Livestreamed, taped, television and radio broadcasts of Masses are available

As efforts continue to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is following guidelines established by public health and Church officials.

On March 16, the Catholic Conference of Ohio, which consists of Catholic bishops from throughout the state, amplified its March 12 announcement of a dispensation from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass for the weekends of March 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29. The bishops said no publicly celebrated Masses/liturgies are to be celebrated through Holy Week/Easter.

A video from Father Don Oleksiak, diocesan administrator, about the Mass dispensation can be viewed here.

Despite not having publicly celebrated Masses, there are many opportunities to view or listen to Mass online, on television, on Facebook or on the radio.

The Diocese of Cleveland presents a television Mass at 6 a.m. every Sunday on Fox 8 and at 11:30 a.m. Sundays on Cox Cable channel 45. Beginning the afternoon of March 14, that weekly Mass also can be viewed on the diocesan website. Father Robert Marva, OFM, pastor of St. Agnes + Our Lady of Fatima Parish, was the celebrant and homilist for the March 14-15 liturgy.

A growing number of parishes throughout the diocese also offer a livestreamed or taped Mass that can be viewed on the parish website, Facebook page or other platforms. Among those offering this opportunity are:

  • St. Victor Parish, Richfield, streams the 5 p.m. Saturday Mass on its Facebook page and website.

  • St. Raphael Parish, Bay Village, streams Mass live at 11 a.m. Sundays on its website. Archived videos of some previously streamed Masses also are available.

  • SS. Robert and William Parish, Euclid, livestreams its 11 a.m. Sunday Mass on its Facebook page.

  • St. Ladislas Parish, Westlake, livestreams a Sunday Mass that is available by 11 a.m. Sundays on its website.

  • St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood offers a tape delay broadcast of a Sunday Mass on its website at 1 p.m. Sundays. The parish also plans to tape and broadcast stations of the cross and the Easter triduum liturgies.

  • St. Patrick Parish in West Park also offers a taped Sunday Mass on its website. It is planning to offer Friday stations of the cross, as well.

  • St. Ambrose Parish in Brunswick offers opportunities to view the 4:30 p.m. vigil Mass at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays on its website.

  • Church of the Gesu in University Heights began taping the Sunday Mass last weekend. It can be watched on the parish YouTube site.

Other parishes may provide a taped broadcast of the Sunday homily on the parish website, Facebook page, YouTube channel or another platform. Check with your parish for more information.

In addition, several other parishes are planning to offer taped or livestreamed Masses or are considering that option. Again, check with your parish for more information.

And with the March 16 announcement of no publicly celebrated Masses/liturgies in all dioceses throughout Ohio, some parishes will be taping or broadcasting additional Masses as well as stations of the cross. Check the parish website for updates

Also, check with your cable or streaming provider for other channels, including EWTN that offer broadcasts of a television Mass.

EWTN broadcasts the Daily Mass live at 8 a.m. from Our Lady of the Angels Chapel on the EWTN campus in Irondale, Alabama. It is re-aired at noon and again at 7 p.m. Watch live on TV or via streaming here.

Listen to the EWTN Mass live on the radio, SIRIUS/XM, or listen online here.

If you missed the livestream, the entirety of the daily Mass can be found on demand here.

To find EWTN on your local cable/satellite provider, click here or to find the radio schedule, click here to find our radio schedule.

Cleveland’s Catholic radio station AM 1260 The Rock broadcasts the EWTN Mass. Also, Sirius XM 129 The Catholic Channel broadcasts Mass daily except for Saturday.

While these broadcast opportunities do not fulfill a normal Sunday Mass obligation, they offer the ill, elderly and homebound a chance to hear or see the liturgy and an opportunity for prayer.

In addition to dispensing with the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, all schools in Ohio are closed for at least the next three weeks at the direction of the state. This includes school-sponsored activities, events, clubs, athletics, etc. through at least April 3.

Gatherings of 100 or more also are cancelled until further notice, again at the direction of the state. This includes parish fish fries – unless arrangements can be made for drive-through orders that will abide by the guidelines established by the state. Some parishes offered the drive-through service beginning last weekend.

People are reminded to follow the established health safety protocols including hand-washing, sneezing and/or coughing into a tissue or your arm near the elbow and keeping a social distance of 6 feet from other people in order to help curtail the spread of the virus. Click here to review the steps to prevent illness.

Visit the public health page of the diocesan website for updated information on how the coronavirus is impacting the diocese and precautions to take to protect yourself and others from the virus.

https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/2020/03/16/livestreamed-taped-television-and-radio-broadcasts-of-masses-are-available

Masses Cancelled Through Easter

MASSES CANCELLED THROUGH EASTER

We just received a letter from the Bishops of Ohio pertaining to the celebration of Mass through Easter. Please read the letter below.

For now, our parish office will remain open and we will receive phone calls during our regular office hours this week.

Throughout this pandemic, I will communicate with you via this website as more information becomes available to me and as we determine how the parish can best serve you during this trying time.

Let us keep each other in prayer, especially those suffering from the many effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

—Fr. James Schmitz, Pastor

March 16, 2020

RE: Catholic Bishops of Ohio Suspend All Publicly Celebrated Masses/Liturgies

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

After serious consideration of the grave health risk involved in public gatherings and in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the bishops of Ohio have decided, effective immediately, to suspend temporarily all publicly celebrated Masses/liturgies, at least through the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter. The bishops of Ohio dispense the Catholic faithful who reside in their respective dioceses and all other Catholics currently in Ohio from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass through Easter Sunday.

This decision is not taken lightly and, as your bishops, causes us great sadness. However, after consultation with the governor and health officials we are convinced that this is the most prudent and necessary action.

Science has proven that participation in public gatherings significantly increases the risk of contagion. This poses a serious danger to those especially most vulnerable.

As Catholics, in every Sunday Mass we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. In this moment, we are experiencing in a unique way the passion of our Lord as this pandemic prevents us from gathering for the Sunday Eucharist. In this very difficult time, we encourage the faithful to turn to the Church’s treasury of prayer. Sunday remains a holy day, and we encourage the faithful to pray using the rich resources of our faith, including praying as a family or individually the rosary, divine mercy chaplet, the Liturgy of the Hours, stations of the cross, etc. We also urge you to participate in prayer by way of radio broadcast or televised or livestreamed Mass and make a spiritual communion.

Please join us in praying for all who are suffering from illness or disease of any kind, for all health care workers, and for an easing of the anxiety and tension caused by this situation. Relying on the motherly care of Our Lady, we unite our sufferings to those of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our healing and our hope.

Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr Chairman
Catholic Conference of Ohio Archbishop of Cincinnati

Most Rev. Robert J. Brennan Bishop of Columbus

Most Rev. Jeffrey M. Monforton Bishop of Steubenville

Most Rev. George V. Murry, S.J. Bishop of Youngstown

Most Rev. Joseph R. Binzer Auxiliary Bishop Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Rev. Donald P. Oleksiak
Diocesan Administrator of Cleveland

Most Rev. Daniel E. Thomas Bishop of Toledo

Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Lent

Though there are many ways to view a livestream or video of the Mass during this time, we wanted to offer the people of St. Leo the opportunity to participate in the Mass with the familiar face and voice of the Pastor. This Mass for on the Fourth Sunday of Lent was celebrated in the chapel area of our church with the Deacon and his wife Joan Berigan (the Lector) in attendance along with our sacristan, Ron Kollar. Please join us prayerfully.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPoWCtlUpl...

Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas - Pray for us!

Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas. We fly to you today as your beloved children.
We ask you to intercede for us with your Son,
as you did at the wedding in Cana.

Pray for us, loving Mother,
and gain for our nation and world,
and for all our families and loved ones,
the protection of your holy angels,
that we may be spared the worst of this illness.

For those already afflicted,
we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance. Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful, wipe away their tears and help them to trust.

In this time of trial and testing,
teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind.
Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts.

We come to you with confidence,
knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother, health of the sick and cause of our joy.

Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, keep us in the embrace of your arms,
help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Thursday, March 12, 2020 Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order regarding the avoidance of large mass gatherings to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in Ohio.

Even though religious gatherings are expressly excluded in the order, the Catholic bishops of Ohio -- out of concern for the common good and the physical as well as spiritual well-being of all of the people of Ohio -- have agreed to cooperate with the governor’s direction to create “social distance.”

Therefore, Catholic faithful who reside in Ohio and all other Catholics currently in Ohio are dispensed from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass for the weekends of March 14-15, March 21- 22 and March 28-29.

Out of charity and concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we encourage all the faithful, in particular those who are sick, experiencing symptoms of illness, or are at risk of illness to seriously consider refraining from Mass attendance.

As much as possible, parish Mass schedules should remain unchanged to allow the faithful to offer worship to almighty God and receive the great grace of the sacraments during this trying time. However, we recognize that this may not be possible because many of our senior priests may themselves be at risk. We ask for understanding and flexibility in this regard.

All other gatherings of 100 people are to be cancelled until further notice. This includes fish fries, bingo and other parish social, athletic or other non-liturgical or non-sacramental events of over 100 people. Parishes sponsoring fish fries may consider staging outdoor, drive-through fish fry pick-up if their parish is so configured and if the Ohio Department of Health distancing and other precautionary directives (including the 100-person indoor restriction) can be maintained.

Diocesan schools:

After school on Monday, March 16, all Ohio K-12 schools -- including Catholic schools and PSR -- will cease gathering in person for the next three weeks at the direction of the state of Ohio. This will include all school-sponsored events, activities, clubs, athletics and the like through at least April 3. Schools and parishes are also to prohibit mass gatherings of more than 100 people for the foreseeable future -- even beyond April 3 -- until the emergency has passed.

Preventative measures:

The ODH provides the following information outlining precautionary measures that people should take. These precautions are the same commonsense hygiene precautions recommended to prevent the flu, including:

  •  Avoid close contact with sick persons.

  •  Cover mouth/nose with tissue/sleeve when coughing/sneezing.

  •  Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after

    coughing/sneezing.

  •  Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth after touching objects.

  •  Practice good health habits (clean home, adequate sleep, healthy stress management).

    Thank you for taking the preventative measures prescribed by our public health officials to protect or community.

    Please continue to reference the diocesan website for continuing updates on the Church’s response to the coronavirus situation and note that the Diocese of Cleveland offers Mass on television on Fox 8 every Sunday at 6 a.m., and Mass can be on viewed on number of cable channels including ETWN, and heard on AM 1260 radio, The Rock. Check local listings.

    Please join us in praying for all who are suffering from illness or disease of any kind, and for an easing of the tension caused by this situation. May Our Lady of Lourdes, health of the sick and Mother of Mercy, intercede for us, and may the Holy Spirit continue to guide and protect us all.