PARISH LETTER
February 16, 2021

1
ASH WEDNESDAY
​We invite you to join us as we begin our Lenten journey to the cross of Good Friday, the empty grave, and the gift of new life on Easter. Ash Wednesday sets the tone for our journey through Lent.

FEBRUARY 17
8:30 A.M.
English Mass

12:15 P.M.
English Mass

6:30 P.M.
Word of God  |  No Mass

7:30 P.M.
Misa en Español  |  Spanish Mass

The season of Lent begins with the ancient practice of marking the baptized with ashes as a public and communal sign of penance. The blessing and distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday will take place during the celebration of Holy Mass at 8:30 a.m. (English), 12:15 p.m. (English), and 7:30 p.m. (Spanish). Corpus Christi will also have the blessing and distribution of ashes during a celebration of the word of God at 6:30 p.m., apart from a Mass.

Corpus Christi's safety guidelines will continue to be observed.
Maximum capacity: 150 participants.
Reservations are not required.

2
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
​Fridays at 7:00 p.m.
Every Friday during Lent, come worship with us by praying the Stations of the Cross at 7:00 p.m., a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini-pilgrimage as we move from station to station. At each station, we will recall and meditate on a specific event from Christ’s last day. Specific prayers will be recited, then we will move to the next station until all 14 are complete.

3
LENTEN FISH DINNER DRIVE-THRU
The Knights of a Columbus are sponsoring the Lenten Fish Dinner event drive-thru style on Friday, March 5 and March 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.. The purpose of the fundraiser is to raise money for vocation and Church ministries.

$9 MENU
Fish Dinner
Baked or Fried
Cole Slaw
Hush Puppies

The sign-up sheets are in the vestibule area of the church building.

4
HALLOW
Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that helps users deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided contemplative prayer. The app has over 1,000 individual prayer sessions and with 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 minute options. Hallow is free to download and has permanently free content,  including the Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. 

5
MINISTERS OF THE MASS
A special schedule for the 8:30 a.m. Mass on Ash Wednesday has been created in the Ministry Scheduler online system - with the number of ministers still needed for each role at each Mass. If you are interested in serving as a greeter, usher, altar server, lector, Eucharistic minister or sacristan, please go to the special schedule (link below) and click on the “available spot” icon.

6
CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH
​Father Joseph's Meditations
Wednesdays
2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

​NOW is the time of St. Joseph! The Church and the world greatly need St. Joseph. We need him to help us return to the love of Jesus and to living lives of virtue. We desperately need St. Joseph's protection as well. The family - the foundation of society - is under attack. The family of God - the Catholic Church - is also undergoing vicious assaults from the world, the flesh, the devil, and some of her own children.

We need St. Joseph to protect us. He is our loving and merciful spiritual father, holy, strong, and ready to help. He is forever linked to Jesus, Mary, and the Church. He protected the Hoy Family. He will protect us too, if we entrust ourselves to his paternal heart and his spiritual care.

WATCH Father Joseph's weekly meditations live via Zoom every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., with the exception on Ash Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. To participate live:

ZOOM MEETING
2:00 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88236439055?pwd=NjU5cGZKOG94ZWNCQ0lFRDJqdmNDdz09
Meeting ID: 882 3643 9055
Passcode: Jesus

ZOOM MEETING
7:00 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81373866691?pwd=Zk84SjB1ZCtYRmoxdVE1eVhqdnYrdz09
Meeting ID: 813 7386 6691
Passcode: Jesus

7
FAMILIES WITH CHRIST
​All 674 enrolled participants have full access to Module Fifteen of our Families With Christ program. It is important that everyone keeps on top of this week’s readings, video material, modules and assessment, as well as the liturgical celebration and prayer service. As you get started this week, we will be happy to answer any questions that may arise.

9
CONFESSION DURING LENT
"Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart." (Joel 2:12) This Scripture sets the tone for the entire season of Lent. To reconcile with God is the reason for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. According to the Rite of Penance, "It is therefore fitting to have several penitential celebrations during Lent, so that all the faithful may have an opportunity to be reconciled with God and their neighbor and so be able to celebrate the paschal mystery in the Easter Triduum with renewed hearts."

The connection of confession with Lent is related to baptism. We are either preparing during Lent to recommit ourselves to our baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil, or we are preparing to be baptized. Lent is a season of reflection on and repentance for sin. Reconciliation, like Lent, is tied into our fidelity to the meaning of baptism in Christ - dying and rising with him.

SCHEDULE
After every weekday and weekend Masses

10
GriefShare
Corpus Christi Beloved Bereavement Ministry will commence a new series called GriefShare on Wednesday, February 24. GriefShare is a 13-week series which helps walk the bereaved through the process of grief and mourning over the loss of a loved one.

The series workbook is $15 and can be purchased at the Beloved meetings. The sessions will be offered two (2) times each Wednesday starting at 2:00 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall.

11
BLOOD DRIVE
The Blood Connection invite you to sign up for the Blood Drive taking place at Corpus Christi this Sunday, September 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All guidelines and norms will be implemented to protect the health of our community. Please Click Here to sign-up for your blood donation.

12
THE VACCINE
We pray and hope the following five (5) statements will bring some level of comfort and peace to those who are struggling with this matter.

FIRST
The Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, and the Secretary, Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, released a statement on December 21 on the morality of using some anti-COVID-19 vaccines - a text that was directly approved by Pope Francis on December 17. In brief, “The fundamental reason for considering the use of these vaccines morally licit is that the kind of cooperation in evil (passive material cooperation) in the procured abortion from which these cell lines originate is, on the part of those making use of the resulting vaccines, remote. The moral duty to avoid such passive material cooperation is not obligatory if there is a grave danger, such as the otherwise uncontainable spread of a serious pathological agent--in this case, the pandemic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. It must therefore be considered that, in such a case, all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive. It should be emphasized, however, that the morally licit use of these types of vaccines, in the particular conditions that make it so, does not in itself constitute a legitimation, even indirect, of the practice of abortion, and necessarily assumes the opposition to this practice by those who make use of these vaccines.” Link to the note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2 020/12/21/201221c.html

SECOND
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities reiterated in a statement released on December 14 that “given the urgency of the crisis, the lack of available alternative vaccines, and the fact that the connection between an abortion that occurred decades ago and receiving a vaccine produced today is remote, inoculation with the new COVID-19 vaccines in these circumstances can be morally justified.” Statement’s link:
https://www.usccb.org/moralconsiderations-covid-vaccines

THIRD
Bishop Joseph Brennan, who had previously urged Catholics to not “jump on the COVID-19 vaccine bandwagon,” issued a clarifying letter saying that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines “only utilized elicit materials to a small extent” in their testing, not in their development or research. “Without better alternatives and following serious reflection upon the health risks and needs for oneself, one’s family, and the broader community, Catholics may ethically decide for serious reasons to utilize such vaccines. We strongly discourage Catholics from using the AstraZeneca vaccine due to its development from a morally questionable cell line.” Letter's link:
https://dioceseoffresno.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/12/Media-Release_Bishop-Statement-andRTLCC_Covid-Vaccines_12.09.2020.pdf 

FOURTH
Our Bishop, Robert Guglielmone, concurred with the above by reiterating in his statement of December 28 that “the two current vaccines available in the U.S. (made by Pfizer and Moderna) have not been derived from the morally tainted fetal stem cell lines. Unfortunately, a fetal stem cell line was utilized for some of the testing of these vaccines. However, after careful examination and consultation with Catholic theologians, scientists, and bioethicists, the Church teaches that it is morally permissible for people to take these vaccines, if others without any connection to these stem cell lines are unavailable. Put most simply, it is not sinful to receive these vaccines.” Bishop’s letter:
http://images.acswebnetworks.com/1/2418/Dioletteronvaccine12282 0.pdf

FIFTH
At the same time, as stated by the Vatican’s CDF, “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one's own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good. In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed. Those who, however, for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted fetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behavior, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons, and who are the most vulnerable.”

Together in prayer, let us maintain our unceasing intercessions for our families and community in faith, and, as always, if you need further information and/or have any questions concerning the above, please feel free to contact the Parish office at your convenience.