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COVID-19 Announcement
Dear St. Raphael members and friends,
This is one of those emails that a priest never wants to write to his flock. But here it is.
I was informed by Dr. Todd Wiblin (our "in-house" infectious diseases specialist) that positive viral cases are increasing at an alarming rate throughout Iowa and in Johnson County and that it would be wise to limit attendance even more than we have been. . Unlike the spike that occurred back in August, this time, the upswing isn't limited primarily to university students but is affecting a large swath of the population. After consulting with Bishop Anthony, I made the decision that, starting immediately, there will be no in-person attendance at services for at least the next several weeks. I will still be serving the services, but Kh. Maria, Lizzy and Josiah will be the only chanters/assistants and the church will not be open for attendance. Of course, we will continue to livestream the services on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/straphaeliowacity If Johnson County in particular, and Iowa more generally can "flatten the curve" and get the virus back under some measure of control soon, we will take gradual steps to open back up to limited attendance as before. I hope this can occur by Christmas, if not earlier.
I will still be holding my regular office hours (Tues.-Thurs. 11-2, Fri. 9:15-12) and I welcome anyone who wants to, to schedule an appointment to talk, to make a confession and/or to receive the Eucharist. If these hours don't work with your schedule and you still want to meet, let me know and I'm sure we can work something out. As the Eucharist is so central to a healthy spiritual life, I strongly encourage everyone to consider preparing themselves through self-e
xamination, fasting and possibly confession (if it has been awhile) and to make an appointment so that you can receive the Lord's Body and Blood. We need the grace that comes to us through the sacraments. Jesus is our Life! On a related note, beginning on November 15, I will be doing a sermon series throughout the time of the Nativity Fast, focusing on the Pre-Communion Prayers that help us to prepare ourselves for the reception of the Eucharist.
During this time of forced separation, let us all work a little harder to reach out to each other and to check in on one another. We are woven together as a family through our mutual love of Christ. Let's keep each other in prayer.
We will consider if it is feasible to pray the Nativity Paraklesis service together through Zoom on Wednesday evenings, beginning on November 18.
Finally, if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, please reach out to me at frignatiusval@gmail.com or 319-400-7522.
With Love in Christ,
Fr Ignatius
This is one of those emails that a priest never wants to write to his flock. But here it is.
I was informed by Dr. Todd Wiblin (our "in-house" infectious diseases specialist) that positive viral cases are increasing at an alarming rate throughout Iowa and in Johnson County and that it would be wise to limit attendance even more than we have been. . Unlike the spike that occurred back in August, this time, the upswing isn't limited primarily to university students but is affecting a large swath of the population. After consulting with Bishop Anthony, I made the decision that, starting immediately, there will be no in-person attendance at services for at least the next several weeks. I will still be serving the services, but Kh. Maria, Lizzy and Josiah will be the only chanters/assistants and the church will not be open for attendance. Of course, we will continue to livestream the services on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/straphaeliowacity If Johnson County in particular, and Iowa more generally can "flatten the curve" and get the virus back under some measure of control soon, we will take gradual steps to open back up to limited attendance as before. I hope this can occur by Christmas, if not earlier.
I will still be holding my regular office hours (Tues.-Thurs. 11-2, Fri. 9:15-12) and I welcome anyone who wants to, to schedule an appointment to talk, to make a confession and/or to receive the Eucharist. If these hours don't work with your schedule and you still want to meet, let me know and I'm sure we can work something out. As the Eucharist is so central to a healthy spiritual life, I strongly encourage everyone to consider preparing themselves through self-e
xamination, fasting and possibly confession (if it has been awhile) and to make an appointment so that you can receive the Lord's Body and Blood. We need the grace that comes to us through the sacraments. Jesus is our Life! On a related note, beginning on November 15, I will be doing a sermon series throughout the time of the Nativity Fast, focusing on the Pre-Communion Prayers that help us to prepare ourselves for the reception of the Eucharist.
During this time of forced separation, let us all work a little harder to reach out to each other and to check in on one another. We are woven together as a family through our mutual love of Christ. Let's keep each other in prayer.
We will consider if it is feasible to pray the Nativity Paraklesis service together through Zoom on Wednesday evenings, beginning on November 18.
Finally, if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, please reach out to me at frignatiusval@gmail.com or 319-400-7522.
With Love in Christ,
Fr Ignatius
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If you're Orthodox ...
You may find we do some things differently than you're used to, though much will likely be the same. If you have questions, ask Father Ignatius. |
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