April 1, 2020

Dear St. Gerard Majella Families,

I have been notified that one member of our parish community has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.  The parishioner attended Saturday evening Mass at our church on March 14 and tested positive on March 22 after showing symptoms. 

Out of an abundance of caution, I ask that any of you who attended the March 14 Mass and are feeling ill to contact your doctor and local health officials for further guidance.  If you attended the service and have no symptoms, health guidelines suggest that we are now past the need to self-quarantine (a total of 14 days) to ensure no exposure.

This is a difficult time that we are all trying to navigate, but with God’s guidance, we can live the words given to us by Saint Pope John Paul II, “Be Not Afraid!”

I have been working closely with the Archdiocese of St. Louis and will continue to do so to ensure we are following all directives and guidelines from government and health officials. We have implemented daily professional cleaning sessions at our parish which include disinfectants.

Due to the current stay-at-home order in St. Louis County, we have cancelled all gatherings on campus through April 22nd. Confessions remain available at the usual times: 9:30-10:00am on Sunday, 7:00pm on Wednesday (during Lent only), and 4:00-5:00pm on Saturday. The church and adoration chapel are also available for private prayer, always respecting social distancing guidelines. We have not received any new information from Archbishop Carlson about the resumption of public Masses. In the meantime, we invite you to tune into our Mass each day at 8:00am on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBCLzhlWWOlm4ixolOUj-Gg).

Please remember that contributions remain essential to the continued operation of our parish. We encourage you to use online giving through Faith Direct (https://www.sgmparish.org/Our-Parish/Church-Finances/Faith-Direct) or to mail your contributions to the parish office.

If I can be of any assistance to you or if you have further questions, I will make every effort to help.  You may also find updates and resources from the Archdiocese of St. Louis regarding COVID-19 at archstl.org/coronavirus. 

Please keep all of our parish families in your prayers as we continue through the coming weeks.  

Sincerely,

Rev. David P. Skillman

Pastor