Diocese of Lansing Cancels All Masses Through April 8

Includes Palm Sunday and Monday, Tuesday of Holy Week

(March 17, 2020 3:45 PM)  Today Earl Boyea, Bishop of the Lansing Catholic Diocese, announced the cancellation of all public Masses, events, and gatherings beginning March 18 and lasting, for now, through Wednesday of Holy Week (April 8). Bishop Boyea said in a letter to parishes, “we will see at that time whether these plans will have to change.” 

Private Baptisms, Marriages, and Funerals may continue but only with immediate family present.  The Bishop reminds all Catholics in the diocese that they are dispensed from the obligation of Sunday Mass participation through Easter Sunday. 

In his letter, Bishop Boyea said, “I ask our pastors to keep Churches open for private prayer.  

“The Holy Mass is our way to render back to God our worship and thanks for his many blessings to and for us, his beloved sons and daughters.  We are blessed that all our priests will continue to offer daily private Masses in order to fulfill our blessed duty to God and to lift up our needs in prayerful petition to our Heavenly Father.  Many of these daily Masses have intentions applied to them and those will be honored; in addition, feel free to submit other needs to your pastors to include at the altar. 

 “The loss of the regular reception of Holy Communion is a great cross for many; during this fast from receiving our Lord in the Eucharist please pray that Jesus will enter your hearts in an act of Spiritual Communion. As for Sunday, they have always been a day of worship for us.  Please, let these coming Sundays be times of family prayer.”

The Rev. Tim MacDonald, Pastor of Queen of the Miraculous Medal Parish said in a letter to parishioners, “This unprecedented historical decision has a cascading affect across our schedule. These are the immediate impacts:   No weekend Masses.  No Saturday 3:30pm Confessions.  No weekday Masses and devotions.  The Wednesday 5pm Holy Hour for Vocations is suspended indefinitely.  No 6pm Mass.  No Simple Supper.  The KofC Friday Fish Fry Drive Thru is cancelled.  There will be no Fish Dinners for the Remainder of Lent.  The Stations of the Cross on Fridays are cancelled.  The Monday March 23rd Queens Lenten Penance Service is cancelled.  All the Jackson area regional penance services are cancelled.

Queens Church will remain open Monday thru Thursday 6:30am – 5:30pm for prayer and the Adoration Chapel continues to operate 24 hours a day, with temporary closures for cleaning.  The Church will not be open on the weekend so as not to confuse those who show up looking for a Mass that will not occur.  

Fr. MacDonald said the parish’s technical crew is working on setting up a live stream for Sunday Mass.  The parish office is open 10am-Noon only the remainder of this week and office hours will be suspended completely and indefinitely starting next Monday the 23rd.  The staff will be working from home and essential operations will still occur.

Fr. MacDonald concluded his letter with, “Pray for one another.  Pray for our world.  Pray for a swift end to this scourge of COVID-19 and the pandemonium surrounding it.”