There will be no Daily Mass Wednesday, September 23 - Friday 25th. Fr. Fred Method will be our Substitue Priest Saturday the 26th & Sunday the 27th.
Resignation of Bishop-Elect Michel Mulloy
Friends,
As you may have heard. The priest Pope Francis had appointed to be the next bishop of our diocese has resigned because an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor was made against him. I include the statement from Bishop Peter Muhich, Bishop of Rapid City below.
This stinks. It is always discouraging to learn of the warts and evil found on the Bride of Christ, but that is the human side of the divine reality. The good thing is that this came to light before he was ordained.
Whenever a priest receives the phone call appointing him bishop, he can accept or reject it. Father Mulloy could have said, "I cannot accept due to an 'internal forum issue'". Internal forum means something private and confidential including things pertaining to the confessional, but not limited to it. He obviously didn't do that here.
We don't know how long it will take for another bishop to be named. Pope Francis may just choose one of the other two priests originally presented to him or they may begin the whole process over again. We don't know. Maybe God will grace us with an even better bishop now. We can only pray and fast for that intention.
I have more to say on all this. It's been on my mind a lot in the past few days. I really hope you join us for Mass this weekend. I will say more then.
God bless,
Fr. Nick
...
Statement from Bishop Peter Muhich:
"Today the Holy See announced that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop-elect Michel Mulloy, who was appointed the Bishop of Duluth on June 19, 2020. Subsequent to that appointment, on August 7, 2020, the Diocese of Rapid City received notification of an allegation against Father Mulloy of sexual abuse of a minor in the early 1980’s. The Diocese of Rapid City has no other allegations of sexual abuse involving Father Mulloy.
Following the established procedure, Bishop Peter Muhich, Bishop of Rapid City, informed law enforcement of this development. Fr. Mulloy was directed to refrain from engaging in ministry. The Diocese then commissioned an independent investigation to determine whether the allegation warranted further investigation under Canon Law.
When that investigation concluded, the results were shared with the Rapid City Diocesan Review Board, a lay-majority interdisciplinary body, in accordance with the standard of Canon Law and the policies of the Diocese of Rapid City. The Review Board agreed with the investigation’s conclusion that the accusation met the standard of Canon Law for further investigation and conclusion and the Holy See was informed by Bishop Muhich.
Fr. Mulloy received a summary of the specific allegation against him and submitted his resignation as Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Duluth to the Holy Father, which has been accepted. The Apostolic Nunciature has communicated that Msgr. James Bissonnette will continue to serve the Diocese of Duluth as Diocesan Administrator, until the appointment of a new Bishop."
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Normal Mass Schedule is Resumed
A few important things to note...
1. Sunday obligation to attend Mass is still lifted. It is NOT a sin not to come to Mass.
2. The 10:30am Sunday Mass will be streamed here on this page.
Personal responsibility and fraternal charity are the themes during this time. We are relying on people taking personal responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe and limiting risks. We are relying on fraternal charity. This means if someone isn't following the guidelines, we don't need to shame them. We don't need to be personally offended. We must always assume the best intentions of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We don't need to judge anyone.
*Masses will have distribution of Holy Communion
**Plenty of opportunities to get to Confession before receiving Holy Communion if you need the spring cleaning of your soul!
Before attending Mass, please be sure to read the
COVID-19 Protocols so you can keep yourself and others safe.
Click
here to view the letter from our Diocesan Administrator, Fr. Jim Bissonnette regarding the re-opening of our churches.
Church doors at both St. Mary's and St. Martin's will be open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. for those who would like to come in and pray.
**Please check back daily for any changes and updates**
ANNOUNCEMENTS
"Traditional Latin Mass" will be offered at St. Mary's on the 1st Saturday of every Month at 9:00 am
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See the weekly bulletin for more details
