Your Parish is Still Here for you

Dear St. Hubert Family,
 
It’s with great sadness that I have to share some more news about being together to celebrate Mass in the midst of the all that is happening with COVID-19.  As you may have heard, yesterday afternoon Cardinal Cupich further extended the suspension of all public celebrations and liturgies including Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter.  All we know at this point is that the suspension is until further notice. 
 
For a complete set of directives, visit the Archdiocese website:
www.archchicago.org/en/statement/-/article/2020/03/19/the-archdiocese-of-chicago-distributed-the-following-guidelines-and-policies-to-clergy-and-parish-sta-1
 
The Things We Will Never Lose
We will miss the great Catholic traditions that have become part of our spiritual life—like receiving palms, washing of the feet, the veneration of the cross, the great symbols of light overcoming darkness in the Easter Vigil and the celebration of Easter Sunday when the church is filled with life, song, and joy.
 
We have to hold onto knowing that the things we value and treasure—the pearl of great price as Jesus would say—cannot be taken away.  We may not be able to fully express our faith and traditions, but we have faith in God, faith in each other, and faith that we will get through this so we can practice our traditions once again.  But we don’t have to do this alone.  We need to stay connected and try to do this together.

Food for the Journey
Just as we are making sure we have essentials to keep our bodies healthy and fed, we need spiritual nourishment too.  We created a new page on our website for resources that can be of help us—everything from links for Masses, to other spiritual practices.  We will keep updating it as the weeks unfold.  See:  www.sainthubert.org/journey
 
We’re also pleased to announce that we’ve partnered for the next month with Formed.org—a resource  free of charge  to you that is packed with a lot of spiritual tools, prayers, bible studies, devotionals, you name it.  When you access the site, sign in under the prompt that says “I belong to a parish or organization” and follow the steps. You’ll have resources at your fingertips in less than a minute.  Here’s a link:  www.formed.org
 
Spiritual Companionship
Tomorrow we’ll send you this week’s Spiritual Communion prayer service—something unique to our parish.  It intentionally follows the rhythm of the Mass and is specific to our needs at St. Hubert.  Parishioners have told me it has been great to pray with the family or those in the house with you, but also is just as meaningful praying alone.  Please look for that tomorrow afternoon and consider praying it as a way to connect our lives with each other even though we cannot be physically together.
 
Please also know that every day I say Mass (alone) for all of you and for all that you are going through.  So please stay connected.  If you have a prayer request, or someone you would like us to pray for please click here:  www.sainthubert.org/prayer-request
 
If you would like to offer a Mass for someone in your life, please call the Front Office at 847-885-7700 x102 and I will be sure to offer it for you.
 
Be Alert—Scams Are Still Happening
I’m getting word that someone is still trying very hard to impersonate me and is trying to get parishioners to buy gift cards or give money.  Please know I would never do that.  Always look for clues, like the email address…it’s usually a gmail account, sometimes with my name or even the parish’s name.  It’s also usually signed Rev. Mike Scherschel, which I don’t use unless it’s an official document.  Those kinds of messages are not from me.  I do not have another account other than at sainthubert.org.  I’m very sorry for the inconvenience that this person or these people are causing.   When in doubt, please call me.
 
Finally—We Need Donations To Keep Going
With so many things shutting down, our hearts go out to those losing income to make ends meet.  Our parish home is feeling the same thing.  We rely on Sunday contributions to keep us going, to keep our church and school buildings functioning, to pay staff, and to do our ministries—even though disrupted in so many ways.  
 
We’re grateful to all of you who have been keeping up with your contributions either through the mail, dropping them by the office or giving on-line at Give Central.  You can even make a one-time donation on Give Central if it’s not something you want to do long term.  There are prompts to give as a guest for this purpose.
 
https://www.givecentral.org/location/407/events-list-basic
 
Even though we aren’t together, let’s stay connected.  And let’s hold onto the most valuable treasure we have—our faith in God and our faith in one another.
--Fr. Mike