News
27 April 2020
Bishop’s messages
Bishop’s messages
I invite all to join Archbishop José Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of Los Angeles, in reconsecrating our nation to Mary, Mother of the Church on May 1 at 2 pm CDT at facebook.com/usccb. We will join the bishops and faithful in Canada as they consecrate their country to Mary under the same title. This reconsecration will give the Church the occasion to pray for Our Lady’s continued protection of the vulnerable, healing of the unwell, and wisdom for those who work to cure COVID-19.
Join a virtual novena to St. Isidore, patron of farmers
Every year hundreds of people join together for a very special Novena to St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers and Catholic Rural Life. Given the essential nature of farmers, farmworkers, and all who are involved in food production and distribution, especially during this global pandemic, CRL is hosting the novena virtually this year. The novena will begin on Thursday, May 7, and conclude on Friday, May 15, the feast of St. Isidore, with virtual Mass on a ranch in Texas. Each day a bishop from the CRL board of directors will lead the novena, lifting up all the intentions of rural communities throughout our country. Bishop McKnight will lead the novena on May 13 and 14 at 10 a.m. For more information and the full schedule, please visit https://CatholicRuralLife.org/VirtualNovena/.
On April 17, Bishop McKnight extended and modified a decree which dispenses the faithful from the Sunday Mass obligation and restricts the type of public gatherings in the 95 parishes of the diocese. The decree was originally to expire April 30, but has now been extended through June 30.
Pastoral Planning timeline revised
The deadline for submission of all discernment reports from parishioners, Sessions 1-4, has been extended to May 31. This is intended to allow as many parishioners as possible to participate. As we move forward in our focus and discernment of how our parish communities can become stronger centers of charity and mercy, practicing stewardship with a co-responsibility mentality between our clergy and laity, please encourage parishioners to consider how they can participate and finish the discernment process. Small group and/or individual discernment reports are to be submitted directly to the pastor or via online entry. To ensure a wider vision for planning, all parishioners throughout our diocese are encouraged to take this opportunity to share their thoughts and vision for their parish and provide insight into our diocesan pastoral plan. For more information regarding Better Together, please visit www.diojeffcity.org/better-together.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary is the patronness of our diocese. Bishop McKnight asks all our parishes to celebrate this feast on June 21. Readings and psalm settings can be found here.
Action alert on COVID-19 vaccines
Recently, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, along with 20 healthcare, bioethics, and pro-life organizations, sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that any vaccine for COVID-19 be developed ethically and with no connection to abortion. Among the dozen vaccines being developed, some are being produced using old cell lines from the cells of aborted babies. Please click here to ask the Trump Administration to ensure vaccines for COVID-19 are developed ethically and with no connection to abortion.
If you intend to come to the Chancery office in person, you must have an appointment in advance with the person you intend to meet. Please note the Chancery will be screening all guests with a health questionnaire and temperature check. This is for the safety of all.
Resources during COVID-19
<a href=” https://diojeffcity.org/public-health/”><img src=“URL OF THE IMAGE ON OUR SITE”></a>
All of our resources can be found at www.diojeffcity.org/public-health. Most are in Spanish and English. Remember, the most reliable source of information is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The diocesan website is now able to accept donations for all parishes in our diocese. If your parish does not have the capacity to receive online donations, please let your parishioners know about this option. They can donate using this URL: https://diojeffcity.org/support-parish/.
We can help parishes establish online giving forms which can be used on the parish website. Please email communication@diojeffcity.org to begin the conversation.
To share in emails, social media, and websites
Stay-at-Home FertilityCare Instruction
FertilityCare Instruction continues to be offered by Zoom. The Introductory Session is always complimentary and follow-up fees have been waived until June 1. This class is of interest for marriage preparation, infertility, medical applications, regular or irregular cycles, breastfeeding and fertility appreciation from adolescence to menopause. Contact FerilityCare of Columbia, Phyllis A. White, CFCE 816-550-8789 or FertilityCare.CoMo@gmail.com
The Retrouvaille Program is for married couples facing difficult challenges in their relationship. A Christian marriage program, Catholic in origin, for couples of all faiths or no faith background, it is primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect. Presenters are not trained marriage counselors, but couples sharing their personal stories of marital struggles and the tools they used to rediscover their love. The next session is May 29 in Kansas City, KS. For more information and registration go to: https://www.helpourmarriage.org/
Employment opportunities
There are several openings in our Catholic schools. Please promote these openings.
Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri has an immediate opening for a Bilingual (English/Spanish) Disaster Case Manager. Disaster Case Management is a time-limited process by which a skilled Disaster Case Manager partners with a disaster-affected individual or family (Client) in order to plan for and achieve realistic goals for recovery following a natural disaster (including COVID-19/Coronavirus). This comprehensive and holistic Disaster Case Management approach to recovery extends beyond providing relief, providing a service, or meeting urgent needs.For a full job description visit the Catholic Charities website at: https://cccnmo.diojeffcity.org/about-us/careers/. To apply please submit cover letter and resume to Alissa Marlow, Director of Community Services.
St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbia is seeking a Director/Campus Minister of Music & Liturgy. The St. Thomas More Newman Center is a university parish of more than 650 families and over 1,000 students, serving the Columbia community as well as the collegiate campuses of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Stephen’s College, and Columbia College. A full job description and more details are available at https://www.comonewman.org/job-openings/.
St. Stanislaus Church in Wardsville is seeking a director of Religious Education to oversee the religious and spiritual formation of youth and adults. This will entail scheduling Parish School of Religion Classes, as well as sacramental preparation and events. For more information, to receive a complete job description and / or application please email ststansec@socket.net.
Parishes are asked to use this form to send any updates of their parishioners: address changes, marriages, divorces, death, etc.
- Parishes are asked to publish in their bulletins the need for relief parents at St. Nicholas Academy. You can find the listing here.
- Please consider posting this helpful information for your parishioners on how to identify email and text scams.
- In the interest of time and accuracy, The Catholic Missourian has moved to a simple online process for submitting events for the Things to Do page. To have an event considered for publication in Things to Do and in the diocesan online events calendar, go to diojeffcity.org/event-listing and follow the directions. The process is straightforward and user-friendly. Events submitted for display advertising will be automatically included in Things to Do, as will items that have been previously submitted.
Please feel free to disseminate the information in the “Monday Morning Memo” to a broader audience, such as parishioners and school families! Is there someone else who should receive this Weekly Memo? Please encourage them to sign up here!