As an act of charity toward our fellow parishioners, Bishop Coyne is asking that masks be worn at all Masses, especially at the Christmas Eve Masses. Signups are not necessary as there are no capacity restrictions. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with the masking request.
We are please to say that signups and keeping track of attendance at Mass for contact tracing no longer needs to take place. In keeping with the CDC and local guidelines, the Diocese of Burlington is lifting the mask requirements in our churches for those who are fully vaccinated. We encourage continuation of face coverings for those who are unvaccinated, at-risk, or feel uncomfortable. Social distancing in our seating arrangements will continue for the time being.
In response to new Covid-19 guidelines issued by the State of Vermont, Bishop Coyne directs all parishes to maintain an attendance log for all liturgical celebrations in the parishes of the Diocese of Burlington. The log information will be maintained by the parish for 30 days after the liturgical celebration in the event contact tracing needs to be followed because of an outbreak of Covid-19 tied to one of our churches (note there has not been a related outbreak to date…). This requirement becomes effective this weekend until further notice and applies to daily Masses, funerals, etc. Please plan to arrive at Church a few minutes earlier than normal to allow time to check in with Christine before entering the building. Please be aware our cooperation with these guidelines will help us keep our Churches open as places of prayer and worship essential in these troubled times.
It is with an abundance of joy and gratitude that we announce the first phase of the reopening of our churches to celebrate daily and Sunday Mass beginning June 1.
Please note that while we are opening, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains lifted until further notice, especially if you are part of a vulnerable population and/or have an underlying health condition.
Please approach the celebration of Mass with charity and love for our clergy and faith community by following the protocols:
Stay home if you are sick or not feeling well.
Wear a mask in Mass.
Sanitize your hands upon entry and before receiving Communion. Due to shortages of sanitizer, please bring your own if possible.
Sit in designated chairs and respect social distance between others of 6 feet or more unless you are one family unit.
Refrain from congregating in tight areas or entering cordoned off areas.
Please use the restroom before you come - our restrooms are currently out of order
Follow the protocols to receive Holy Communion as directed at Mass. Communion will be received in the hand only.
Follow church protocols regarding advance registration for weekend Masses due to the 25% capacity limit
It is also strongly recommended that you view the video from our Parish regarding the specific protocols so you know what to expect when you come to Mass. That video can be found by clicking here.
For the time being there will be no altar servers or extraordinary ministers and we ask that you please refrain from entering the sacristy. Collections baskets will be found as you leave the Church and bulletins will be distributed at that time.
While these protocols are intrusive, they are necessary as they allow us to celebrate the Sacraments in person while doing our part to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
This is an incredibly hopeful sign that, after over two months, we will be able (with some restrictions) to gather and worship and receive the Eucharist. May we, each one of us, cherish the awesome privilege that is ours to participate once more in the prayer given to us by Christ that is Holy Mass.
Hello my good and faithful parishioners!
I hope and pray you are all staying healthy, safe, and at home as much as possible?
As you all probably know by now, Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont has issued a mandatory “Stay at Home” order for all of Vermont, effective yesterday afternoon, (Wednesday March 25th).
Bishop Christopher Coyne last night directed all parish offices to close and all Churches to be locked up until further notice. I am asking all of you to join with me, with Bishop Coyne, with all my brother Priests in Vermont, in prayers, especially to Our Lady, Health of The Sick for a speedy end to this horrific pandemic.
Many of you have responded with your usual generosity to my appeal to continue to give as much as you can to the financial support of your parish. Please know how very grateful I am to all of you for whatever support you can give. For your convenience, we have added an online giving page to our website, which will accept credit/debit card or check payments. You can find it at https://www.stfranciswindsor.org/donate
Christine Porter is almost at the end of her self-quarantine. She continues to be symptom free and was planning on returning to the Church office on Tuesday March 31st. Because of the Stay at Home order, she will not be coming into work after all until at least April 15th. Stay tuned………..and please keep praying!
Saint Anthony, Pray for us!
Saint Francis, Pray for us!
In Christ, Fr.Rick.
My dear Parishioners,
I hope you are all staying healthy and well?
I, too, am well, by the grace of God.
I want to thank the parishioners who have reached out to me with their prayers and good thoughts.
Also to those who thoughtfully brought over food…..Thank you!
I apologize for being late out of the gate with this, but I am asking Christine Porter and Joanne Collins at St. Francis and Saint Anthony to print out a list each week, as needed, of intentions for Mass that week. So I can have those names right in front of me as I offer Mass each day.
Speaking of Mass…………This morning, the fourth Sunday of Lent, for the first time ever, I offered Mass with no one else visibly present in the Church!
A surreal experience!
No one, least of all me, knows how long this shut down will continue beyond April 15, but for however long it may continue, I pray when it does end, all of us, Priests, Deacons, and lay people, will all be filled with a greater awareness of how very blessed we are to be able to participate at Holy Mass, where Christ’s atoning Sacrifice is truly made present again for us!
May God continue to guide us and bless us!
Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony, pray for us!
God bless us all!
In Christ,
Fr. Rick.
My dear Parishioners,
I pray to God that you are all staying healthy and using this unexpected moment in history to stay faithful to Christ and His Church.
The Diocese of Burlington is providing online resources to help families live the faith intentionally in these challenging times. (see https://www.vermontcatholic.org/covid-19/)
The Diocese will be livestreaming Mass beginning this Sunday, March 22 @10:00 am, which will then be posted to every parish eCatholic website. https://stfranciswindsor.org/ or https://www.vermontcatholic.org/news/communication/tv-mass/
I ask that you continue to support your parish financially by continuing your usual weekly parish support.
I am maintaining office hours in Windsor and can be reached there by calling 802-674-2157. If no one answers, please leave a message. I want to express my deep gratitude to Deacon John Guarino and Joanne Collins for their efforts to keep St. Anthony’s office open for limited hours. St. Francis of Assisi Parish will be open for a few hours daily. For safety reasons, Ron Poulin or I will have to be present in the church (stay tuned for details). At Bishop Coyne's direction, a candle will be lit before the Statue of Our Lady and the Christ Child as a place dedicated to prayer for an end to this epidemic.
I ask you, my good parishioners, to pray for an end to this epidemic, for all who have died, for all who are sick, anxious, for those who have lost jobs, for Doctors, Nurses, first responders, EMT's and all health care workers, for parents, children, and families.
Lord, grant to us all a renewed hunger and thirst for you in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So that when this trial ends, we may return with renewed devotion to your ALTAR!
Let us continue to pray for each other!
Saint Anthony, Pray for us!
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!
Saint Joseph, Pray for Us!
Our Lady, Health of The Sick, Pray for us!
In Christ,
Fr. Rick Danielson.
Click here to read a message about the suspension of all public Masses, Devotions, and activities as decreed by Bishop Coyne.
How this affects St. Francis Parish:
Effective Friday March 20th at least through Wednesday April 15th, (and possibly longer) the Public Celebration of ALL MASSES, Devotions, Meetings, activities are Suspended throughout the Diocese of Burlington at least through Wednesday April 15th, (please note, depending on the situation this suspension could be extended).
All Masses and Hospital/Care home visits by Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are suspended until further notice.
My hope is to soon be able to provide “Live Streaming” Sunday Mass either from Saint Francis or another Parish as soon as possible. Links will be provided in future emails and posted on our Facebook page.
Bishop Coyne has directed that, where possible, Churches be opened for prayer for at least a few hours each day, if at all possible. We will send info as decisions are made.
The Sacrament of Confession is available and I will post times that I will make myself available for Confession.
Bishop Coyne recommended Collective Mass Intentions for the duration of the suspension of public Masses, if the person who requested the intention is willing to have his/her intention combined with other intentions in the same Mass.
Magnificat magazine has a number of free online resources available for two months. Click here for more info.
There will be daily Facebook Live celebrations of The Rosary and the Divine Mercy Devotion.
Our secretary, Christine Porter, has been exposed to the Corona Virus and is in quarantine for 14 days effective yesterday. She will continue to check email, send email updates (like this one...), post our bulletins and other updates to the website, and monitor other office tasks from home.
I am maintaining office hours, but please be patient if trying to contact the office.
In 27 years as a Priest and in 61 trips around the Sun, never in a million years would I have imagined a scenario like this! But we are people of faith, God is with us and will never, ever, abandon us.
Please join me, Bishop Coyne, and all the priests and faithful around Vermont and around the World in praying, especially Pope Francis’ Prayer to the Blessed Virgin. (see notice from the Diocese - found here - prayer is at the bottom of the page)
The last public Mass at Saint Francis will be celebrated Thursday morning (tomorrow 3/19 at 9:00 a.m...............).
Stay tuned for more updates, pray, and stay healthy.
In Christ,
Father Rick