do not fear: i am with you; do not be anxious: i am your god. – isaiah 41:10 as we continue to work to secure the health and safety of all, the diocese of grand rapids is suspending all public masses and other liturgical and devotional services until april 5. this means we will no longer have daily mass, stations of the cross, adoration or the rosary. baptisms, funerals and weddings may continue to take place outside of mass so long as no more than 50 people are in attendance, which is the maximum allowed by the government at this time. however, we will continue the sacrament of reconciliation on saturdays and on wednesday nights from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. our march 26 evening of penance will also proceed as planned. as we continue through this lenten season, we put our trust in god and look to the future with hope and prayer in our hearts. march 17, 2020 dear friends in christ, every year, the season of lent reconnects us with the deepest thirst of the human heart: to know that god loves us, to know that god is present as we face our trials. when unexpected things happen, they can reveal to us the strength of our faith, or its fragility; the depth of our hope, of its frailty; the vibrancy of our love, or its feebleness. during this season of lent we are facing an unprecedented trail with the covid-19 virus. this pandemic calls for extraordinary measures to protect the common good, especially the most vulnerable among us. i am grateful for those of you who observed my directive to stay home last sunday and gather as a family for prayer and to watch the mass via live broadcast. we rely on our faith in times such as these. i understand how difficult it is to not have access to the eucharist on a sunday, but we must continue to cooperate with orders issued by government and health care officials. hopefully, our efforts will slow the spread of this virus so that we can once again gather together as quickly as possible. governor whitmer’s most recent executive order became e