St. Mary Catholic Church
8343 Woolmarket Road, Biloxi, MS 39532-4554
Phone (228) 392-1999   Fax (228) 392-4552
E-Mail  stmarybiloxi@yahoo.com
Web:  www.stmarycc.net

March 19, 2020
To:  Members of the Saint Mary Parish Family

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
As we continue to find our way through this pandemic of the Coronavirus, I want to assure all of you that you are never far from my thoughts and prayers.  As the parish of St. Mary, we are blessed to have such a courageous family of prayers, lifting up each other in their thoughts throughout the day.  It is crucial for all of us to never lose the sense of hope that we will all pull through this ordeal, better and stronger spiritually, bound ever closer by our faith in God.  As Catholics, we firmly believe in the promises of Christ, that we will never be abandoned or forgotten.  We hold fast to all that is dear to us, the common thread running through all our lives, that together we can overcome any obstacle placed in our path. I encourage all of us to pray, using whatever method is best for you.  Rosaries and rosary pamphlets will be available in the Church, as will Stations of the Cross booklets.  There are websites and apps available for Liturgy of the Hours, Mass readings, and prayers and intercessions with the saints.  Remembering that we are all in this together will give us a stronger desire to persevere in prayer.
 
As you already know, because of the virus, we are suspending the celebration of Mass here at St. Mary.  However, Bishop Kihneman has dispensed all Catholics in the Diocese of Biloxi from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass.  Our Bishop has recommended that the Church be opened during the weekend for parishioners to come and offer prayers, praise, and worship.  Therefore, beginning this weekend, and going forward until further notice, St. Mary Church will be open from 3:00pm till 8:00pm Saturday, and again on Sunday from 7:00am till 8:00pm.  These hours should allow all members ample times to visit the Church.  I encourage everyone to choose a convenient time to visit the Church, rather than all coming at the scheduled Mass times.  We are asked to stagger our visits in order that great crowds are not in the Church at any given time.  Spread out, and give each other plenty of room.  There will be prayer and reflection resources available, and we ask that you maintain a reverent silence, in order that everyone will be allowed to pray in a quiet atmosphere.  Furthermore, we ask that only the Narthex doors and center aisles of the Church be used, as this will allow for only certain parts of the Church to be cleaned on Mondays.
 
Because all activities have been canceled until further notice, this also includes our Reconciliation Service that was scheduled for April 6th.  In order that everyone will have an opportunity to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I will hear confessions from 4:00pm till 5:00pm on Saturday, and from 9:00am till 10:00am, and 4:00pm till 5:00pm on Sunday.  We will keep this weekend schedule of confessions throughout this ordeal.
 
We encourage all parishioners to look out for one another, to pray for one another, and to reach out to all those members that are sick, homebound, or simply choose to remain home.  As household supplies run low, we would like to have a supply on hand in order to get necessities to others in our family.  Have friends and family call the office if they are in need, or simply to let us know that they're okay.  If you have any extra items such as toilet paper and cleaning supplies, they can be brought to the Church and dropped in the boxes available.
 
In order to reach the largest numbers of St. Mary parishioners, I am strongly encouraging everyone to sign up for Facebook.  Even I have had my reservations in the past, but in this current time, Facebook is the best resource to get information out to everybody at once.  Whatever your hesitation may be, please set that aside and sign up.  We don't want anyone left out.  However, there are still those that are unable to sign up for Facebook, so it is encouraged that everyone visiting the Church pick up a bulletin and other bits of information to be shared with others.  Everything posted on Facebook will be available in the Church bulletin, and this will include links to various prayer and devotional websites.
 
On Mondays at 2:30pm, the Church will be cleaned.  If you would like to help out in this vital ministry, you are encouraged to stop by.  If you have any questions or concerns, please call Marcie at the office.
 
We are also asking for ushers to be available during the open hours of the Church to greet fellow parishioners, to help point out available resources, and to watch over the flock as they pray.  Thad Andersen is heading up this ministry and can be contacted at 228-341-6054.
 
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I encourage all the faithful to continue their level of financial giving.  As we continue to see that the Church operates efficiently during this time, it is vital that St. Mary remain financially and fiscally strong.  Your weekly offerings, regardless of how large or small, will ensure that our beloved parish also weathers this storm.  Your offering can be brought to the Church and dropped in the basket, it can be mailed in, or a credit card can be used at the credit card reader in the narthex of the Church.  Ushers will be available to assist, and protect, in any way possible.
 
My Brothers and Sisters, it is my sincere prayer that this virus passes quickly and without harming anyone.  I want everyone to stay safe.  Do whatever is necessary to assure yourself a sense of calm and security, and the knowledge that no one is on this journey alone.  We all want to get back to our old lives, the business as usual, and it will come.  But until that day arrives, know that I am here for you.  Contact me for whatever reason, or no reason at all.  Together we can see each other through these trying times.  And it is my firm belief that we will be stronger, holier, and closer to one another as a family when this is all over.  I look forward to seeing all of you soon.
 
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. G.
Pastor
 
PLEASE SEE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE - ST. MARY PARISH, BILOXI -  FOR ALL CURRENT INFORMATION

Upcoming Saint Mary Catholic Church Mass schedule (subject to change):
ALL MASSES THAT ARE LIVE-STREAMED WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
 Saturday March 28
Church open for prayer, praise and worship 3 PM till 8 PM
Reconciliation offered 4 PM till 5 PM
Sunday March 29
Church open for prayer, praise and worship 7 AM till 8 PM
Reconciliation offered 9 AM till 10 AM and 4 PM till 5 PM
Mass will be live-streamed on the St. Mary Parish, Biloxi fb page at 11 AM in the chapel
Saturday April 4
Church open for prayer, praise and worship 3 PM till 8 PM
Reconciliation offered 4 PM till 5 PM
Sunday April 5   Palm Sunday
Church open for prayer, praise and worship 7 AM till 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM till 8 PM
Reconciliation offered 9 AM till 10 AM and 4 PM till 5 PM
Mass will be live-streamed on the St. Mary Parish, Biloxi fb page at 11 AM.  The church will be closed at this time (10:30 AM till 12:30 PM).
Thursday April 9   Holy Thursday
Mass will be live-streamed on the St. Mary Parish, Biloxi fb page at 7 PM
Friday April 10   Good Friday
Mass will be live-streamed on the St. Mary Parish, Biloxi fb page at 3 PM
Saturday April 11   Easter Vigil
Church open for prayer, praise and worship 3 PM till 6 PM
Confession offered 4 PM till 5 PM
Easter Vigil will be live-streamed on the St. Mary Parish, Biloxi fb page at 7 PM
Sunday April 12   Easter
Church open for prayer, praise and worship 7 AM till 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM till 8 PM
Reconciliation offered 9 AM till 10 AM and 4 PM till 5 PM
Mass will be live-streamed on the St. Mary Parish, Biloxi fb page at 11 AM.  The church will be closed at this time (10:30 AM till 12:30 PM).
 
•We ask that only the Narthex doors and center aisles of the Church be used. •Please practice appropriate social distancing and observe reverent silence.  Thank you.
•All pertinent and up-to-date information will be published to our Saint Mary face book page ONLY.   FB page name:  St. Mary Parish, Biloxi
•The church and chapel will be sanitized each Mondays at 2:30 PM.  If you would like to help, please just show up at the church.  Thank you.
•If there is an emergency or you need to contact Father Gillespie, please call him at 228-999-0200, church secretary Marcie Kearns at 228-363-9283, or the parish office at 228-392-1999.

 
NEW PARISH OFFICE HOURS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9 AM to 2 PM
Friday 9 AM to 1:30 PM

SAVE THE DATE!!
2020 Vacation Bible School
Rocky Railway
Jesus’ Power Pulls Us Through
Dates June 15-19
Time 9am- noon
Ages 3- completed 6th grade
 
NEW MASS INTENTIONS POLICY
In order to allow ALL Parishioners an opportunity to schedule Masses, we are implementing the following procedure:
Mass requests for the next calendar year will be accepted beginning September first.  Parishioners may request more than one date/time during the year but the following will apply:
1. Requests will be randomly sorted. 
2. Up to three dates/times requested by the first person will be entered on the schedule. The request page will go to the back of the requests.
3. Up to three dates/times requested by the second person will be
entered on the schedule.   The request page will go to the back of the requests.
4. This will continue with all requests until all masses have been
scheduled.  If your requested dates are not available, alternate dates/times will be allotted as near as possible to the dates requested.
*Please include your email or mailing address with your request so that your schedule may be given to you.



 



 






 

 


Mass Schedule
​ Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri: 8:00AM; & Wed: 6:30PM
​ Sat. 5:00PM;  Sunday 8:30AM, 11:00AM, & 5:00PM (LIFETEEN)
Confession Sat. 4:30PM
Come Join Us!

St Mary in motion: