun- day as well as after the last Mass on Saturday, relieves traffic flow between the Masses on Sunday at St. Anne, and offers the greatest flexibility for scheduling priests and priest substitutes. Yes, there are issues that are intro- duced, but I believe that the benefits outweigh the costs.

I beg your patience as any change is a difficult thing. In- deed, I ask you pray for the Hispanic community, as their Mass time is potentially most disruptive to many of their well established routines. Many have communicated this very thing. However, when talking to many Hispanic Minis- ters, they had a consensus that an evening Mass was a very doable time, indeed potentially better than an early morning Mass. Clearly, some of our Spanish speakers will be unable to come to a Saturday evening Mass due to work, but I hope that many who haven’t come in the past will find the new, later time to be more accommodating. I am aware that this will be difficult, but instead of looking at the glass half empty, I encourage everyone to look at it half full. Imagine now the new possibilities that are before us. God bless you all!!

The new schedule should be announced at all the Masses this weekend. Again, this schedule does not take effect until Labor Day weekend. So, we have two months to pre- pare and adjust our own personal calendars to suit. The new schedule can be found below.

Blessings,
Fr. Bill
Pastor

St. Anne, Grants Pass
Saturday
4:00 PM Confessions
5:30 PM Mass
7:00 PM Mass(Spanish)

Sunday:
8:00 AM
11:00 AM

St. Patrick of the Forest, Cave Junction
Sunday:
10:30 AM Confessions
11:00 AM Mass

Our Lady of the River, Rogue River
Sunday:
8:30 AM Mass