Holy Family Parish, Stow, Ohio

Our Mission
The Catholic Church's mission is to carry out and continue the work of Jesus Christ on Earth. The Church, and those in it, must: share the Word of God and help those in need.

Please take a minute to enroll right now. You can use their simple, secure online enrollment form.

Contact Us

Resources for the Homebound

If you are unable to leave your home during this COVID-19 crisis, please know that Holy Family is here to help.  Parishioners have stepped up to volunteer to do your shopping for groceries, pick up medicine and deliver them to your home, while taking all neccessary precautions that stay within the CDC guidelines.

If you would like to request assistance, or know someone who needs assistance, please reach out to the Rectory Office at 330-688-6411 or email [email protected]

God Bless You.

Office Hours

Regular Hours
Mon - Tues: 8am-noon, 1pm-8pm
Wed - Fri: 8am-noon, 1pm-5pm
Sat: 9am-noon, 1pm-5pm
Sun: 8am-noon

March 19, 2020

Dear Parishioners,                                                  

On this Feast of St. Joseph – the Father of the Holy Family – I ask his intercession for your family’s safety and well-being. This is certainly an unplanned and nearly unimaginable time for us as a parish community and as a nation. It is a shaping moment for us, but it will not define us.  I have faith that Jesus accompanies us in this and all of our difficulties. Please know that Father Andy, Father Michael and I -- and our entire Parish Staff -- have been keeping you in our prayers -- as I hope that you will join me in praying for our parish community, our region and our nation, and all those, around the world, who have been affected by COVID-19

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. We have cared for one another and the wider community.  We will continue to do so – to the best of our ability.  May this unprecedented time in our history be a time when we remember who we are and whose we are – disciples of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.  May we continue to demonstrate love of God and of our neighbor.  In addition, may we remember to pray for everyone involved as we weather this storm,

As previously announced, the decision was made to suspend public celebrations of Mass/liturgies throughout the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland during the Coronavirus pandemic. Below are specific guidelines on the celebration of the sacraments and other answers to questions people may have during this unprecedented health crisis. Everyone must do his/her part to slow down this epidemic and protect the common good for the people of God. 

1. All weekday and Sunday Masses will be celebrated temporarily without the participation of the assembly of the faithful. Our priests will continue to celebrate and pray for you -- and with you -- vicariously. We will celebrate the Masses and other services in behalf of and for all of you, especially for the sick and the healthcare providers. We will ask the Lord for wise and prudent decisions on the part of government and medical authorities. We will pray for the eternal repose of the deceased.  
2. Our Weekday Chapel will remain open for Eucharistic Adoration and private prayer.  We ask that you limit yourselves to 5 or 6 persons at a time – for mandated “social distancing”.  If more are present, please go into the church so that we can maintain compliance. Sanitizer will be available.  Please help by cleaning surfaces from time to time.
3. Churches may remain open only if parishes have taken necessary precautions to perform routine maintenance and have the necessary staff to sanitize all hard surfaces, doorknobs and bathrooms at the end of each day that the church is open. These precautions also apply to perpetual Eucharistic adoration chapels.  Our maintenance staff will clean regularly – but you can be helpful with this.
4. We ask you to pray as a Domestic Church (as a family or household unit) on Sundays and on Holy Days. We suggest making use of the Live-streamed Masses found at:  www.holyfamilystow.org or www.dioceseofcleveland.org. Read prayerfully the Holy Scriptures (found at:  www.usccb.org), reflect upon the source and meaning of your life, and on God’s love and salvific action on our behalf.
5. Funerals -- If at all possible, it is recommended that a memorial Mass be scheduled in a couple of months -- at a time when the current restrictions are lifted. The Rite of Committal may be celebrated at this time at the cemetery with immediate family members only, keeping in mind the call for social distancing. If a funeral Mass is celebrated, the attendees are limited to 10 immediate family members Families are encouraged to make note in the published obituary that the funeral Mass and burial are private family-only events.  
6. Theology of “Spiritual Communion” -- From a Catholic point of view, perhaps the single most direct consequence of the lockdowns currently being imposed to fight the disease is the inability to get to Mass on Sunday. Moreover, it’s happening during Lent. Catholics will be forced to watch Holy Week liturgies on TV or their computers rather than attending in person and receiving the Eucharist.

In light of the restrictions, many pastors and theologians have suggested this may be a good time to dust off the traditional concept of “spiritual communion,” meaning a sort of participation in the Mass and the Eucharist for people who, for one reason or another, can’t go to church.

In a nutshell, the idea is that the desire to receive the Eucharist is a grace in itself, and, if one offers up that desire in prayer to God, it can become an occasion for even greater grace and spiritual growth.

Italian Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, a former Vatican official and accomplished Church historian, has recommended the following prayer to people who aren’t able to receive the Eucharist:

“My Jesus, I believe that you’re present in the Holy Sacrament. I love You above all else, and I desire You in my soul. As long as I can’t receive You sacramentally, at least enter spiritually into my soul.”

                  (Brief pause to unite oneself with Jesus)

“Since you’ve come, I embrace you and unite my entire self with You; don’t let me ever separate myself from You.”

7. On a practical matter – Our Parish Office will be open daily (except Sunday) during this time of crisis. Hours will be from 9:00am to 3:00pm.  The Office will be closed for lunch as usual from Noon to 1:00pm.  Items to be dropped off can be left at the door – or placed in the locked box -- for the receptionist to retrieve later.
8. Holy Family Parishioners have always been generous to the Parish – in good times and in bad.  We are very much aware that the financial crisis associated with the coronavirus pandemic will cause severe economic insecurity and hardship for many of our parishioners.  At the same time, others will feel far less impact.  I am sure you realize that our expenses will continue as in normal times.  May I gently encourage those who are able to continue with Faith Direct or mail in/drop off the offerings that you would have otherwise contributed on the Sundays we are missing – possibly even giving a little more.  Thank you.
9. This is not the first time our Church has been tested – and asked to bring hope to our world. As recently as the experience of our underground Churches in Communist Eastern Europe (1945–1989) we saw the Church as a source of inspiration and faith in times of trouble.  In that recent memory -- having been deprived of all of its church buildings and all other infrastructure -- the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine and elsewhere in the Communist world was led by God to find creative ways to foster the spiritual life of its members for two generations. Through excruciating suffering and great losses, our sisters and brothers in the Church were forged, cleansed, and prepared for a new life in a new millennium.  Now is the time to prayerfully reflect upon this salvation history. The Lord will guide us again in fortitude and flexibility to praise Him and foster communion and solidarity among us.

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 you and keep you.        

Fr. Paul Rosing, Pastor

A PRAYER FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES

May we who are merely inconvenienced,
remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors,
remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home,
remember those who must choose between preserving
their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children
when their schools close,
remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips,
remember those that have no place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money
in the tumult of the economic market,
remember those who have no margin at all.
we who settle in for a quarantine at home,
remember those who have no home.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our
arms around each other,
let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.

We ask this through Christ the Healer.

Amen.

Holy Family Parish is updating Parishioner information.  Regardless of whether you are new or previous Parishioner, please print out the new registration form and return it to the Rectory office.  Thank you.

Parish Registration Form