Let us pray. Loving and faithful God, the coronavirus reminds us that we have no power and we are dependent on you. We place ourselves in your loving hands. Give eternal rest to all who have died from the virus. Place your healing hand on those who are ill, and give your protection to us in this time of fear and uncertainty. Calm our fears and help us to trust you as our faithful God. Enlighten our government and Church leaders as they are faced with important decisions. Give blessing to those in health care and protect them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. Blessed Francis Seelos, pray for us. (His life was taken while caring for the sick in the yellow fever epidemic.)

Dear Friends in Christ: In light of the announcements from President Trump and Governor Edwards today, effective immediately, public Mass cannot be celebrated. Priests may celebrate Mass privately. Wednesday night confessions scheduled for the upcoming three Wednesdays are canceled. Stations of the Cross and any other gatherings for prayer must also be canceled. All St. Joseph Altars that have not already been canceled or postponed must cancel as of today. Let us pray for those who have died because of the virus, and for the healing of those who have been affected. Let us turn to our loving God and implore his protection. This is a time to lean on our faith and to act responsibly as has been requested by our government officials. May the healing power of Jesus be with you and all you hold in your heart. Be assured of my prayers daily and I will pray for you in my private daily Mass. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. Wishing you God’s blessings, I am Sincerely in Christ, Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond Archbishop of New Orleans

Dear Parishioner, With so much uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 virus and increasing recommendations to avoid crowds and take proper safety precautions, we wanted to remind you that we have options in place now that you can use today. This option is an ideal way to support the parish and our mission should you elect to stay home and worship. Online Giving is available for you to make contributions to the church. This option makes use of current technology and security standards and allows you to easily setup recurring contributions. It also enables our church to take advantage of new tools to become more efficient. Online Giving Parishioner Benefits Secure and confidential. No need to share payment information with the church office. Efficient. Set up direct withdrawals from your checking, savings account or a credit card. Simple. Start, stop and change your contributions at any time. Convenient. No need to write a check or have cash available. Remote flexibility. You can give from virtually anywhere anytime. Online Giving is intended to be a convenient tool for you to use, and we strongly support both Online Giving and Offering Envelopes for contributions to the parish. Online Giving is the electronic way to participate in weekly offertory. Start giving online today! 1. Visit our church website at www.stjosephgretna.com and click on the online giving link for either St Joseph or St Anthony 2. Create an account. 3. Schedule your recurring gifts. Please prayerfully consider giving online. If you have any questions, contact the church office. God Bless, Fr. Gary Copping

We are very happy to announce that Sr. Jeannette Daniel, SLW and Sr Judiann Derhake, SLW who taught Montessori Kindergarten at St Anthony School for 32 yrs and will be retiring from the St Anthony School in Bunkie, LA after 15 years will be returning to our area and will be living on their own. We would like to help them obtain the necessary items needed to furnish and run their new residence. We are planning a welcome back reception for them (and a surprise house shower) on Saturday, April 18, after the 5 pm mass in the St Anthony School Cafeteria. We are seeking volunteers to help with set up and decorating and donations of cash, debit cards, or items for their new home. For more information, please call Jan Mitchell (504) 701-4391 or Toni Richard (504) 228-6913

There is obviously - and appropriately - a great deal of concern about the spread of the coronavirus. I share that concern. By now you know that I am very big on both faith and science. I applaud all the steps that are being taken by medical science to halt the spread of the coronavirus. I am incredibly disappointed by an almost nonexistent call to prayer. We should all heed the medical advice and take appropriate simple actions to lessen the risk of contracting or passing on the coronavirus. I personally find that the best force for information, which is neither minimized nor sensationalized, is the Wall Street Journal. They have an entire section dedicated to the coronavirus that is updated regularly as new information is available. At the same time that we take practical action, we need to take spiritual action. Interestingly enough, the original spread of the coronavirus relates to two major feast days of Our Lady. The first reported case was to a person named Chen on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. On December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a vendor in the Hua'nan market fell sick. Shortly thereafter, the coronavirus began a rapid spread into the population of the Wuhan region in China. In "days of old" when "pestilence" broke out, there would be a call for prayer and fasting to halt the pestilence and for recovery of those afflicted. I think we need to turn to Our Lady. The Rosary has been an incredibly important weapon in times of need for Christianity. This Lent, I ask you to say the Rosary every day for the halt of the coronavirus and the full and speedy recovery of all those afflicted. I also think it appropriate during Lent to add a sacrifice or fast to your prayers. Please remember to wash your hands and if you are sick, you may miss Mass, or, you can not drink from the chalice.