Pastor's Column: July 12, 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is good to be back after a week away! I had a great time with my family and feel rested and rejuvenated to serve you even better.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about possible changes in visitor policies at healthcare facilities in our area that could impact the ability of our priests to visit you in times of need. I may have misinterpreted some things that I was told about that, but regardless, it remains very difficult to visit in these circumstances. Just as each person needs to be his or her own advocate to receive the best medical care possible, you must also advocate for yourself to receive the spiritual care that you need. The only case in which (as of when I’m writing this column) I was allowed to visit and perform the Anointing of the Sick in a healthcare facility was because of the person strenuously requesting the visit of a priest. I continue praying that it will be possible to conduct pastoral visits in these settings and ensure greater access to the sacraments, and I also pray that those entrusted with these decisions will consider the spiritual well-being of each person with the priority that it deserves.

We continue moving forward with our Next Generation Parish project. We have completed our formal sessions with the envisioning team and are preparing our Parish Priority Plan, which we look forward to sharing with you in the coming weeks. After we finalize this plan we will be establishing an implementation team that will oversee how we put this plan into action.

Recent read: The Confidential Clerk by T.S. Eliot.

St. John the Evangelist, pray for us!

Yours in Christ,

Father Royce Gregerson