Pastor's Letter | March 27

3/27/20

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,
 

I hope you are doing well and not too stir-crazy! This time of quarantine is a time to grow in one of the hardest virtues to acquire– patience. As we find ourselves cooped up with our families or roommates we can strive to grow in charity. As we come to know each other's faults and foibles up close and personally, we can grow in charity through the difficulty of loving those we're in close proximity with. 

A real difficulty I find is the uncertainty of it all. Will this state of affairs last a couple weeks or a couple months or more? What will things look like afterwards– a return to normalcy, or a whole new era? It's easy to drown in anxiety and fear. But that will do us no good. That road leads only to despair. Instead turn to God: trust in His Divine Providence. Do not dwell on feelings and thoughts of panic and anxiety but turn your mind to God's goodness, to His love. Things probably won't turn out as we expect, but God will still be with us regardless of how things turn out. We need spiritual strength in order to not only make it through, but to thrive. Trust in God's grace and everything will work out for us in the end. 

Having a daily prayer schedule will help tremendously. Not succumbing to the chaos of unstructured days will prevent us from slipping into anxiety and despair or just simply wasting our time on things that fail to strengthen us for this ordeal. Setting times of prayer and fruitful recreation that build us up will help us to grow spiritually in these strange times, help us hear God's voice amidst the noise of the world, and grow in the graces He wants to give us now.

How Can St. Joseph's Help?

As we all endure the pandemic, our parish community is here to help you. Here is what we are currently doing:

• St. Joseph remains open at the same times as before, and a friar is available to hear confessions during the previous confession times, and during previous Mass times we have Adoration. See the parish webpage for details, under our 'Pandemic Schedule.'
• Starting today we'll put daily video sermons on our webpage and Facebook page. The goal is to give spiritual inspiration and strength to our parish community. 
• I'll write a weekly update on what's happening here. We'll put it on the webpage and send it out through Flocknote. If you're not receiving parish emails, go to our St. Joseph webpage (https://stjosephgv.nyc) and on the top menu, the second option from the right, go to the 'register' option, and then click on 'subscribe to email list.' Enter your contact information and then you will receive the parish emails.
• If you need help shopping or need someone to run a necessary errand for you, email the parish or leave a voicemail on the parish line, and a parish volunteer will help you.
• If you want to help lonely parishioners, or want to meet new parishioners, we are compiling a list of contact information so that people can meet and talk virtually (or over the phone). Email the parish to join in.
• If you are struggling spiritually or otherwise, send us an email or a voicemail and a friar will be happy to speak with you to provide spiritual guidance. 

Our prayers will be with you, and make sure to pray for our parish community yourselves. This trial is a time where we can all grow spiritually in the virtues that God calls us to. It is a time when we can grow in charity for each other as a community that is a part of the Body of Christ. May God abundantly bless you!

In Christ,

Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.