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A Message from Fr. Pat Keane

July 31, 2020

My Dearest Parishioners,

I pray that you are all doing well and are enjoying these lazier days of Summer.  Thanks be to God, and also your prayers, we are doing well here at Our Lady of Lourdes.  We have been open for 10 weeks now and it is good to see a new rhythm develop here.  I would like to share with you the average number and maximum number of people who have been attending our six weekend Masses:

Saturday 5 pm: Average = 172,   Max = 212
Sunday 9 am: Average = 189,   Max = 244
Sunday 9 am Fallon Center: Average = 16,   Max = 22
Sunday 11:30 am: Average = 151,   Max = 201
Sunday 1:30 pm: Average = 222,   Max = 276
Sunday 5 pm: Average = 97,   Max = 142


We have been averaging 847 souls per weekend where previously it had been around 1,550 to 1,600.  Our largest total since the pandemic has been 978.


We are truly in unprecedented times for us as a community, a Nation and a World.  It seems that we only hear of negative things and there is a great turmoil of strife and division that is ripping us all apart at various levels.  More than ever we must keep our prayer life (which is our living relationship with God) as our primary duty and obligation of EACH and EVERY day.  When we hear of the trillions of dollars that are needed just to keep the economy going for the next brief while, and when we see millions of dollars of damage due to vandalism and billions of dollars in lost wages we can tend to feel that we cannot possibly make a difference as an individual.  And that is where we are dead wrong.  As Catholics we must be generous dispensers of the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.

There are so many people out there who have lost their faith in God and in mankind.  Let us this week pick one person and give them the seed of faith by sharing our faith in God with them.  Faith engenders trust and peace.  There are countless people who have lost all hope.  Let us pick one person who is in darkness and light up their world by doing an outrageously generous act of kindness for them.  They might not ever know our name but they will never forget what we have done for them.  Hope engenders joy.  Far too many people have never experienced unconditional love and therefore feel unloved and unwanted.  Let us pick one person that is in need of love and let them know that God loves them and so do we.   Let God, through your prayer life, lead you to that person and I assure you that you will find out that it is God that is restoring OUR faith, hope and love by letting us be ministered to by the person that we have chosen.  We all want to matter and we all want to make a difference.

There is nothing more noble than saving the life of another.  In giving our selves to others as a gift, we come to experience who we truly are and what we were always meant to be.  I share with you a story that we have all heard but won't see on the news this evening:



If 1,600 people at Our Lady of Lourdes were to reach out and touch just one soul this week...we will have changed the world for the better.  And it didn't take a trillion dollars to do it.

Peace be with you,


Fr. Pat

A Message from Fr. Pat Keane

Mary 22, 2020

Phase 2: Masses Resume

My Dearest parishioners,

I pray that you are doing well and are spiritually and physically healthy.  I have great news for y'all (no, I'm not being transferred):

We will be celebrating public Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes beginning this Saturday at 5 pm as we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord. 

I can't emphasize enough that we must more than ever be vigilant and maintain proper hygiene and distancing protocols.  The Bishop has still given all of the faithful a dispensation from attending Sunday Mass and by zero means should anyone come out if they are sick, don't feel well or are reticent about being in a group larger than 10 people. 

We are offering Holy Mass for those who want to come out and we will provide the safest environment that we can.  Although the stay at home order is partially lifted it is still very much applicable to our parish's greatest treasure: our elderly and those with health complications. 

The Mass schedule will be the same as it ever was (cf. Talking Heads) with the addition of a 9 am Sunday Mass in the Fallon Center celebrated by Fr. Schriber for no more than 40 parishioners who are immuno-sensitive or health compromised.  Masks must be worn for the Mass in the Fallon Center and we kindly ask that we all wear masks or facial coverings while in the Church also. 

 Every other pew has been roped off to maintain 6 feet of distancing and we ask people to maintain a six foot separation between your family and the next person in your pew.  Please spread out and use the entire Church (including the gathering space and upper chapel if need be).  Hand sanitizer will be available but we ask you to bring your own and use it just before you receive Holy Communion.  We will not be singing hymns and our goal is to keep the Masses short (40 minutes or less) so as to minimize the time we spend indoors.  We will also not be sharing the sign of Peace nor receiving from the chalice.  In lieu of passing the offertory basket we simply invite you to drop your offering in a basket on the way out.

I know that it has been awhile since we have seen each other and I invite folks to catch up with each other outside the building after Mass and not in the gathering space.  Please resist the temptation to shake hands or hug folks who don't live in your house.  Don't hug the bug!  We must not let our guard down but be ever mindful of the over 94,000 Americans and over 700 North Carolinians who have died thus far from covid.  To honor their memory and to reduce the risk of sickness I implore us all to humble ourselves and heed the advice that our experts have given us.

Daily Mass is open to all at the same Bat time, same Bat channel.  Daily Mass might be a better option for those who long for communion but would be nervous about being in a larger weekend crowd.  If you prefer an outdoor Mass for now please check out one of the local Churches for their schedule.

Although the diocese permits us now to hear confessions indoors, I am choosing to still meet outside in back of the School library on Wednesdays and Saturdays, rain or shine.  It is much easier to distance outside and the air is better.  Fr. Schriber will be assisting me from now on with confessions and will also be helping out in the parish from time to time.  Please join me in welcoming him home to Lourdes. 

You will also notice that we have seven new parishioners who have taken up residence in the Church and are waiting for you and your families to invite them into your spiritual life.  Their names are: Elizabeth Ann Seton, John Neumann, Pope Pius X, Padre Pio, Bernadette of Lourdes, Maria Goretti, and Anthony of Padua.  They are all Saints and they are my helpers to get y'all to Heaven.

I look forward to seeing you either this weekend or when you are finally able to come out.  We're not out of the woods but let's at least enjoy the shade, check our compass and take it slow.  Peace be with you.

Fr. Pat

 

You can read the official DoR Document regarding Phase 2 by clicking here.
 

Diocesan Reassignments

Our Lady of Lourdes is unaffected, but other parishes in our area are.

CLICK HERE to peruse the full list of assignments.

A Message from Fr. Pat Keane

Mary 8, 2020

Phase 1: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
 

My Dearest Parishioners,

I pray that you are well and that God is filling your hearts with great graces during this most difficult time.  I would first of all like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all of our Mothers.  May Our Lady and St. Monica intercede for you and may God fill your hearts with many graces.  If your Mother has gone home to the Lord, may she shower you with her prayers, I know that mine does.

I have great news that I would like to share with you.  As we are now entering into Phase 1 of our reopening we can resume, in a limited fashion, our sacramental life here at OLL.  Beginning Wednesday, May 13th, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, we will have Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in our Adoration Chapel everyday from 9 am until 4 pm.  The Eucharist will be reserved in the Chapel tabernacle at 4 pm and throughout the night and early morning and the Chapel will remain open 24/7 for prayer.  Once we are assured that we have at least two adorers for all of our hours we would like to go to Perpetual Adoration as soon as possible.  No more than 8 people can be in the Chapel at any one time and masks must be worn for the safety of all.

We will resume our confession schedule beginning this Saturday from 3 pm until 4:15 pm and Wednesdays at Noon.  Confessions will be heard on the benches in back of the School Library at the upper parking lot.  In case of bad weather it will be under the overhang of the entrance to the St. Bernadette Center.  Please observe social distancing while waiting your turn.  PLEASE call to make an appointment if you want a confession at a more convenient time for you.

We are limited to a maximum of 10 people for Mass unless it is outdoors.  Our grounds and logistics are such that an outdoor Mass would not be a viable option for us so we will wait for Phase 2 to begin, hopefully May 24th or 31st, before we resume with Sunday Mass, again with restrictions.

Our Parish Office will be open for normal hours beginning this Monday, May 11th.  Please feel free to call rather than come in whenever possible.

Groups are allowed to meet again at OLL provided that they do not exceed 10 people and all social distancing protocols, including masks, are observed.  If your group would like to return to meeting here, please contact the Parish Office to let us know.

There is light at the end of the tunnel and it's not an Amtrak coming our way.  I remind us all that this does not mean that we let our guard down and the storm is over.  Quite the opposite.  We can anticipate spikes in cases as people venture out and so we need to be more vigilant than before out of respect for our more vulnerable population and our health care workers.  This is a time for deeper prayer and devotion.

Please consider giving an hour of your time (which is on loan from God) to Eucharistic Adoration.  Before all this, when things were "good", we had 55 slots that only had one adorer.  Many of our adorers are in a vulnerable category and shouldn't be coming back out anyway.  Who will take their place?  If not you, who?  If not now, when?

I again thank you for your generous support to the parish over these past two months.  We still need help in attaining our BAA goal so please make your pledge if you haven't done so.  I pray that you and your families are in good health and spirit.  For those of you who have pull in the supply chain, I tested positive for single malt scotch recently but am now out of test kits.  Oh the Greek tragedy that is my life!  (Again, just seeing who is reading this to the end!)  I miss y'all very much and I look forward to the day where we are gathered back home at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Peace be with you and May Our Lady keep you as the apple of her eye.

Your Pastor,
Fr. Pat


----------

Mis queridos feligreses,

Ruego que estés bien y que Dios esté llenando tus corazones con grandes gracias durante este momento tan difícil. En primer lugar, me gustaría desear un feliz Día de la Madre a todas nuestras madres. Que Nuestra Señora y Santa Mónica intercedan por ustedes y que Dios llene sus corazones con muchas gracias. Si tu madre a partido a la casa del  Señor, que ella te derrame con sus oraciones, sé que la mía lo hace.

Tengo buenas noticias que me gustaría compartir con ustedes. Como ahora estamos entrando en la Fase 1 de nuestra reapertura, podemos reanudar, de manera limitada, nuestra vida sacramental aquí en OLL. A partir del miércoles 13 de mayo, la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Fátima, tendremos la Adoración del Santísimo Sacramento en nuestra Capilla de Adoración todos los días de 9 am a 4 pm. El Santísimo Sacramento se guardará en el tabernáculo de la Capilla de 4 pm a 9:00am , la Capilla permanecerá abierta las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana para oración. Una vez que tengamos la seguridad de que tenemos al menos dos adoradores para todas nuestras horas, nos gustaría ir a la Adoración Perpetua lo antes posible. No más de 8 personas pueden estar en la Capilla al mismo tiempo y se deben usar máscaras para la seguridad de todos.

Reanudaremos nuestro horario de confesión comenzando este sábado de 3 pm a 4:15 pm y los miércoles al mediodía. Se escucharán confesiones en los bancos detrás de la biblioteca de la escuela en el estacionamiento superior. En caso de mal tiempo, estará bajo el saliente de la entrada al Centro St. Bernadette. Observe el distanciamiento social mientras espera su turno. POR FAVOR, llame para hacer una cita si desea una confesión en el momento más conveniente para usted.

Estamos limitados a un máximo de 10 personas para misa a menos que sea al aire libre. Nuestros terrenos y logística son tales que una misa al aire libre no sería una opción viable para nosotros, por lo que esperaremos a que comience la Fase 2, con suerte el 24 o 31 de mayo, antes de continuar con la misa dominical, nuevamente con restricciones.

Nuestra oficina parroquial estará abierta durante las horas normales a partir de este lunes 11 de mayo. No dude en llamar en lugar de venir siempre que sea posible.


Se permite que los grupos se reúnan nuevamente en OLL siempre que no superen las 10 personas y se observen todos los protocolos de distanciamiento social, incluidas las máscaras. Si su grupo desea regresar a la reunión aquí, comuníquese con la Oficina Parroquial para informarnos.

Hay luz al final del túnel y no se trata de un Amtrak en nuestro camino. Les recuerdo a todos que esto no significa que bajemos la guardia y que la tormenta haya terminado. Todo lo contrario. Podemos anticipar picos en los casos a medida que las personas salgan y, por lo tanto, debemos estar más atentos que antes por respeto a nuestra población más vulnerable y a nuestros trabajadores de la salud. Este es un momento de oración y devoción más profundo.

Por favor considere anotarse para una hora de su tiempo (que es prestado por Dios) a la Adoración Eucarística. Antes de todo esto, cuando las cosas estaban "bien", teníamos 55 espacios que solo tenían un adorador. Muchos de nuestros adoradores están en una categoría vulnerable y no deberían volver a salir de todos modos. ¿Quién tomará su lugar? Si no eres tú, ¿quién? ¿Si no es ahora, cuando?

Nuevamente les agradezco su generoso apoyo a la parroquia durante los últimos dos meses. Todavía necesitamos ayuda para lograr nuestro objetivo BAA, así que haga su promesa si no lo ha hecho. Rezo para que usted y sus familias gocen de buena salud tanto física como  espíritual .  Para aquellos de ustedes que tienen un tirón en la cadena de suministro, recientemente obtuve un resultado positivo para el whisky escocés de malta, pero ahora no tengo un grupo de pruebas.  ¡Oh, la tragedia griega que es mi vida! (De nuevo, ¡solo viendo quién está leyendo esto hasta el final!) Los extraño mucho y espero con ansias el día en que nos reunamos en la Iglesia Católica Nuestra Señora de Lourdes.

Que la paz sea contigo y que Nuestra Señora te mantenga como la niña de sus ojos.

Tu Pastor,
Father Pat
 

A Message from Fr. Pat Keane

April 24, 2020

My Dearest Parishioners,

I continue to keep you in my constant prayers and I intercede for you before God at the celebration of Holy Mass.  It is hard to fathom that this Sunday will be the seventh week that we have not gathered to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

As we know Governor Cooper has extended the Stay at Home Order through May 8th and it will probably be a great while before  large gatherings will be allowed.  You might be wondering what sort of effect that has had financially on the parish.  We are currently around $32,500 in the red which, all things considered, isn't too bad.  I am so appreciative of how many of our parishioners have stepped up and have been mailing in their offertory or going to Auto draft.  More than ever we depend on your generosity so that we might continue to serve as a beacon of light and hope for others.

The Bishop just announced that our confirmation date of May 14th will be postponed until we are able to safely accommodate our 70 or so confirmandi and their families.  I have been given the faculty to preside at our confirmation, whenever that might be.

I also announce to you that although we are not allowed to have Eucharistic Adoration in parish chapels, our Chapel is now open every day for those who might want to spend time in private prayer. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle on the left side of the Chapel below the Crucifix so you will be able to spend quality time with Our Lord.  We just ask that social distancing be strictly observed and that means that no more than 8 people can be in the chapel at any one time.  There are only eight chairs in the chapel and they are spaced 6 feet apart.  It would be a good practice to also wear a mask while in the chapel. 

If anyone has Lenten Rice Bowls that you would like to turn in, you may leave them outside the Parish Office.  You may also pick up the Spiritual Bouquet cards for Mother's Day and Father's day at the entrance to the Chapel.

I would like to congratulate Joe Ann Wright who was the winner of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus raffle.  Thanks to all who participated in our raffle which benefits our parish.

Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and please remember to call me or text me if there is anything that I can do for you spiritually or if you would like to make an appointment.  There is light at the end of the tunnel but let's pray that it's not a train coming our way!  Stay together yet apart.

May the Risen Lord Jesus guide you safely through this Easter Season and may His Most Blessed Mother shower you with her motherly care.  Peace be with you.

With great love,

Fr. Pat

 

A Message from Fr. Pat Keane

April 10, 2020

Easter Blessing & Keeping the Parish Connected

My Dearest Parishioners,

Our liturgical season of Lent is at an end and we are in the womb of the Sacred Triduum where we fast, and pray and await the celebration of the resurrection of Our Lord this Glorious Sunday.  As someone recently said, "This is the Lentiest Lent that we have ever Lented".  Who would have thought that as a world we would be fasting from the sacraments, abstaining from human contact, and feeling the anxiety of an unseen enemy?  Yet all the while Our Lord Jesus has been with us and will be with us.

Our Guardian Angels for years have been trying to put spiritual masks over our mouths lest me contaminate our neighbor with gossip, slander or calumny.  These same angels have been trying to mask our eyes so that indecent things don't harm our souls and destroy our concept of each other.  These same angels have been trying to put spiritual gloves on our hands so that everything that we do when we reach out to another will be pure and free from the contagion of sin, vice or ulterior motive.  In these days our "angels" are visible in the form of nurses, doctors, nursing home and health care workers, police, fire fighters, our beloved military, first-responders, the check out clerk at the grocery store who isn't getting paid nearly enough to make sure that we have access to food, our restaurant employees and deliverers, and the list goes on.

In Italy over 100 priests have died due to covid-19 as they touched and comforted the dying.  They became priests of Jesus Christ at their ordination and they experienced the ultimate consummation of their sacrament by encarnating His Death.  One priest gave his ventilator to a younger person who needed it so that they might live.  Father was 72 years old when he celebrated his last act of charity.  Who will take the place of these heroic men who live in a country with a negative birth rate?  Perhaps a young boy or man at Our Lady of Lourdes in little old Raleigh, NC will be so moved by this void in the Church that he will hear as if for the first time the voice of the Father saying, "Whom shall I send?" And that soul will cry out from their depth, "Here I am.  Send me."

St. Paul tells us that all things are for the good for those who love God (Rm. 8:28).  We don't necessarily see it at the time, but where we are, Christ is already there and that's a pretty good deal.  Please remember that your home is the domestic Church which is the birthplace of all vocations: single, married or religious, and Christ is there.  Make your Church holy and vibrant!

I invite us all to begin today the novena for Divine Mercy which culminates on April 19th.  Please be assured of my continued prayers for you.  Although I pray for you daily and offer Mass for you, I miss seeing your faces.

On Easter Sunday I will be outside the office in the parking lot from Noon until 2 pm if anyone would like to drive by for a personal or family blessing.  I know that we have been seeing priests on the screen but there's just something about a live blessing from a priest.  I promise that it will be covid-free and gluten-free.

Please reach out to each other by phone and help keep our great community connected.  A number of OLL volunteers are contacting by phone our more senior parishioners to encourage them and to see if they are in need.  If you would be willing to make some phone calls or would appreciate a call yourself, please fill out this quick form to let us know: https://ourladyoflourdescc.org/phone-calls-during-an-interesting-time

Please remember the Good News that can never be quarantined: He is Risen and Lives and Reigns Forever!  Alleluia, Alleluia!


May God Most High bless you and your families abundantly this Easter, and May Our Gracious Lady shower you with her love and prayers.

With great love,
Your Pastor, Fr. Pat

http://ourladyoflourdescc.formed.org