St. Mary Mother of God

Public Masses Temporarily Canceled due to Coronavirus

Archbishop Gregory has issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass during this time to all parishioners of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Daily homilies for the English Ordinary Form Mass will be available on our web homepage and on social media.

Masses

• English Ordinary Form masses will be available for online viewing by the Archdiocese or from Bishop Barron's Chapel & posted to our web homepage.
• Latin Extraordinary Form masses will be posted on our web homepage and social media.
• Chinese masses will be available for online viewing & posted to our web homepage as well as on Salt & Light TV (for Cantonese & Mandarin)

3/12/2020
Dear St. Mary Mother of God Parishioners & Friends, 
 At 7:42 this evening, I and the other priests of the Archdiocese of Washington received updated instructions for parish life from Archbishop Gregory, our shepherd and spiritual father:
 
In the interest of public health, and following the requests of governments in Maryland and the District of Columbia, all masses open to the public are cancelled beginning this Saturday March 14, until further notice.  Weddings and funerals may still take place attended by immediate family only.  Archbishop Gregory has also issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass during this time to all parishioners of the Archdiocese of Washington. This is a unique moment in our local Church history.  Despite that, I think you’ll see that we can get through this with cool calm resolve if we follow the recommendations below.  
 
What does this mean and how can we respond as a parish family?
STAY CONNECTED - THIS IS CRITICAL… STAY CONNECTED in prayer… daily/Sunday homilies will be posted to our social media platforms… Get news from our parish website and social media outlets on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  As St. Mary Mother of God Parish, I exhort all our family members to offer up the rosary EVERY DAY in solidarity with each other. This is our Church community voluntarily taking on a time of suffering and fasting from our accustomed patterns in order to help slow the spread of an illness.  Will that be jarring for us?  Certainly, but what better time than Lent to offer up a sacrifice to the Lord to help our neighbors.  I exhort our entire parish family to place these days in that context.
 
Mass - Your priests will still offer mass daily, albeit in private, for all the intentions you’ve asked of us.  That is what we’ve promised to all the families who’ve requested masses for loved ones and important causes.  And though we can’t gather as a community in one place, we can gather in one heart… the Sacred Heart of Jesus… prayerfully uniting our sacrifices. I will be posting homilies for the Ordinary Form Masses each day on our social media. Devotees of the Ordinary Form will be able to watch a televised mass provided by the Archdiocese. For Devotees of the Extraordinary Form we will post video of Sunday mass on our facebook page at 9am each Sunday until we return to normal.
 
Confessions - The archdiocesan update makes no reference to confession so: I will hear the confessions of the faithful one at a time as usual Monday-Friday at 11:30 and Saturday mornings at 9am either in the Rectory or in the Rectory garden, so that penitents can line up  outdoors with appropriate distance/personal space while still receiving the sacrament.
 
Anointing of the Sick - Anyone requiring the anointing of the sick should feel free to contact me by email (smmogpriest@gmail.com).  This will be the surest way to get a reply from me the same day.  I will make sick visits to anyone in the District of Columbia.  If you live outside the District and need the anointing of the sick I urge you to contact the parish geographically closest to you in the interest of getting the most prompt care.
 
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament - As of Thursday night I have not made a decision about our weekly adoration.  I would like to consult the Chancery for advice, but I wanted to get news out to you as soon as possible.
 
Other Parish Meetings/Activities: contact the parish office: stmarys20001@gmail.com  (202)289-7771
 
Parish Funding - Folks I can’t stress this enough, St. Mary’s needs to maintain regular weekly support from our people.  We are not a wealthy community and we rely on the faithful weekly gifts of you, our family, to keep this place up and running.  Despite these emergency procedures, the utility bills keep coming and we will continue to pay all staff in full.  How can you support your parish during this time?  If at all possible, please sign up with Faith Direct through our webpage. This is the easiest most reliable and secure way to give.  If you utilize the envelope system, please be sure to put your regular weekly contributions in the mail, or drop them by the parish office or through the rectory mail slot. 
 
This is an unusual time for us, but not unheard of in Church history… and unlike our ancestors, we now have the benefit of modern science helping us to bring a quicker end to our ills.  I am fully confident that if we all take a breath and listen to the Lord, and our Blessed Mother’s calming voice within we will find ourselves better for it when this is all over.  In the meantime I’m here for you all, praying and fasting for you all… and I want to stay so very close to you whether in prayer, by means of the digital resources above or by in-person visits.  The Rectory remains open, my coffee machine is always on… and I’m always here for you and with you.
 
With much love and confidence in our Lord and in YOU in these unique times, I remain

Your parish priest,
Father Vincent De Rosa

Temporary schedule during Coronavirus precautions:
Monday-Friday at 11:30 AM 
Saturday at 9:00 AM 
Either in the Rectory or in the garden, so that penitents can line up outdoors with appropriate distance/personal space.