I Will Make Them Fishers of Men

06-28-2020Pastor's LetterFr. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Some of you may have heard – or soon will hear – that “Father Wilson is being transferred to Our Lady of Peace in North Augusta.” The sentence itself is true. However, the “Father Wilson” going to OLP is Fr. Richard Wilson, not yours truly. On July 15th, Fr. Renaurd West will begin his new assignment at Sacred Heart parish in Charleston, and we will welcome Fr. Richard Wilson to the Aiken Deanery as pastor of Our Lady of Peace in North Augusta. So, yes, we will have two Fathers Wilson within twenty minutes of each other!

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Ambassadors for Christ

06-21-2020Pastor's LetterFr. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One of the most liberating, important Sacraments that we have resumed is Confession / Reconciliation. Because small, enclosed spaces are difficult to keep sanitized between penitents, the Deacon Waters Conference Room in St. Michael Hall has been outfitted for confessions. Beginning Monday, June 22, we will resume our normal confession schedule. (See the front of the bulletin. The conference room is located in the right-hand wing of the courtyard. “Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. … Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow” (Isaiah 1:16-18).

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Update on Masses & Confessions

06-14-2020Pastor's LetterFr. Wilson

Masses

All Masses are in the new church (except Wednesday Spanish Mass at 7pm in Old St. Mary’s). Every other pew is used. We sanitize between Masses, so the new church is not open outside of Mass to ensure it is clean when you arrive.

Mass Schedule:
Mon, Tue, Thur, & Fri: 5:30pm
Wed: 8:30am; and in Spanish at 7:00pm (Old St. Mary’s)
Sat (daily Mass): 8:00am
Sun Vigil (Sat): 5:00pm

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Parish Update - June 9

06-09-2020NewsFr. Gregory Wilson

Dear St. Mary’s Family,

I can’t tell you how much I miss seeing all of you and greeting you after Masses and other events. We continue to move forward cautiously. Here is the latest information:

Masses

The full Mass schedule as it was on March 17th has been resumed. The church has been prepared so that we can keep social distancing. Note that all Masses are in the new church (with the exception of the Wednesday daily Spanish Mass at 7pm in Old St. Mary’s). Also note that we sanitize between Masses, which means that the new church must unfortunately remain locked during the day to ensure it is clean when you arrive for Holy Mass.

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Giving Thanks for Two New Priests

06-09-2020Pastor's LetterFr. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What joy for our parish, our diocese, and all of Holy Mother Church! On Friday, July 10, the Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone, Bishop of Charleston, ordained a son of our parish, Fr. Will Frei, to the holy priesthood of Jesus Christ, alongside Fr. Michael Cellars, who served at our parish as a seminarian the summer of 2017. For Fr. Frei, this is the culmination of nine years of preparation, starting with college seminary way back in 2011. His educational journey led him to the Basselin Program at the Catholic University of America, an exceptional three-year fellowship in philosophy, and then on to major theological studies in Rome. After ordination, Fr. Frei will briefly help at a parish in the diocese until returning (hopefully) to Rome to finish his license in spirituality. Father Cellars will be the parochial vicar at St. Mary Magdalene in Simpsonville, SC.

On Sunday, July 12 at 5:00pm, Fr. Frei will offer a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving here at St. Mary’s. Of course, as with everything in this most unusual year 2020, it’s not a typical Mass. We will still have limited capacity, no congregational singing, and social distancing is still a must. However, we plan to make it the most joyful and holy Mass we can muster in this atypical year. Father Frei will have a small and safe-as-possible reception in the garden outside after the Mass, where you can ask for his first blessing. Our current plan is to have another, even more joyful Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving next year when Fr. Frei returns full time, hopefully to a safer, post-COVID world. We live in hope, after all! In the words of St. Paul, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16-18).

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Giving Thanks for Two New Priests

06-09-2020Pastor's LetterFr. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What joy for our parish, our diocese, and all of Holy Mother Church! On Friday, July 10, the Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone, Bishop of Charleston, ordained a son of our parish, Fr. Will Frei, to the holy priesthood of Jesus Christ, alongside Fr. Michael Cellars, who served at our parish as a seminarian the summer of 2017. For Fr. Frei, this is the culmination of nine years of preparation, starting with college seminary way back in 2011. His educational journey led him to the Basselin Program at the Catholic University of America, an exceptional three-year fellowship in philosophy, and then on to major theological studies in Rome. After ordination, Fr. Frei will briefly help at a parish in the diocese until returning (hopefully) to Rome to finish his license in spirituality. Father Cellars will be the parochial vicar at St. Mary Magdalene in Simpsonville, SC.

On Sunday, July 12 at 5:00pm, Fr. Frei will offer a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving here at St. Mary’s. Of course, as with everything in this most unusual year 2020, it’s not a typical Mass. We will still have limited capacity, no congregational singing, and social distancing is still a must. However, we plan to make it the most joyful and holy Mass we can muster in this atypical year. Father Frei will have a small and safe-as-possible reception in the garden outside after the Mass, where you can ask for his first blessing. Our current plan is to have another, even more joyful Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving next year when Fr. Frei returns full time, hopefully to a safer, post-COVID world. We live in hope, after all! In the words of St. Paul, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16-18).

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All Things are Possible...With God

06-07-2020Pastor's LetterFr. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I write this week’s column (Tuesday morning) with our nation in turmoil. As if the enormous problems caused by a tiny virus were not enough, riots rage across our country. If we say nothing, or if we pretend that nothing is wrong or that things are being “blown out of proportion,” then we are missing a crucial part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, He who should always be our first allegiance. Would Jesus say nothing? Would He not care that a group of people are hurting? He would not condone violence, of course. But we must not let that truth overshadow the roots of this longer-lasting pandemic – historic racism.

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