St. Mary Catholic Church

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

Public weekend Masses are scheduled to resume at the parish starting 13-14 June. We will look into resuming daily Masses at a later date. All those wishing to attend Mass must sign up for the Mass; no walk-ins are permitted at this time. Please carefully read Fr. Jaskierny's letter to the parishioners detailing the changes that come with reopening the parish. Also starting the weekend of 13-14 June, confessions will resume on Saturdays from 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. (Tuesday morning confessions are not available at this time).

Sign Up for Mass

Fr. Jaskierny's Reopening Letter to Parishioners

Parish Reopening Executive Summary

Bishop Malloy has continued to dispense Catholics from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass at this time. While this dispensation continues, there is no sin for not fulfilling the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

In order to have public Masses, we need a team of volunteers to assist with greeting/ushering people and disinfecting the building after the Masses. Volunteers need to have no underlying health conditions and preferably be under 65 years old. With parental permission, high school students can volunteer in a more limited capacity (they could help disinfect but not greet/usher). Adult volunteers would be asked to do both the greeting and disinfecting roles at a Mass in order to more efficiently schedule the volunteers. There will be a training session to explain exactly what the volunteers would need to do. More volunteers are needed to build up our pool of volunteers, so please prayerfully consider volunteering for these important roles. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the parish at 815-239-1271 and someone will get back to you. Thank you.

For those who do not attend Mass, 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.

Pledge weekend for the 2020 Diocesan Stewardship Appeal is 6-7 June. Please read Fr. Jaskierny's message about the appeal 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!