Dear Parishioners, During this time of uncertainty and anxiety, I pray that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. This crisis challenges us to act responsibly by following the social isolation guidelines while striving to stay close emotionally and spiritually to our families, our friends, and our communities. Please join me in praying for those affected by COVID-19, as well as our first responders, health care workers, and individuals who have lost income due to precautionary closures.
Times such as these highlight the need for the spiritual sustenance and community connectivity that Divine Mercy Parish provide every member of our Catholic family. To protect the safety of our community, most pastoral services and ministries are currently being performed virtually. Our priest and deacons are available to minister to all of your spiritual needs. Please contact the parish office at 504-466-5016. I invite you to visit our website, www.divinemercyparish.org, for up-to-date information on liturgies and other resources.
It is critically important that our parish receives the offertory support to remain operational and sustainable despite the temporary suspension of weekly Masses. Your donations will assist Divine Mercy Parish with ongoing expenses related to ministry, maintenance, utilities, staff, and other pressing needs, that depend on regular offertory support from our parishioners. It will also support members of our community who have been negatively affected by the pandemic. For example, your donations will support our St. Anthony Ministry which is providing the needy with sustenance and financial assistance or other parish communities deeply harmed by the pandemic.
Divine Mercy Parish needs your help!
Online giving provides our parish a stable financial foundation each week.
WASHINGTON– On December 14, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement on the new COVID-19 vaccines. In their statement, the bishops address the moral concerns raised by the fact that the three vaccines that appear to be ready for distribution in the United States all have some connection to cell lines that originated with tissue taken from abortions.
With regard to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, they concluded:
“In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines.
“Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community. In this way, being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good.”
With regard to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the bishops found it to be “more morally compromised” and consequently concluded that this vaccine “should be avoided” if there are alternatives available. “It may turn out, however, that one does not really have a choice of vaccine, at least, not without a lengthy delay in immunization that may have serious consequences for one’s health and the health of others,” the bishop chairmen stated. “In such a case … it would be permissible to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
At the same time, the bishops also warned that Catholics “must be on guard so that the new COVID-19 vaccines do not desensitize us or weaken our determination to oppose the evil of abortion itself and the subsequent use of fetal cells in research.”
The full statement from the bishop chairmen may be found here: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines
The following programs and/or events have been modified, postponed, cancelled, or rescheduled:
Bilingual Reconciliation in Church Confessional will be available every Sunday from 3-4PM
While waiting for Father to hear your confession, please sit in the pews outside the confessional to maintain proper social distancing protocols of 6 feet apart.
To schedule an appointment for individual Confession, please call the Parish Office at 504-466-5016, ext. 116.