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Dear St. Agatha Parish Family,

I pray that you and your loved ones are healthy and have the resources you need in the midst of current restrictions. We know these measures are designed to protect our wellbeing and that of our broader community and world.

For many of us, particularly when we’re now told to stay home for weeks at a time, our initial reaction is to gather all we can and hunker down to weather the storm. As a Christian family of faith, this is also a time – perhaps the most important time – to consider our need for spiritual unity and the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Praying Together

Though our family of families at St. Agatha may be physically separated from one another right now, we are blessed with several ways we can unite in prayer and devotion. I encourage you to consider any of the following to join as a family:

1. Livestream/Recorded Masses: Weekend Masses St. Agatha.

2. Holding each other in prayer. If you have a specific prayer request, please send it to Cynthia Boone at [email protected] . Also, if you’d like to join the Prayer Team – a group of 23 parishioners who agreed to pray for special needs – contact Cynthia to get on the email list.

Giving Together

Cancellation of Mass is leading to significant losses in our offertory income, which is placing all our ministries and operations at significant risk. Many people in our parish and community depend upon your regular, weekly offertory contributions and, during this current challenge, they are needed more than ever.

Please consider giving online at Givecentral where you can make a weekly offertory contribution to your St. Agatha family and keep the vital ministries and services we provide going. We ask you to prayerfully consider maintaining your regular weekly donation level or even increasing it during these times. Feel free to call Business Manager Cynthia Smith if you need assistance; her cellphone number is (773) 701-2472.

If you prefer to make an offertory donation through a check or money order, you can mail it to St. Agatha Parish, 3147 W. Douglas Blvd., Chicago, IL  60623   ATTN: Cynthia Smith, Business Manager

The fact that this pandemic is occurring during our Lenten journey offers each of us important reminders about the role of faith, hope and charity in our daily lives and in whom we place our trust. I believe we are being called by Jesus Christ to a renewed sense of solidarity. This is a time for unity in prayer, not for isolation; it is a time for hope, not despair; it is a time for generosity, not self-focus. “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

May God grant you peace during this difficult time and may God manifest Divine love and presence to you in abundant ways. If you have any concerns, please contact me at the Parish Office at (773) 522-3050.

My cell number is (773) 550-0177.

Thank you for your continued support of St. Agatha, Christ’s gift to all of us that we are all called to responsibly steward.

Peace in all things!

Fr. Larry

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