As we face the challenges of COVID-19, we also must sustain ourselves in the Faith. The absence of sacraments and the company of fellow parishioners leave a vast emptiness in our hearts.  

God-given gifts of technology can help us sustain our Faith through the through televised and streamed Masses. The Holy Scriptures are available on our tables and bookshelves. Many prayers are in our memories and online. Each Act of Spiritual Communion surely unites us to God. The global Church finds many ways to sustain our Faith if we do our part. 

This also is a time to recognize that our responsibility to the Church continues. The Pastoral Council is in recess, but its stewardship ministry stands concerned about worldly things when there is no Offertory and no Offertory collections. Here too God’s gift of technology lends itself to solutions. 

You can continue to contribute to the support of Our Lady of Grace Church in several ways. Each of your regular Offertory envelopes is pre-addressed to the parish office. You can insert your donation, put a postage stamp on the envelope, and mail it. Also, the parish office sets out a drop box by the office door to accept Offertory envelopes and donations if you prefer to drive by. The box will be there from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. If you do online banking, you can set up one-time or repeat donations to the Our Lady of Grace directly from your bank account. And finally, the Diocese of St. Petersburg, through a link on its website, has enabled Our Lady of Grace parishioners to make donations via credit card or bank account. The site is free of charge both to you and to the parish and it is secure. Please click on DONATE here or on the main menu to contribute.

On behalf of Father Erwin and Monsignor Cesar, thank you for your generosity. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us and keep us strong in body and soul in these troubled times.