March 20, 2020 — Many U.S. dioceses have suspended Mass during the coronavirus pandemic and dispensed Catholics from their Sunday obligation, but Jesuits West parishes are still finding ways to help people practice their faith virtually during these uncertain times.
Several Jesuits West parishes are streaming their Masses online and others are offering recorded homilies and the Novena of Grace online, nine days of recorded prayer and reflection.
Fr. John Whitney, SJ, celebrates a livestreamed Mass on March 15 at St. Joseph Parish in Seattle.
“It is a strange experience, to stand in a room alone, looking at the back of my phone, and proclaim the words of the Mass without the responses,” wrote Fr. John Whitney, SJ, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Seattle, to parishioners.
“In these days of contagion and pandemic, we can feel as though the sacrament itself has been broken, taken from us by the dangers of the world. Yet, here, I think, we miss the grace at work so powerfully in these days,” he wrote. “For if the Mass seems broken, we know that Christ, too, was broken on the Cross, for our sake — that all those he loves might be raised up anew. The breaking of Christ in death does not lead to an end of grace, or to our destruction; rather, it is the prelude to resurrection and to all the graces that the people of God receive. In the same way, this time of suffering and separation may well lead to a resurrection in the Church, and a new sense of how precious each member of the Body of Christ is.”
Fr. Whitney hopes that this profound Lenten experience give us new and richer grace: “A grace that empowers us to love with deeper compassion and helps us to experience the Mass with new eyes and new hearts — to see its fullness not simply in the gift within the tabernacle but in the life of every woman and man beloved of God”
Below are virtual resources from Jesuits West parishes.
Streaming Masses and Reflections Across Jesuits West
Immaculate Conception Church, Bethel, AK
Blessed Sacrament Parish, Hollywood
Mass Schedule – Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM PDT (Spanish); 11:00 AM PDT (English)
Daily Mass: 12:00 PM
Pastoral and Inspirational Online: Flourishing During Difficult Times – Daily at 9:00 AM PDT
St. Francis Xavier, Missoula
Mass Schedule – Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM MDT
St. Francis Xavier Parish, Phoenix
Mass Schedule – Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM MST (English); 12:00 PM MST (Spanish)
St. Ignatius Parish, Sacramento
Mass Schedule – Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 PM
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, San Diego
Mass Schedule – Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 PM
Daily Mass: 12:00 PM
St. Ignatius, San Francisco
Mass Schedule – Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM
Daily Mass: 9:00 AM
Anytime Mass and Reflections
Bellarmine College Preparatory Jesuit Community, San Jose
Mass Schedule – Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM
Most Holy Trinity Parish, San Jose
Mass Schedule – Daily Mass: 5:00 pm in English; 5:30 PM (Vietnamese)
Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 PM (Vietnamese)
Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM (English); 11:00 AM (Spanish)
Wednesday Night Prayer: 7:00 PM
St. Joseph Parish, Seattle
Mass Schedule – Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM
Daily Mass: 7:00 AM
St. Aloysius Parish, Spokane
Mass Schedule – Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM
Daily Mass: 8:00 AM
St. Leo Parish, Tacoma
Mass Schedule – Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 PM
Sunday: 9:30 AM
Daily Reflections: 12:10 PM
Recorded Sunday Homilies
Bronco Catholic Association, Newman Center at Boise State University
Blessed Sacrament Parish, Hollywood (printed homily)
Other Spirituality Options
Daily Faith Sharing with Fr. James Martin, SJ
Monday – Sunday: 12:00 PM PDT
Novena of Grace 2020
A Jesuit tradition, the Novena of Grace is scheduled during the Lenten season around the anniversary of the canonization of St. Francis Xavier. These nine days of recorded prayer and reflection are a wonderful way to enter the spirit of Lent. Many Jesuits Wests parishes offer the Novena of Grace.
Ignatian Spirituality Center, Seattle
Turn to the Waters of Life
St. Ignatius Parish, Portland, Oregon
Something Greater Awaits Us