Diocese of Rochester, NY
A message from Father Michael....
Hello Everyone,
Time seems to be going very fast these days. It’s already the middle of September. More parishioners seem to be returning to weekend Mass. There are usually 40-50 at all the Masses and sometimes one Mass will have about 75 people. Now we know it’s not the numbers that count. What I am seeing though are parishioners who really want to be in Church at prayer with other members of the Saint Christopher parish community. We also have on average about 50 families tuning in online to the Mass which is recorded on Saturday evening. I’ve also learned that about 40 of our youngsters have signed up for Faith Formation this Fall. These numbers are great and they speak to the faithfulness, perseverance and resiliency of our community. Your generosity is unquestionable. Financially we’re not doing the greatest for many reasons but WE ARE HERE and moving forward. A finance report has been prepared and approved by both parish council and finance committee and will be available for parishioners shortly. Our Monday morning counters are back doing a terrific job and those engaged in various ministries at Mass are gradually returning. I can’t thank you all enough for all that you do. Also, with the pandemic ever present I thank you all for your cooperation as far as adhering to all the mandates from the Center For Disease Control (CDC) and the Diocese of Rochester. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. As I've said so many times, nothing can stop us from praying and you’ve all certainly proven that point.
God Bless you all,
Father Michael
FAITH FORMATION and CONFIRMATION UPDATES
We are busy preparing for the start of ‘new’ classes in September!
As with almost everything during these uncertain times, our program will be changing to home-based learning rather than on-site at the church. The faith formation team is developing many plans with more information coming soon!
The new registration form can be found on St. Christopher’s website:
http://www.stchristophersnchili.org/faith-formation.html
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email or call:
lori.murtaugh@dor.org or 594-1441 ext.105
Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement as we look forward to this unique upcoming year!
EUCHARIA MINISTRY NEWS
This weekend we highlight the Rochester Catholic Women’s Conference and the Churchville Lion’s Club Christmas Boxes. We’re happy to partner with both groups annually and make a donation of blankets, shrugs, hats, and scarves.
From the Human Services Ministry Team:
We are still going strong with many of our activities. If you'd like to join in or have questions, call Marcia O'Brien (594-2097).
Personal Care Drive in July: We collected personal care items for the AME Zion Church (Clarissa Street) which serves hundreds of people in need in the SW area of the City. Our donations filled the length of their church hall! Thank you so much!!
No clothing drive this year: Unfortunately because of covid restrictions, we cannot collect clothes this year. But we will be collecting new boots and hats/gloves/scarves for the AME Zion Church. For men, women, and children - all sizes. Please leave items in the front foyer until Nov 15th or call Marcia O'Brien (594-2097) if you can't get to church.
Food collection: every week we collect nonperishable food for the local pantry at Grace Church of the Nazarene on Stony Pointe Rd. Pantry available for everyone but open only by appointment during covid restrictions (594-4555).
New Business Office Hours (subject to change)
Mondays, Tuesdays: 9:00-4:00
Wednesdays, Thursdays: 9:00-4:00
Fridays: 9:00-12:00
The Business Office remains closed to the general public until further notice. Staff are required to report unless other arrangements have been made to work from home. PPE and CDC guidelines are in effect with respect to COVID-19.
If you are using contribution envelopes, please be sure to FILL IN THE AMOUNT ON THE ENVELOPE. This will ensure your contribution is documented accurately.
In the place of our normally scheduled Fall retreat weekends, Notre Dame Retreat House will be offering single days in silence and reflection entitled “Desert Day". ALL are invited to join us -- men, women, couples -- and we ask that you please consider signing up for one of these single meditation days. There are twelve (12) dates to choose from between mid-September through the beginning of November. Note that in order to address social distancing requirements and needs, at this time we are limiting attendance on each “Desert Day” to fifteen (15) people. In these troubling times, give yourself a day to converse with God in order to revitalize your life and heart. Allow yourself time to recover emotional balance, interior unity, inner balance and peace of soul. We will give you the time, space and materials . . . all you need to do is come with a willing heart and an open mind. For specifics on dates, retreat format, cost and how to register, please visit: www.notredameretreat.org Other inquiries, please contact us at 585-394-5700 or ndretreat@rochester.rr.com.
Happy and sad news. Back in the spring our daughter and her husband announced that they are expecting. Later we found out it was twins. My wife Robin and I are very excited and plan on moving to South Carolina, where both they and our son and his wife now live. We are selling our house and plan on moving around November 1.The sad part is this means I will be leaving Saint Christopher’s and I all of you. It has been a blessing in my life to share it with you these past 7 years- Deacon David Kepler
PARISH COUNCIL THANKS OUTGOING MEMBERS
The Parish Council extends our deepest gratitude to these members as they finish their service on the Council. Their contributions have been valuable gifts to the Council and our Parish. We pray for continued blessings for them and ask them to keep us in their prayers as we continue the work of the Council.
Tony Baker, Trustee
Mary Kay Buckland
Anne Camp
Maureen Emerson
Mary May
All Adult Hospitality ministers need to, once again, sign a collection counting procedures acknowledgement form. They can be found by the COVID sheets binder. Please review and sign the form and return it to the folder.
A Note To All Liturgical Ministers
Thanks for volunteering to help as a liturgical minister, especially during this pandemic. There is a binder outside of the sacristy containing COVID "Self-Certification" forms (also attached to this message). Each time that you arrive for Mass, please sanitize your hands, fill out a "Self-Certification" form, then sanitize afterwards. Purell is on the wall outside the sacristy. There are two different forms--one is for "Volunteers" and the other is for "Employees". Please be sure to fill out the correct form. Also, sacristans first need to be trained as Eucharistic ministers.
Food collection ongoing
Every week we collect non-perishable food items for our local pantry at Grace Church on Stony Pointe Rd. This pantry is accessible to any resident of Chili, Riga, or Ogden. They are generally open on Wednesdays after 6:30pm, but can be available any time by appointment by calling 594-4555. Thank you for your generosity to our neighbors in need! Your Human Services Committee