News
2 November 2020
Bishop’s messages
Official Appointments
Official Appointments Cathedral renovation plans
Join us for a presentation on “The Timeless Expression of Catholic Architecture: The Cathedral of St Joseph,” as architect William Heyer presents the design proposal for our cathedral on Monday, Nov. 9, beginning at 7 p.m. The presentation will be livestreamed on our diocesan Facebook page, www.facebook.com/diojeffcity. All are welcome!
Official Catholic Directory updates
Online updating for The Official Catholic Directory, 2021 edition has begun. By now the contact person for your parish/organization should have received an email from <ocdedits@nrpdirect.com> with instructions on how to register, review, and make updates to your listing. The deadline for submitting your information is Nov. 13. Please note that the OCD online update system is a browser-based application that is optimized for use with Google Chrome. Wherever possible, please use a Google Chrome browser when using the system. If you have any questions please contact Bernadette Adams at the Chancery, badams@diojeffcity.org or 573-635-9127, x236.
Amazon Business
Pastors and Parish Life Collaborators recently received information from the Chancery staff regarding an opportunity to access the diocesan Amazon Business subscription. This can result in cost savings for our parishes and schools, both in cost of purchases and in time spent in managing accounting for these purchases. If you did not receive this information, please contact Kathy Smith at financeks@diojeffcity.org.
Ecumenical Thanksgiving services
The Catholic Missourian plans to publish in its upcoming print and online editions a list of ecumenical prayer services for Thanksgiving. This is a long-standing tradition in many parts of our diocese, and one of few opportunities to gather for prayer and fellowship with members of other Christian congregations.
Please check with your local ministerial alliances about whether, when and where any such services are to be held, and send it to Jay Nies, the editor, at editor@diojeffcity.org. Please include any relevant information such as singing up, social-distancing and the wearing of masks, as well as whether a food or money collection will be taken up, whether a Catholic parish will be hosting this year’s service and whether a priest will be delivering the message or leading the assembly in prayer.
Catholic Stewardship Appeal 2021
Parishioners have received in the mail information on the Catholic Stewardship Appeal 2021. The brochure (English and Spanish versions), poster, logo, bulletin inserts, Mass announcements, and prayer intentions may be found at www.diojeffcity.org/csa. The gold “Donate Now” button resides at the top right corner of every page on the website –www.diojeffcity.org. Should you have any questions or need additional materials, please contact the Development Office at development@diojeffcity.org or call the chancery.
Vocation Advocates needed
The Vocation Office is creating an Advocate Network to improve our efforts in promoting priestly vocations in our diocese. Each pastor is asked to submit the contact information of a lay person from his parish no later than Nov. 1 by asking his appointee to complete the form at https://diojeffcity.org/vocations/. The parish Vocation Advocate should be someone who can work with the pastor and who communicates and works well with others. A knowledge of technology is appreciated, as many materials will require postings online or in the bulletin; however, we will be having a training meeting with the advocates, so they will be taught necessary skills.
Podcasts on pastoral music
The local chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) is offering a series of podcasts from their national convention. To obtain the Zoom link, contact Laura St. Clair. The sessions are 7-9 pm and the remaining schedule is:
- 11/04: Steve Angrisano, “Chant For the Contemporary Musician”
- 11/11: ValLimar Jackson, “God’s Gonna Trouble the Water: The Healing Power of Music”
Abiding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, the use of face masks upon entering the church, during the celebration of Mass except when in place in the pew, during the Communion procession, and upon leaving the church is required. If social distancing cannot be maintained in the pew, then the wearing of face masks is obligatory even in the pew. For more resources, visit https://diojeffcity.org/public-health/.
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.
Share in bulletins, emails, social media, and websites
Cathedral renovation plans
Join us for a presentation on “The Timeless Expression of Catholic Architecture: The Cathedral of St Joseph,” as architect William Heyer presents the design proposal for our cathedral on Monday, Nov. 9, beginning at 7 p.m. The presentation will be livestreamed on our diocesan Facebook page, www.facebook.com/diojeffcity. All are welcome!
Time extended to obtain indulgences
Plenary or full indulgences traditionally obtained during the first week of November for the souls of the faithful in purgatory can now be gained throughout the entire month of November, due to the impact of the pandemic. You can read more about the changes made by the Vatican in The Catholic Missourian or online at bit.ly/CathMo.
Anointing of the Sick
Due to hospitals’ strict protocols, it is important to seek the sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation prior to going to the hospital. Most hospitals only allow a priest to provide the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick if the patient has been placed on comfort care (hospice) or is nearing death.
This year the Missouri Catholic Conference canceled its in-person Annual Assembly due to COVID-19. As an alternative, they are offering a podcast series, MCC from the Capitol. MCC executive director Deacon Tyler McClay hosts six great episodes focused on issues of interest and concern to Catholics. You can find the podcasts on their website and Spotify. Below is a description of one of the episodes, addressing religious liberty.
Religious Liberty in the Age of COVID-19
Vatican II proclaimed that religious liberty lays its foundation in the dignity of the human person, and that no one should be compelled to act in a manner that violates his or her conscience. But are their limits to this liberty that people of faith must accept for the common good? Bishop Mark Rivituso, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and Tom Buckley, general counsel for the archdiocese, discuss the church’s response to the recent government shutdowns due to the COVID pandemic.
Forty Days for Life
Celebrate the lives saved during the Forty Days for Life! Please join us for a closing rally chicken dinner by KOC 8400, Nov. 14 at St Andrew in Holts Summit. Speaker Stephanie Jacobson. Silent Auction. Doors open 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm. RSVP to Kathy Forck 573-821-5130.
Employment opportunities
The Diocese of Jefferson City is seeking a bi-lingual Director of Faith Formation/Youth Ministry to provide direct support for and development of parish-based youth ministers in the outreach and evangelization to faith formation and pastoral care of their youth. For more information, visit diojeffcity.org/employment.
Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri has the following career opportunities available: Director of Refugee Resettlement, Refugee Health Promotion Coordinator, Housing Counselor and Financial Education AmeriCorps Member. Job descriptions and application details can be found at cccnmo.diojeffcity.org/about-us/careers/.
Two administrative assistant positions are available at the Chancery and there are several openings in our Catholic schools. Please promote these openings.
Parishes are asked to use this form to send any updates of their parishioners: address changes, marriages, divorces, death, etc.
- As of April 27, the Chancery is no longer using PO Box 104900. Please address all correspondence to the street address 2207 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65109. The Post Office will forward mail from the PO box to the street address for up to one year, but the forwarding process will slow your delivery. Please begin using the street address immediately.
- 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.
Preventing text and email scams
A scam has hit many parishes across the United States, as well as other faith communities. The Federal Trade Commission provided information on this scam in July 2019. The email or text purports to be from a person the target knows, such as one’s pastor, a parish staff member, the bishop or someone else from the Church. If the target responds to the fake email or text, the sender will follow up with a request for some sort of monetary assistance, often for gift cards, Google Play cards or iTune cards. Please read our post to learn how to prevent yourself or parishioners from falling prey to this scam.
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!