This week in one of my pandemic closet clean-outs, I found a bottle of nail polish, from... who knows when? It's clear polish but has tiny sparkles in it. It was exactly what I needed to cheer my spirits. Not flashy, not showy, just a tiny bit of sparkle when the light hits my fingertips. I doubt anyone would even notice unless they really took a good look. But it brings me a spark (no pun intended) of joy. 

The older I get (and lately, the more time I spend at home), the less I care about what people think of my fashion choices. I'm not ready to go full-on Phyllis Diller, but I have definitely relaxed in regard to needing to keep up with the times, fashion-wise, and I am, for sure, more inclined to wear something comfortable than something on-trend. The difference, I think, is that as I age, I have less and less time to spend on pleasing the people who would care about how cool I look. What matters to me now, as it turns out, is being true to myself — my comfy, un-flashy, and tiniest-bit sparkly, self. 

It's exactly what makes me so proud to be a part of this parish- this commitment to be exactly who God called us to be. I've worked in parishes for almost 25 years, and can tell you that a disappointingly large percentage of them never stopped to ask God "what do you want of us? How do you want us to be in the world? What is the work you have gifted us to do?" It seems so obvious that a parish should be praying those questions, but honestly, in my experience, it doesn't happen. It's not because they don't want to know, or because they don't want to do God's will. More often, it's because they are too busy at the moment to think big-picture. Some parishes never ask to know God's will because they think they already know it... that it "goes without saying." 

Here in Salem, in the city of peace, we have asked. God is answering. We're to be a parish of hospitality and healing. We're to share the Good News of Jesus by welcoming everyone and tending to their wounds. Thank you, MQOA, for your willingness to be part of this mission, to answer God's call with your prayers, your gifts, your time, and your financial support. You are making it possible for our parish to respond to God's call together. 

Blessings, 

-Margo 

We're so excited to be able to continue Drive-In Mass this Sunday. If you'd like to join us for Mass this Sunday, please register your family. Please note that if it is rainy or too hot (over 80F), we will not hold outdoor Masses. You can check our Facebook page for updates on the 9:30 AM Mass by 8:00 AM on Sunday, and updates on our 12:00 Spanish Mass by 9:30 AM on Sunday.

We'll continue to offer our weekend Online Mass, as well, and will continue our regular schedule of offerings until we're ready to make changes safely and prayerfully. The Cardinal's dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation continues for everyone, even if Masses are being offered in churches in their area.

6:00 PM Sunday join us for our new night of prayer, praise and connection called Something More.  It's less like Mass and more like a combination of coffee/donuts and Alpha nights.
Meeting ID: 889 0982 7026  Password: 235802

A Message from Fr. Murray

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers who gather with us to pray and to those who are away. I have noticed on the web that some of the great gifts for dads are things that get him outside or tools that help with projects. It is interesting to compare this with Mother’s Day, where we are trying to give moms all a day of rest. Dads work hard too, and their patron saint is Joseph. He is often depicted holding a flower, but just as frequently, a hammer or another carpenter’s tool called a T square. It is a symbol of his profession but also of the precision of his life in following the will of God. Joseph is a great example of a father who accepts all the challenges and responsibilities that are given to him, and I believe that is part of his quiet sainthood. We don’t know much about Joseph except that God chose him to be an important, yet somewhat obscure, figure in the life of Jesus. It is not a bad role to have. At the end of our lives, if we have played an important role in the life of Jesus, it will mean we have called upon Him and introduced Him to others, regardless of how relatively obscure our lives have been. Like Joseph, we hope to be able to say that despite our anonymity, God knows that we have tried to share His name with others and took that responsibility seriously.

We have been slowly getting the churches ready for indoor gatherings. We are staying outside for a while longer so that we can be sure of the best practices to keep everyone safe when we eventually go inside. The parking lot Masses have been well received and due to the great work of the staff and leadership team, we have more and more people coming, and we’re working to make room for all of them. At this writing, I am experimenting with a weekday Mass at Immaculate Conception, in Spanish, outdoors. To accommodate those in cars, I have cut down four bushes to improve the sight lines (I am loathe to cut down plants but will do what is necessary to give everyone a prayerful and safe experience of the Eucharist). I will keep you informed about how well this goes as we work toward opening the churches, following local and Archdiocese requirements.

Even once we are able to gather inside, things will be different than they were before the pandemic. Face masks and sanitizing hands will be a must. We have blocked off benches to give everyone six feet between those in front and behind them. The benches in the center bank of our churches are 15 to 18 feet long, so there is room for two or three people. In Immaculate, we will be able to safely seat less than 100 people. In St. James, we could seat less than 200. At the start, though, we will meet in the lower church hall at St. James, where we can move chairs and clean easily. We will work toward getting everyone in and out safely. Our final goal is to livestream the Mass, so those who feel vulnerable, unsafe, or sick can watch the Mass on Facebook or other media. Then, someone in their family, or a close neighbor, could bring them communion at home.

We will keep you posted at every step. Please stay safe and be kind to one another as we continue to work through this time.

Peace, Fr. Murray

Un Mensaje De Padre Murray

Feliz Día del Padre a todos los padres que se reúnen con nosotros para rezar e incluso a los que están lejos. En la web, noto que algunos de los grandes regalos para los padres de familia son cosas que los llevan hacia afuera de la casa o herramientas que los ayudan con los proyectos. Es interesante comparar esto con el día de la Madre donde estamos tratando de darles a todas, un día de descanso. Papá también trabaja duro y su santo patrón es José. A menudo se lo representa sosteniendo una flor, pero con la misma frecuencia un martillo u otra herramienta de carpintero llamada Escuadra en T. Es un símbolo de su profesión, pero también de la exactitud de su vida al seguir la voluntad de Dios. José es un gran ejemplo de un Padre que acepta todos los desafíos y responsabilidades que se le dan y creo que eso es parte de su tranquila santidad. No sabemos mucho acerca de José, excepto que Dios lo eligió para ser una figura importante, aunque algo oscura, en la vida de Jesús. No es un mal papel a tener. Al final de nuestras vidas, si hemos jugado un papel importante en la vida de Jesús, significará que hemos sido personas que lo llamamos y lo presentamos a otros, sin importar cuán oscuras hayan sido nuestras vidas. Al igual que José, nosotros también podemos decir que, a pesar de nuestro anonimato, Dios sabe que hemos tratado de compartir su nombre con otros y nos hemos tomado esa responsabilidad en serio.

Lentamente hemos estado preparando las iglesias para eventos en interiores. Nos quedaremos afuera un tiempo más para estar seguros de las mejores prácticas cuando comencemos a entrar. Las misas de estacionamiento han sido bien recibidas y, una vez más, debido al gran trabajo del personal y el equipo de liderazgo, tenemos cada vez más personas que vienen y podemos hacer espacio para todas ellas. Al escribir esto, estoy experimentando con una misa diaria en la Inmaculada Concepción, en español, al aire libre. Para acomodar a aquellos en autos, he cortado 4 arbustos que espero mejoren las líneas de visión. (Me rehúso a cortar las plantas, pero si también lo tenemos que hacer, haremos lo que sea necesario). Los mantendré informados sobre qué tan bien va esto a medida que avanzamos e intentamos estar seguros y respondiendo a todos los requisitos locales y de la iglesia, mientras trabajamos para abrir los templos.

La forma en que vamos a entrar a la iglesia ha cambiado. A medida que ingresemos, se nos pedirá que tomemos la temperatura de todos y les demos a todos un poco de gel desinfectante para purificar sus manos. También hemos bloqueado los bancos para darles a todos seis (6) pies entre los que están delante y detrás de ellos. Los bancos en el centro de la iglesia son generalmente de 15 a 18 pies de largo, por lo que hay espacio para dos o tres personas. En Inmaculada podemos ingresar de manera segura, aproximadamente, a 100 personas si usamos los bancos de arriba. En St. James podemos ingresar, aproximadamente, 200. Pero por ahora, nuestro próximo movimiento será hacia el pasillo, donde podemos mover sillas y limpiar y ver exactamente cuántas personas vienen a misa; y luego, vamos a trabajar para que todos entren y salgan de la manera más segura que podamos. Nuestro objetivo final sería transmitir en vivo la misa, para que aquellos que se sienten vulnerables, inseguros o enfermos puedan ver la misa en vivo en Facebook u otros medios y luego recibir la comunión de alguien de su familia o de un vecino cercano que les lleve la comunión a la casa.

Manténgase seguro y sea amable el uno con el otro mientras continuamos trabajando durante este tiempo.