The Bishop of Long Island is directing all of our parishes not to resume public worship and events until at least May 17th. This means that we will not have Holy Week and Easter at St. John’s as originally planned. This will require us to connect differently than we have in the past. We are facilitating a virtual celebration of all services until at least May 17th. This will pose both challenges and opportunities. We will need to be creative and we will need to learn to do church differently for a few months.

Every weekday morning, we will pray together on Zoom with Morning Prayer. We will use Mission St. Clare on our phones to follow along with zoom on our computer. Please mute the sound unless you are reading the scripture or praying. It really helps to say the words out loud.

On Tuesdays we will have a Zoom bible study at 11:00 AM, Stations of the Cross will be streamed live at 5:30 PM and we will have a Zoom Evening Prayer at 6:00.

Sundays we will have Morning Prayer Rite I via Facebook Live at 8:00 AM, and Holy Eucharist Rite II will be live streamed at 10:00 AM on Facebook Live. Alex will be playing piano and Noelle and Leslie will be singing solos and duets.  

Our primary focus is the same as always, loving and caring for one another in our parish and our community. Claire Mis will be gathering the names of the vulnerable and sick for our daily prayers and we are reaching out to all those in need with delivery of food and medicine. Laundry Love is still providing money for laundry in our community. I am working with Pete on organizing the AA group. We are getting food cards for the homeless from our ECW. I ask everyone to call a few members of the congregation every day. Many of us are experiencing job loss, loneliness, isolation and anxiety because of this pandemic. Our witness and ministry is needed now more than ever.

Please know that we are working every day to keep in touch, to pray with you and for you, to connect you through Zoom and live streaming, and to encourage you to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ. We will make you aware of opportunities to serve in the community as they arise.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is a time to listen to the medical professionals, avoid all contact with others, and wash our hands thoroughly. Please look after each other, be kind to everyone, and spend some quality time with your pets. My dog just knows when things are tough and teaches me to focus on the present and not worry about the future. Before we know it, we will all be back together.

Hang in there and know that God loves you deeply and will get us through this. If you need pastoral support, please reach out via email, text or phone. We are here for you. If you know of someone else in need of support, please let us know.

In Christ’s love,                                                                            

Fr. Duncan