The Catholic Church of 

St. Mary the Virgin

      Mass Times at the
Catholic Church of
         St. Mary the Virgin           
Sunday
8:00 a.m. Low Mass
10:00 a.m. High Mass with full choir and ceremonial
12:00 p.m. Low Mass with Hymns

Monday
12:00 noon

Tuesday
                            4:00 pm                               
Wednesday and Thursday
12:00 noon

Friday 
9:00 am
Adoration  Follows

Saturday
9:00 am

Confession Schedule

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is on Fridays beginning after Mass and continuing throughout
the day until 6 pm.

Office Hours

We are very pleased to be able to return to a High Mass with incense, full choir, sung propers and anthem this Sunday, August 9th. Every Mass is, of course,  a recapitulation of the Divine Sacrifice, but St. Mary the Virgin has long been noted for the beauty and reverence of our Sunday celebration, and it is a joy to reclaim and resume this important part of our heritage. We can always use more altar servers ushers, altar guild members, and help with the other ministries here, though - especially now as we restart our liturgical, music and education programs.

Christian Education will begin Sunday September 13th. Our Director of Religious Education, Amy Horan, will be in the patio on Sundays with information on how to register for class.

We are also pleased to report that Father Kennedy continues his recuperation at home from his recent hospital stay- and that both he and Chyrel are gratified by the number of parishioners who have responded to the “meal train” for them. We hope that he will be back on the Altar in the not too distant future, and request continued prayers for his full recovery.

Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook

If you are on the St. Mary the Virgin email list, you will already know that we will be making some adjustments to our Sunday Mass Schedule.
Beginning Sunday, August 9th, the schedule will be 8:00 am Low Mass, the return at 10:00 am of our traditional High Mass with full choir, and then a Low Mass with Hymns at Noon. With only  one priest (me) to offer Mass on Sundays, it is more practical (and canonical) to celebrate three Masses in one day, and I am grateful for the parish’s understanding and willingness to be flexible during this most unusual situation. Our Parish Council President, Jon Carr, has developed a survey about the possibility of projecting/live streaming one or more of the Sunday Masses into the Parish Hall, which will allow more parishioners to be present at Mass, while adhering to the Social Distancing Guidelines mandated by the State of Texas, and we have emailed to everyone on our mailing list.  Your comments and preferences are most welcome.  
Our beloved Father Kennedy is regaining his strength as he recovers in the hospital in Decatur, and once he is fully recovered, we expect to revisit the Sunday Schedule again.
I am pleased to share that Religious Education will resume in early September. I am very grateful to both Amy Horan, who has assumed the role of Director of Religious Education here, as well as to Meagan Schmidt who has retired after many years of loyal and dedicated service to the children of our congregation. Amy will be in the patio after the 10:00 am mass on Sundays with information about how to register your children in our excellent program. 
Another upcoming and important date to write in our calendars is Saturday, August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and our Feast of Title) 
We will keep that important day for our parish with a High Mass with full choir at 7:00 pm. We are grateful to Marion and Mary Nesvadba, and all the stalwart members of our choir, for their willingness to resume the extensive music programme for which our parish is known. 
Finally, we are all so grateful to the many volunteers who work so hard (often behind the scenes) to keep our church and campus clean and attractive. We are still in need of volunteers to help sanitize the church between masses, and for men and women to serve as ushers. If you can help with either of these much needed ministries, please contact the parish office. 
As I reflect on this, mu first month as your new pastor, I have to admit that it has not been very much what I envisioned at all (many times, a new Pastor’s first month is a very slow one as both he and the congregation enjoy a “getting to know you” stage - but it has not been a slow July here by any means!) On the other hand, I have felt very blessed by the many expressions of welcome and good will, as well as the assurance of the prayers of so many of our parishioners, that I already feel veery much at home with you all, and I am eager to see where God will lead us in the future.

Faithfully,

Your Friend and Priest,

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook

If you're wondering how to donate to St. Mary the Virgin during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several ways to do so.  Your tithe offering may be mailed to the church.  You also may set St. Mary the Virgin up with your bank in their online “bill pay” option.  With this option, a check will be mailed to the church directly from your bank.  We have also set up PayPal as a payment option. To use PayPal, go to PayPal.com, log into your account or create a new one and search for stmaryarl@sbcglobal.net.  We ask that you use the Friends and Family option as this donation option is temporary until we are able to attend Mass in person again.
 St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, Pray for us.

My Jesus, I believe that thou
art truly present in the
Most Holy Sacrament.     
I love thee above all things,
and I desire to receive
thee into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive thee sacramentally,
come at least
spiritually into my heart.
I embrace thee as if thou were already there and unite myself wholly to thee. Never permit me to be separated from thee. Amen

O Glorious St. Joseph, thou who hast the power to render possible even things which are considered impossible, come to our aid in our present trouble and distress. Take this important and difficult affair under thy particular protection, that it may end happily.

O dear St. Joseph, all our confidence is placed in thee. Let it not be said that we have invoked thee in vain, and since thou art so powerful with Jesus and Mary, show that thy goodness equals thy power. Amen.

St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.

Beginning Sunday, August 9th, our Sunday schedule will be 8:00 am Low Mass, the return at 10:00 am of our traditional High Mass with full choir and ceremonial, followed by a Low Mass with Hymns at Noon. With only  one priest to offer Mass on Sundays, it is more practical and canonical to celebrate three Masses in one day. 

We are currently exploring the possibility of projecting/live streaming one or more of the Sunday Masses into the Parish Hall. This will allow us to welcome more parishioners at Mass, while  also adhering to the Social Distancing Guidelines mandated by the State of Texas. 
 

Although we are returning to our regular schedule, we suggest your consideration of the following when deciding to come to Mass or Confession at St. Mary the Virgin Church:

Bishop Lopes offers the guidance that anyone over 65 AND/OR have underlying health issues are encouraged to hold off attending Mass for now. The commutation to receive Holy Communion remains suspended at this time for Catholics in the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

If you are the least bit uneasy about coming to Mass then please do not come. The  requirement to be present at the Sunday obligation is still being commuted. 
If you are sick, or recently sick, or the kids have runny noses, etc.then please do not join us for Mass that day.

Volunteers are still needed to help clean and disinfect our church on Sundays between masses, and on Weekdays before and after the  masses. If you can help, please call the Church Office.
Donations of disinfectants, hand wipes, sanitizers and face masks are most welcome. 

Please make frequent use of the hand sanitizer provided in the church.
Please keep an appropriate distance from each other while sitting in the pews, or queuing for Communion. Please do not sit in the pews marked with blue tape. 

Please consider wearing a mask or face covering, especially when in conversation in the patio or parking lot.
Please do not set up an displays, tables, tract racks or pilgrimage information in the patio, parish hall or narthex without first getting approval from the parish office. 

The 10:00 am High Mass will continue to be live streamed through Facebook Live .

You may contact the parish office with any questions you may have. 

As always, we thank you for your patience and flexibility during these times.
 

I am so grateful that our Governor, Gregg Abbott, has continued to uphold our Religious Freedom (the 1st Freedom as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has reminded us) and exempted churches from many of the restrictions faced by other entities. With the recent rise of Covid-19 cases in Texas, we will continue to adhere to the directives of state and local authorities and take the necessary safety precautions, namely proper social distancing spacing, disinfecting all pews and the altar rail after every Mass. (Volunteers for this are needed – please call the parish office if you can help) Please consider bringing your own wipes and wipe down your pew and kneeler before you leave – this will ensure a double cleaning of that area. We also have hand sanitizer available in the Narthex. If you have extra hand sanitizer, wipes, disinfectant spray or liquid that you can donate, please contact the parish office.
 
For parishioners over the age of 65, those who have pre-existing conditions and those that prefer to remain at home, we will continue to live stream one of our Sunday Masses on our parish Facebook page.  You may use this link to access the SMV Facebook page.
                                                                                                                                                                        
For those of you who will join us for Mass, welcome!
 
 We ask that you:
Please consider wearing a mask while socializing on the church grounds (the mask can be removed when inside the church and during the mass itself)
Please continue to sit in every other pew; Please do not sit in the pews marked off with blue tape.
Families are encouraged to sit together in a pew. If there are two or more families in the same pew there should be a proper distance between each family;
Please follow the Ushers’ instructions, they will direct the flow of traffic to and from the altar rail;
When socializing in the courtyard or parish hall after mass, please continue to keep socially distant from each other.
Please do NOT set up any displays, tables with books or religious items, information booths, or advertisements (for either parish or non parish events such as off campus talks and events, or possible future trips or pilgrimages) or hold any fundraisers in the courtyard, narthex, parish hall or the parking lot until further notice. These displays and tables (with things like books or religious articles) complicate our efforts to maintain Social Distancing.
Please remember that the collection plate is located in the Narthex of the Church. Your generosity is especially appreciated during this unusual time.
 
Please recall that Bishop Lopes has commuted the normal obligation to attend Sunday Mass at this time. This “commutation” means that the Sunday obligation of the Christian faithful to be present in Church on Sunday is met through one of the two following pious practices:
A. Prayerful reflection upon the Sunday Scripture readings, and concluding that reflection by the recitation of the Prayer of Humble Access or the Anima Christi;
B. The recitation of the Rosary as a family; Having the obligation to attend Sunday Mass commuted does not mean you have a day off, like taking a day off work. It is still The Lord’s Day: the Day of the Resurrection. Below are some prayers which are helpful to fulfill your obligation on Sunday, as well as prayers for making a “spiritual communion.”
 
Prayer of Humble Access We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up thy crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his Blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his Body, and our souls washed through his most precious Blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
 
Anima Christi (As taken from St. Gregory’s Prayer Book, page 32). Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ’s side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That with thy Saints I may praise Thee; forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers for Spiritual Communion (As taken from St. Gregory’s Prayer Book, page 230) In union, dear Lord, with all the faithful at every altar of thy Church where the blessed Body and Blood are being offered to the Father, I desire to offer thee praise and thanksgiving. I believe you are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. And since I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, I beseech thee to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself unto thee, and embrace thee with all the affections of my soul. Let me never be separated from thee. Let me live and die in thy love. Amen
 
I worship thee, Lord Jesus, and kneeling unto thee, as thou didst come to Mary, I pray thee come to me, I beseech thee, and unite me to thyself. Though I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, yet I believe that thou art able, even when received by faith and desire only, to heal, enrich and sanctify me. Come thou spiritually into my heart. I desire to unite myself to thee with all the affections of my soul. Possess me wholly; let the consuming fire of thy love absorb me, and thy presence abide so intimately in me, that it will be no longer I that live, but thou that livest in me. Come, Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart. Amen.
 
Please know that your priests and staff at St. Mary the Virgin are praying for you, and we ask that you continue to pray for us as well.
 
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
 
SUNDAY SCHEDULE , August 2nd
7:00 am Low Mass
8:30 am Low Mass
10:00 am Low Mass with Hymns
11:30 am Sung Mass-

PLEASE NOTE: LOOK FOR UPCOMING SCHEDULE CHANGE AUGUST 9th

Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Fridays, beginning after the 9:00 a.m. Mass and ending with benediction at 6:00 p.m.  Please  come and sit with our Lord for an hour. WE NEED MORE ADORERS to maintain this Ministry, as the Blessed Sacrament cannot be left alone in the Church.  Please call the Parish Office to Sign Up for a time. (2 needed each hour) 

 

The Catholic Church of St. Mary the Virgin wants you to know that the church remains unlocked for private prayer and reflection before and after daily Mass from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We are now streaming the 10:00 am Sunday High Mass on the
St. Mary the Virgin Facebook Page

Please consider supporting our Parish with time, talent, and treasure!

 

We are currently looking for men & women to serve as USHERS at all Masses. The work of an Usher is especially important during this time of Social Distancing. If you can be a part of this vital ministry, please call the Parish Office.