St. Mary Catholic Church

Welcome to the website for St. Mary Catholic Church in Pecatonica, IL.

The Diocese of Rockford has given the parishes the specific norms for reopening the parishes in the diocese. In accordance with those norms, I have formed a reopening committee to advise me and help me implement the norms. Right now, we are working on the particulars of implementing these norms at St. Mary’s. Once the particulars have been determined and further preparations have been made, I will be sending information to parishioners which will detail the steps we have taken to implement the Rockford norms, as well as descriptions of changes to how things are done before, during, and after Mass. As of right now, there is no set date when public Masses will begin again at St. Mary’s. We want to make certain that we are ready before announcing a specific date. Once we have made the necessary preparations, I will seek authorization from the Diocese to resume public Masses in conformity with the Back in His Presence directives given by the Diocese.

The Diocese has provided us with a summary of the steps that will be taken to begin a phased reopening of churches with the goal of safely resuming public Masses. Below are the links for a letter from Bishop Malloy to the people of the Diocese as well as the executive summary of this plan.

Letter from Bishop Malloy

Executive Summary of Reopening Plan

In the near future, there will be a call for volunteers to help with various aspects of this. Please prayerfully be open to volunteering so that we, as a parish, can work together to resume parish life. Thank you for your continued patience and your continued prayers during this time.

Public Masses, both weekday and Sunday, are suspended until further notice. Catholics of the Diocese of Rockford are dispensed from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass indefinitely until the time when circumstances allow for public Masses again. Because of this dispensation, there is no sin for not fulfilling the obligation to attend Sunday Mass while public Masses are suspended. Additionally, the regular confession schedule at the parish is suspended until further notice. Meetings of parish groups (e.g., The Knights of Columbus, St. Mary's Guild, etc.) have been cancelled until further notice.

Bishop Malloy's most recent letter of 9 April 2020 to the people of the Diocese can be found here. Bishop Malloy's letter of 26 March 2020 to the people of the Diocese can be found here.

Where the individual faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving absolution in the sacrament of confession, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love of God, beloved above all things, expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness and accompanied by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones, in anticipation of confession, not apart from it; mortal sins still have to be confessed later (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church §1452). Perfect contrition means a sorrow for sin out of love for God; it does not mean being “perfectly sorry.” Perfect contrition is sorrow for sin out of love for God and His goodness whereas imperfect contrition (while still a gift of God and sufficient for the sacrament of confession) is sorrow for sin due to a fear of Hell, judgment, and punishment (Catechism of the Catholic Church §1452-1453). Those who are in danger of death should call the parish emergency number: (815) 708-2308.

Fr. Jaskierny will continue to offer private Masses for the Mass intentions the parish has received. Intentions scheduled for a specific date will be offered on that date. The exception is for intentions that were scheduled for Sundays; these intentions will be rescheduled as Fr. Jaskierny will be privately offering the Sunday Mass for the people of the parish.

As Bishop Malloy wrote in his first letter concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, found here, "At this time, even if we cannot physically attend Mass, each of us needs to continue to pray daily. During this Lenten Season, consider praying over the readings for the Mass of the day which are available on line (http://www.usccb.org/bible/) or in prepared Missals." EWTN posts Mass videos on YouTube daily. Below is a video of Mass from Bishop Barron's chapel, and it is updated daily at 7:15 a.m.

During this time when public Masses are suspended, it is good to be reminded of the age-old practice of spiritual communion. When one is not able to receive Holy Communion at Mass – whether because one is not able to attend Mass, because one is not properly disposed, or for some other reason – it is possible to make a spiritual communion, which can be described as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament [in Communion at Mass] and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him.” To do this, here is a prayer of spiritual communion:

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy
Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You
into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You
sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace
You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

Bishop Malloy's letter of 17 March 2020 about the extraordinary steps taken during this pandemic can be found here.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to send in tithing envelopes. Feel free to continue to do so, or, if you prefer, you can give online (directions below) or any tithes you want to give during this suspension of public Masses could also be given once public Masses resume. However, if you have fallen on hard times due to the shutdown, I understand completely. For those who would like to give online to the parish during this time of shutdown, the Diocese has established a site where this can be done. Please go to this URL and follow the directions: https://www.rockforddiocese.org/parish-support/. Be certain to select "St. Mary - Pecatonica" from the parish dropdown menu, and type "St. Mary - Pecatonica" in the "Special Instructions" box. Thank you for your generosity!