To all our Parishioners and Friends

Dear Friends,

     Decisions made this past week concerning the COVID-19 Virus have affected all of us personally and as a church.  So we feel it important to tell you how this affects St. Jerome Parish.

              First of all it’s good to report that Fr. Bill Jerse is doing much better now and will be moved soon to a rehab facility.  We will keep you informed about his progress, so keep the prayers going!

St. Jerome School is closed for the next three weeks and all school activities have been cancelled.  The school office number is 216-486-3587 and the website is stjeromecleveland.org/school/

The Bishops of Ohio have dispensed Catholics from the obligation to participate in Mass on Sundays and have suspended all publicly celebrated liturgies at least through Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020.

Sunday remains a Holy Day and we are encouraged to pray privately in our homes using the Word Among Us, The Little Black Book, the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Stations of the Cross.  On Sundays, Mass can be viewed on Fox 8 at 11:30 am, on EWTN at 8 am or Cox 45 at 11:30 am.  Several parishes are livestreaming Mass on their websites or Facebook. 

St. Jerome church building will be closed for the immediate future. The Rectory office will be open only on Monday and Thursday mornings from 9-12.  We will check phone messages and email at  jeromeclev@dioceseofcleveland.org.  We will make updates available on our webpage at www.stjeromecleveland.org.

Regarding the sacraments:

Funerals will be celebrated with the Rite of Committal at the cemetery with only immediate family members attending.  A Memorial Mass will then be scheduled after the crisis has passed.

Anointing of the Sick & Confessions will be celebrated only if the person is in danger of death.

Baptisms will be postponed indefinitely unless a child is seriously ill.                                                  continued

Weddings should be rescheduled, if at all possible, after the crisis has passed.

First Communion is postponed and religious education classes are suspended.

Communion calls to homes are suspended.  Eucharistic Ministers are not permitted to bring communion to the sick or to hospital patients.

If you have questions about the sacraments, please call the Rectory at 216-481-8200.

Our parish priests will offer private Masses for the intentions listed in the parish bulletin.  Let us pray for those who have the virus, their families, and those who have died.

Finally, Catholics have always joined together in prayer during times of crisis throughout the ages.  We have ministered to the sick, attended to the dying and buried the dead.  May this unprecedented time in our history be a time we remember who we are – disciples of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.  May we continue to demonstrate the love of God and our neighbor.  In addition, may we remember to pray for everyone involved as we weather the storm.

As Pope Francis reminds us, we should be reaching out to our communities and praying in solidarity with the Church around the world.  He offered this prayer to Mary, mother of Jesus:  O Mary, you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and hope.  We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.  You, Salvation of the People, know what we need and we are sure you will provide so that, as in Cana of Galilee, we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial.  Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father, and to do as we are told by Jesus, who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection.  Amen.

May the Lord bless and guide us in these difficult times.

Fr. Bill Jerse   Fr. Francis Walsh

Marguerite DiPenti

Adele Markert

Read More on St. Jeromes
Volume 12, Issue 4, Posted 4:35 PM, 04.01.2020