Flannery O'Connor film debuts online July 17

(CNS photo)

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "Flannery," a documentary about the life and writings of Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor, opens in select virtual cinemas nationwide July 17.
Previously, the movie, which won the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film in 2019, has only been shown in film festivals and college campuses.
The movie screenings have always been followed by discussions with the film's directors, not only about the movie itself, but about issues raised in it by O'Connor's writings on race, sexism and faith.
The online viewings, listed at www.flanneryfilm.com/calendar, will follow a similar pattern, of sorts, this year with four live, virtual discussions on Facebook with filmmakers, a guest moderator and panelists focusing on O'Connor themes. The discussions -- at www.facebook.com/flanneryfilm/events -- will focus specifically on race, faith, the craft of writing and O'Connor's disability. She died in in 1964 at age 39 from Lupus complications.
--Carol Zimmermann, Catholic News Service

Northern Illinois Food Bank slates deliveries in Rockford Diocese

(Observer photo/Penny Wiegert)

DIOCESE—The Northern Illinois Food bank serves several of the Rockford Diocese’s 11 counties. Scheduled mobile food pantry deliveries in the diocese are in the following counties:

Boone

June 13: 10-11:30 a.m., Zion Lutheran Church, 1300 Pearl St., Belvidere

June 30: 4-5:30 p.m., General Mills Park, 301 High Line St., Belvidere

Kane

June 1: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.,MLK Park, 42 N. Farnsworth Ave., Aurora

June 11: 5-6:30 p.m., Carpentersville Middle School, 100 Cleveland Ave., door 20, Carpenterville

June 15: 10-11:30 a.m., Main Baptist Church, 814 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora

June 16: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Cornerstone Park, 1540 Mulberry Ln., Elgin

McHenry

June 2: 4-5:30 p.m., St Margret Mary Parish, 111 S. Hubbard St., Algonquin

June 5: 3:30-5 p.m., Harvard Moose Lodge, 22500 Illinois Rte. 173, Harvard

June 6: 10-11:30 a.m., Fellowship of Faith Lutheran Church, 6120 Mason Hill Road, McHenry

June 9: 10-11:30 a.m., Church of Holy Apostles Parish, 5211 W. Bull Valley Road, McHenry

June 13: 2-3:30 p.m., First Church Crystal Lake, 236 W. Crystal Lake Ave., Crystal Lake

June 29: 4-5:30 p.m., Church of Holy Apostles Parish, 5211 W. Bull Valley Road, McHenry

Ogle

June 10: 3-4:30 p.m., Shangri La Mobile Home Park, 10978 East Fisher Road, Rochelle

Stephenson

June 3: 12-1:30 p.m., Freeport Fire Station 1, 904 S. Park Blvd., Freeport

June 9: 12-1:30 p.m., St. Joseph Parish, 229 W. Washington, Freeport

June 17: 12-1:30 p.m., Freeport Fire Station 1, 904 S. Park Blvd., Freeport

June 30: 4-5:30 p.m., Lena-Winslow Food Pantry Parking Lot, 130 1/2 Main, Lena

Winnebago

June 1: 10-11:30 a.m., City First Church, 5950 Spring Creek Rd., Rockford

June 8: 9-10:30 a.m., Collier Gardens, 2901 Searles Ave., Rockford

June 29: 12-12:50 p.m., Robert Johnston Apartments, 1615 Blackhawk Blvd., South Beloit

June 29: 1-1:50 p.m., D’Agnolo Garden Apartments, 806 Kocher St., Rockton

Info: Northern Illinois Foodbank website https://solvehungertoday.org

Masses resume at some parishes in Rockford Diocese

(Observer illustration/Sharon Boehlefeld)

Diocese of Rockford part of statewide measures to return to safe worship

ROCKFORD—In a letter written May 13 to the priests and the Catholic faithful, Bishop David Malloy announced the plan to bring the public back to Mass in church.
As individual parishes meet criteria to open, they have been able to offer Masses with up to 10 people present since May 25.
Bishop Malloy, along with the bishops of the Chicago Province, developed a multi-phased plan in consultation with and with the agreement of state and local public health officials and civil authorities. 
In the Rockford Diocese, the plan has been called Back in His Presence.
The plan allows for a gradual return to Mass that respects access to the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion) and the health and safety of the priests and their congregations and follows local guidelines for public gatherings.
Local adaptations to this plan will be communicated to parishioners through the parishes and their social media platforms, through the diocesan website and through the Diocese of Rockford Facebook pages. 
Look for information released by the bishop, including a letter, the outlines of plans dioceses in Illinois will follow, a video explaining the changes and other information at the diocesan website at https://www.rockforddiocese.org/.

Read more at http://observertoo.rockforddiocese.org/

Bishop Malloy extends Mass dispensation

(Observer file photo) 2019 Chrism Mass

DIOCESE--Bishop David Malloy has extended permission for Catholics in the Rockford Diocese to be absent from Sunday Mass indefinitely. With the Illinois Stay at Home directive extended at least through April 30, the bishop has decided also to remove the pain of sin for missing Mass for the near future.
In a letter issued April 9, he said, "Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday itself will be for us special acts of faith this year. Because we hope and trust in Christ, even without the opportunity to be physically present for the Masses and ceremonies, we know that we can join the Church of all time and throughout the world in venerating Christ’s suffering and death and in spiritually uniting ourselves to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, even if we can only watch by television or social media."
Read his complete letter at http://www.rockforddiocese.org/
Bishop Malloy will celebrate the traidtional Triduum Masses and services at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford, but the church will be empty of the faithful.

Triduum and Easter streaming schedule

The Chrism Mass begins at 11 a.m. April 9. The bishop will celebrate with Msgr. Glenn Nelson, Vicar General; Father Stephen St. Jules, cathedral rector' and masters of ceremonies.At 7 p.m., the bishop will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the cathedral. 
He will celebrate Good Friday, April 10 at 2 p.m.
His Easter Vigil Mass on April 11 will be at 7:30 p.m.
Look for links to the streamed events at the Rockford Diocese Facebook page.

Televised and streamed Easter Mass

Bishop Malloy's April 12 Easter Sunday Mass will air at 10:30 a.m. on WREX Channel 13 in Rockford. (Check local listings and cable channel numbers.) The Easter Mass will also be streamed at https://wrex.com/news/wrex-live-stream/ and on the WREX Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wrextv/ 
The Diocese of Rockford will share the link on its Facebook page.
WREX has been the home of the weekly Sunday Catholic Mass for more than 50 years.
Priests at all diocesan parishes may also celebrate Holy Week and Easter Masses and other services without the faithful present and may stream those services online. Check with your parish for details.

UPDATE: EWTN to broadcast Pope Francis' prayer and message LIVE March 27

EWTN has changed its schedule for Pope Francis' prayer and extraordinary Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) message on March 27.
EWTN, a multimedia operation founded by the late Mother Angelica, will broadcast the message live at noon Central Time on March 27. 
Tape-delayed presentations will still be aired March 27 at 7 p.m., and on March 28 at 4 a.m. All times are Central.

The station is carried on many cable networks, but streaming is available at https://www.ewtn.com/tv/watch-live/united-states. In addition to the pope's message Friday, EWTN will also stream Holy Week and Easter services from the Vatican. 

Daily Masses are aired several times each day, as are prayer opportunities, including the "Rosary with Mother Angelica."

The pope will speak at 6 p.m. Rome time on Friday. Read more about his message at Vatican News.

USCCB encourages Catholics to pray with the pope at 6 a.m. March 25

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is encouraging Catholics in the U.S. to pray the Our Father at the same time as Pope Francis on March 25.
For people in the Diocese of Rockford, that means joining him at 6 a.m., not to wait until 12 noon, as previously suggested.
To do so, the USCCB instructs us to go to the Vatican News Service at 6 a.m.

Read The Observer free online until further notice

DIOCESE--The Observer will be available free online until further notice, said Penny Wiegert, editor, in an open letter on March 23. She wrote:

Dear Readers,

During this difficult time of seclusion and isolation caused by the coronavirus it is more important than ever that we stay connected as a family of faith.

To help you be spiritually nourished and kept up-to-date on diocesan directives during this time, The Observer Catholic Newspaper will be accessible FREE OF CHARGE  online at http://observertoo.rockforddiocese.org/ .

During this pandemic you can now find The Observer on your computer, tablet, laptop or mobile device. The Observer staff will do everything possible to keep the Catholic faithful in our 11-county diocese up-to-date with special prayers being offered by the Holy Father Pope Francis, Bishop David Malloy and other initiatives offered as the world combats the coronavirus. We will continue offering insight from all our local columnists including Bishop Malloy as well as local inspiration from people living their faith.

We value our faithful subscribers who make our work possible with their $28 annual subscriptions and will continue to mail our print editions to them. We pray for a swift end to this terrible health crisis and when that happens,  we will again have the newspaper both print and digital exclusive to those who pay for it.

However, at this extraordinary time for all of us, it is vital for us to be united in as many aspects of our faith as possible.

Thank you and may God guide you and keep you from all harm.

Sincerely,

Penny Wiegert
Editor

El Observador, the Diocese of Rockford Spanish newspaper, is also free at http://elobservadortoo.rockforddiocese.org/

March 21: Diocesan Chorale cancels rehearsal

DIOCESE--Father Jared Twenty, diocesan chorale director has cancelled the March 21 rehearsal in Geneva for the Chrism Mass due to the situation with the coronavirus. Decisions will be made later for the rehearsals scheduled April 4 and 9.

Bishop Malloy to celebrate Masses online, offers Wednesday devotions

ROCKFORD--Understanding the hardship on Catholics posed by the suspension of public Masses in the Diocese of Rockford, Bishop David Malloy  will celebrate Sunday Masses online.

• The Masses will be celebrated March 22 and March 29 at 9 a.m. (Extending that suspension will be evaluated and announced on or before April 3). The Masses will be on the diocesan website at www.rockforddiocese.org and on the diocesan Facebook page live.
• Bishop Malloy will offer other prayers and devotion every Wednesday during the suspension of Masses. His Wednesday reflections begin with his introductory video March 18 and can be viewed for the next two Wednesdays at 12 Noon on www.rockforddiocese.org and on the Diocese of Rockford Facebook page.

“We are people of hope, we are people who have our trust in our faith and in our God who gives us the grace that we need even if we are not physically able to access the Mass at this time,” the bishop said in his announcement.
Bishop Malloy said the Masses and devotions are just one way he can help provide some “spiritual nourishment” to Catholics during this very difficult time of pandemic.

Rockford Diocese Suspends Mass through April 4

ROCKFORD—Bishop David Malloy has suspended daily and Sunday Masses throughout the Rockford Diocese in a letter released March 17 just before 2 p.m. The suspension goes into effect immediately and continues through April 4.
He also added changes to ongoing restrictions of diocesan and parish activities in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus threat. In brief, the changes include:

• Masses — daily, Sunday and holy day — are suspended March 17-April 4. Extensions will be considered as necessary. Priests will continue to say private Masses to pray for us.
• All Catholics in the Rockford Diocese are dispensed (excused) from Mass attendance for the same period. 
• The Diocesan Administration Center in Rockford will be closed March 18-March 31. Extensions will be considered as necessary.

To read the full statement, go to https://www.rockforddiocese.org/

Additionally, several diocesan evens have been postponed or cancelled in order to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in accord with recommendations from local, state and national health agencies. This list does not include individual parish events. Please check your local parish website or social media page for their closings and/or postponed listings.

Postponed

• All Confirmations beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020
• Mass of Thanksgiving, March 26, Cathedral of St. Peter, 6 p.m.
• Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention, April 4, Cathedral of St. Peter
• 2020 Diocesan Appeal Trainings for Parishes scheduled for March 18 Rockford Deanery, March 19 Elgin Deanery, March 25, McHenry Deanery and March 26 for the Sterling Deanery. (Watch for interactive web based meeting solutions)
• The Ministry Formation Office has suspended  DTI class Ten Popes who Shook the World (March 14 and 21), CLCP class (March 14, possibly April 18), and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday classes for Ministry Formation Program until further notice Specialization Day on March 28 is also postponed.

Cancelled

• Life Advocacy Day at the Capitol, March 25
• Be Reconciled Day, April 1, All Parishes 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Watch Bishop Malloy's video

Late Friday, Bishop David Malloy issued a video about coronavirus. Watch it at https://www.rockforddiocese.org/.

Rockford Diocese to continue Masses, cancel or suspend other activities

ROCKFORD--Bishop David Malloy of the Diocese of Rockford just issued a statement outlining changes in the diocesan response to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The diocese earlier had been following its flu virus practices, but in his letter, the bishop wrote, "With further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and, more recently, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and in reviewing the guidance of the health departments of the counties comprising the diocese, taking into account our pastoral mission and service to all members of the faithful and the public, I am hereby issuing the following statement."

Highlights of his message are:

• Masses will continue as scheduled at all parishes.To reduce overcrowding, priests are being asked to schedule additional Masses where possible and to make their parishioners aware of nearby Masses that may be less crowded.

For the weekends of of March 14-15 through March 28-29:

• People with other illnesses, who are over 60 or "are in any way uncomfortable in gatherings involving a large number of people" are dispensed from attending Sunday Mass.
• Distribution of the Precious Blood in the chalice, as well as physical contact at the sign of peace and the Our Father are suspended. Parishes are to sanitize and refresh holy water regularly or to empty the fonts.

Additionally:

• Confirmations will continue, but without Masses. Only immediate family members will be allowed to attend.
• The Diocesan Administration Center in Rockford will be open for employees only. No visitors will be allowed until further notice.
• The Bishop Lane Retreat Center west of Rockford will be closed.
• Parish non-sacramental events are cancelled until further notice.
• Sacramental retreats are cancelled, but those preparing for sacraments will be allowed to continue.
• Diocesan elementary and high schools will close on March 16. All will use e-learning systems already in place while the buildings are closed. (See below)

The full message is available at https://www.rockforddiocese.org/pdfs/announcements/COVID-19%20Statement.13March2020.pdf.

Additional resources

On the diocesan website at https://www.rockforddiocese.org/covid-19/ there are also links to other resources about the COVID-19 coronavirus and to all 11 county health departments in the Rockford Diocese.

There are also several options for watching Sunday Masses on TV and online, including the diocesan TV Mass, which airs at 6 a.m. on WREX Channel 13 from Rockford and is available at http://www.rockforddiocese.org/tv-mass/.
Bishop Malloy encouraged people who choose not to attend Mass to devote time to prayer or reviewing the Sunday readings at home.

Watch for additional updates as they become available at https://www.rockforddiocese.org at on other diocesan and communications social media.

School changes

The staff of the diocesan Education Office also issued changes to coordinate with the bishop's suspension of school attendance.

• All athletic, extra-curricular, and co-curricular activities both on and off-site are cancelled immediately.
• Administrators are encouraged to have school or parish maintenance staff to do a deep cleaning of their buildings and limit access to them until further notice.
• Families and staff with travel plans outside the continental United States during spring break are to inform their school administrator and place themselves on a 14-day self-quarantine from the day they return from the trip.

The full statement will be posted at https://www.ceorockford.org/

CANCELLATIONS

As precaution becomes more important to stem the spread of the coronavirus, several events Catholics in the Rockford Diocese are involved in have already been cancelled.

Cancellations

A Day of Reflection -- March 14 
“Living the Evangelical Counsels in the World” with  Father Joel Rippinger, OSB, originally scheduled March 14 at St. Rita Parish in Rockford has been rescheduled for May 9. Watch for more information from the Secular Carmelites community who were hosting the event.

Susan Walker 

Schulenberg photo

Rest in His Arms Angel Gowns -- March 21

A sewing event for Rest in His Arms Angels Gowns scheduled March 21 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Crystal Lake. Watch for future events at https://www.facebook.com/groups/RestinHisArmsAngelGowns/.

Rockford Diocese Life Advocacy Day -- March 25

The Rockford Diocese Life and Family Evangelization Office forwarded this message from the Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network and cancelling the March 25 diocesan trip to Springfield.

On March 11, 2020, the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State issued the following notification:

Until Further Notice:

Limiting Gatherings at the Illinois State Capitol Building

As you are aware, the coronavirus poses a serious threat to the public health and welfare. We are seeking your assistance in our efforts to limit the possibilities for the transmission of this disease. Permits for all scheduled tours of the Capitol Building and all events scheduled to take place at the Capitol Building have been cancelled. However, we are aware that organizations sometimes make plans to meet at the Capitol without going through the formality of contacting our office for an event permit. If any of your clients have scheduled any lobbying days or other events at the Capitol Building, please contact them and tell them that all such events at the Capitol Building have been cancelled, and that this cancellation extends to their events as well. We appreciate your cooperation in our efforts to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

As a result, all Life Advocacy Days have been cancelled, including the Diocese of Rockford Life Advocacy Day scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

We encourage everyone to join the Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network (I-CAN) to receive future notifications and Action Alerts issued by the Catholic Conference of Illinois. 

Watch for information from the Diocesan Life and Family Evangelization Office at https://www.rockforddiocese.org/life/ or join I-CAN at https://www.ilcatholic.org/take-action/join-i-can/.

Watch here for more cancellations as we are made aware of them.

Send cancellation of parish, school and Catholic organization events in the Rockford Diocese to sboehlefeld@rockforddiocese.org.