Holy Family Catholic Church

State of the Parish

                As we end 2020 I am happy to report that Holy Family Church has been financially stable. Thanks to the amazing and wonderful support and generosity of you, our people, we have come into the New Year in relatively good shape. We have also benefitted from careful managing of our expenses and a welcome Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan from the government, which I am pleased to report has been forgiven. We did have to repay an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of ten thousand dollars, but we understand this may be reimbursed.

                We continue to offer Masses regularly with our normal winter schedule. We remain at the mandated 25% capacity limit which allows us to seat 379 at the very most. I am happy to report that we have not needed to turn anyone away. The general dispensation from Sunday Mass attendance continues to be in effect as a safety precaution. Masks, social distancing, and hand washing have enabled us to operate safely.

                Sacramental Confession (Reconciliation) continues to be offered twice weekly, and funerals and baptisms continue to be celebrated.

                We have offered Faith Formation supporting families who are doing teaching in home with online resources. To keep our students safe we have done limited face-to-face youth groups and activities.

                We have welcomed a new parish administrator – Mr. Bob King. He has already established himself and is doing a fine job of supervising our parish staff, monitoring our budget, and providing Guiding Lights – a vision for a parish that serves.

                We have installed and are operating our new video camera system. It enables us to livestream, and archive for later viewing, our 4:00 pm Saturday Mass, daily Masses, and any other service we wish – baptisms, weddings, funerals, prayer services, children’s programs. It has been a valuable addition – especially in this COVID pandemic world. It will continue to serve our homebound and out-of-towners for many years to come.

                Given the many disruptions that the pandemic has caused, we are doing remarkably well. We look forward to the widespread distribution of the vaccine and moving next year back to normal and even better things in Christ Our Lord.

Fr. Jerry Hagen                                                                  

Pastor                                                                                   

Bob King

Parish Administrator

For more letters form Fr. Jerry Click Here

My Dear Friends in Christ,

When we give to the Lord’s work, even amid a pandemic, we demonstrate a deep trust in the Lord to save or provide for us. Lent is a time of sacrifice through giving in preparation for Easter.  Each year without interruption our northland parishes participate in two major Lenten initiatives that genuinely impact people in our Diocese and beyond; Operation Rice Bowl and the Black and Indian Mission Collection. 

These are challenging times and I invite you to support the Black and Indian Mission Collection on the first weekend of Lent.  Financial support for the Black and Indian Mission Collection has been a vital mechanism that supports evangelization and education efforts for American Indians, Alaskan Americans, and African Americans throughout the United States. By our baptism into Christ Jesus, we are all missionaries, beginning with our own families and parishes.  Within the Diocese of Superior, we have religious education programs and Catholic elementary schools that rely on grants from the collection each year.  Contributing to the collection on the first weekend of Lent provides an opportunity for all Catholics to actively participate in local evangelization programs.  This past year our Diocese received a grant for $60,000 that was made possible only through our local participation in the collection.

I also invite you and your family to participate in Operation Rice Bowl beginning Ash Wednesday, February 17 and continuing throughout Lent. Operation Rice Bowl provides parish resources to bring Lenten spirituality to life for families, parish and school communities while continuing to connect Catholics in the Diocese of Superior with our brothers and sisters in need around the world.  Seventy-five percent of your gifts through Operation Rice Bowl support Catholic Relief Services’ relief work in 100 countries.  Twenty-five percent remain within our diocese. Contact your parish to pick up a Rice Bowl for your Lenten gifts or visit crsricebowl.org to watch videos of the people and communities you support through your Lenten gifts to Operation Rice Bowl and even find special Lenten Recipes.

I ask everyone in the Diocese of Superior to be as generous as possible to Operation Rice Bowl and the Black and Indian Mission Collection this Lent. Together, let us join in the work of the missionaries across the country as our gifts help their support and evangelization efforts.

With warmest personal regards and continuing prayer, I am

Gratefully yours in the Lord,

Statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, from José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles click here

For More Message From Bishop Powers Click Here