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As I write this letter I am also working on my homily for this Sunday Mass, where we will hear the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from his tomb. What a welcome image. What a welcome promise, that from the tomb comes new life. As we hunker down in our "tombs" of quarantine, may we never lose sight of this promise that our Lord makes to us. This has been in my mind as I walk through the empty basilica daily to pray for our community, our country, and our world. This too shall pass.
There is no doubt that the Coronavirus and the order to "stay in place" has challenged all of us. I speak for the staff and heads of ministries when I say that it has challenged me to come up with new and creative ways to connect with people. No, the situation is not ideal, but we are up to the challenge, aren't we? Out of this "tomb" a new ministry has emerged to reach out to the elderly in our community, to shop for their groceries and pick up their prescriptions.
We are also tapping into technological resources that we have not used before. Facebook to livestream Mass, and Zoom, a video conference call software, to conduct meetings and faith formation classes. If there is a silver lining in all this, it is that we are rediscovering the importance of our Catholic faith, and what a privilege it is to practice it with others.
With that in mind, part of the challenge we face as a community is looking to the future and planning ahead, so that, when we are allowed to return to the Basilica, we will continue to experience our faith in this renewed spirit of joyful creativity and gratitude. A major factor that will contribute to the success of this vision is your financial contributions.
In the past couple of weeks, a number of parishioners have asked me about what I plan to do in order to make up for the money we will inevitably lose due to the cancelled Masses, the primary source of our income. They did not ask me this because they were glad to not have to contribute. They asked because they were genuinely concerned about their parish, their home away from home. That struck me deeply.
So, this is what I am doing, I am asking you to consider joining me, and many other parishioners, in taking advantage of another technological resource, Faith Direct. Faith Direct is a secure electronic giving program that will enable St. Joseph Basilica to receive the support it needs while we are apart from one another.
Through Faith Direct you can make all of your usual contributions to St. Joseph automatically from your bank account or credit card, just as you may do now with other monthly bills and payments. Faith Direct is simple and convenient for you, beneficial for the environment, and helpful to the parish, as it allows us to have a more predictable revenue source for budgeting during uncertain times like these.
You can review the enrollment process by clicking on the YouTube link here, which gives you a quick look at how easy it is to enroll and manage your account. For more information, you can visit the Faith Direct website (Church code: CA 702), email [email protected], or call their toll-free number, 866-507-8757, to speak with someone directly.
If you would like to speak with someone at St. Joseph, please call our office manager, Stan Schonberg, at 510-995-9411, or email him at [email protected]. If you would like to sign up for Faith Direct today, please do so here. If you prefer to wait and mail in your gifts, you can send them to: St. Joseph Basilica - 1109 Chestnut Street - Alameda, CA 94501.
To those of you who are already participating in Faith Direct, I offer my sincere thanks. To those who are not, I am grateful for your prayerful consideration of this request, not to give more than you ordinarily do, but to give in a new way. Adjusting to this way of giving may be another one of those challenges we are all facing at this time, but looking to the future of St. Joseph Basilica, I am convinced that participating in Faith Direct will enable the parish we love to stand on a firm foundation for years to come so that we can continue to practice our faith with confidence, peace, and joy, no matter what challenges come our way.
May God continue to bless us as our Lenten journey to Easter comes to completion.
Your brother in Christ,
Father Mario
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