The Pathways Team is moving us forward. Over the last few weeks, we have acquired a name moving forward, St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes. This is thanks to the hard work of the Church subgroup of the Pathways Team and your participation. The Leadership subgroup of the Pathways Team has met with all three parish pastoral Councils outlining the plan for a joint Family Pastoral Council to be effective in the summer of July 2023. Our Eucharist subgroup has now presented to the whole Pathways Team and myself the plan for moving forward with the daily, holyday and Saturday Mass schedules.

Effective Monday, April 17, 2023, the new daily Mass schedule will be:

Monday through Friday: Guardian Angels 7:30 am.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Immaculate Heart of Mary 12 noon

Tuesday, Thursday: St. John Fisher 12 noon

Saturday: Immaculate Heart of Mary 8:15 am

School Masses will remain the same at 8:15 am for GA and IHM. Effective with the 2023-2024 school year, School Masses will be GA at 8:15 am on Tuesdays and IHM at 8:15 am on Thursdays.

Effective Monday, April 17, 2023, the new holyday Mass schedule will be:

Vigil Mass 6:15 pm St. John Fisher

Day Mases: 7:30 Guardian Angels

                    Noon: Immaculate Heart of Mary

                    7:00 pm Guardian Angels

School Masses will remain the same for IHM at 8:15 am and GA at 9:00 am

Effective Monday, April 17, 2023, the Saturday Mass schedule for the family will be:

3:30 pm Guardian Angels Confessions: 2:00-3:00pm

5:00 pm Immaculate Heart of Mary Confessions: 3:30-4:30 pm

This in in conformity with the Archdiocesan guidelines which state:

• Fuller churches lead to more effective use of ministers (lay and ordained).
• There should always be at least 90 minutes between starting times of Masses.

If these guidelines are not being met, parishes are encouraged to look seriously at their weekend Mass schedules and make appropriate changes. The quality of Sunday Mass suffers when there are too many weekend Masses or smaller congregations. The liturgy is always enhanced by a church that is more full than empty, making it easier to have enough lay ministers to celebrate the liturgy well. Likewise, if priests are to be genuinely enthusiastic each time they preside, they normally should not be expected to regularly preside multiple times every weekend. According to Canon Law, a priest should normally celebrate one Mass per day. Bishops can permit priests to celebrate two Masses per day for a just cause, for example, on a Sunday or holyday of obligation, or on a weekday if there is a funeral. Bishops can also permit priests to celebrate three Masses per day on Sundays or holydays of obligation, if there is a genuine and serious pastoral need, for instance, if the priest is responsible for more than one parish.

Thank you for your prayers in this new endeavor.