A few minutes ago, the faithful of the Diocese of Rochester received a letter from its Shepherd, Bishop Matano, with a very dramatic announcement: effective immediately, all public masses in the Diocese of Rochester have been suspended until further notice. I invite you to read His Excellency’s letter which is attached in this message.
I realize you may have many questions about other events, such as confessions, when the church is open for prayer, etc. I know I have several myself. Tomorrow, I will participate in the priest council meeting, which will of course focus on today’s recent development. I am meeting with staff and parish leadership today and will do so in the days ahead to best address these circumstances and to ensure we communicate everything effectively and as timely as we can to you.
Please know that this has moved very quickly and we are doing our best to send you updates as they occur.In closing, I stress the importance of receiving accurate information which will come directly from All Saints Parish and/or the Diocese of Rochester. Please do not rely on word-of-mouth or secondhand sources for the truth of what is happening.
In closing, I ask for your continued prayers for those who are affected by the Coronavirus and for those whose lives have been up-heaved because of this situation. As I said in the homily last weekend, the world needs eyewitness to Jesus Christ now more than ever. Let us continue to be that for our brothers and sisters.I will be in touch soon with further updates.
