Over the past months, most US Dioceses have created and implemented plans for the restoration of public Masses and have resumed the other Sacraments as well.

However, despite having approved reopening plans, many dioceses in California remain restricted by the local authorities...in San Francisco they can only have outdoor Mass with 12 people!  Meanwhile, other dioceses that did reopen, closed down again due to media pressure over increased numbers of positive tests.

The only predictable thing about our situation is that it is likely to change, and based on recent experience, it may not change for the better.

So our work is not done...we need to continue praying for our fellow Catholics, for our Bishops, and we need to be proactive about avoiding future shutdowns.

Here is how we plan to help do this...and we need your help!

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1. We have carefully crafted a list of many well-considered reasons why public Mass should not be discontinued even if infection rates increase...check that out here.

2. We plan to publish this list as a full-page ad in the Chicago Sun Times newspaper.**

3. We also will send this list to every bishop in all 197 US Dioceses, with a letter explaining how we hope to support them in defending the Sacraments.

4. We are in the process of adding a function to our website to provide signups for a Perpetual Prayer Network for our Church.

We need your help to achieve some of these goals.

Full page ads, postage and even signup software (of the type we need to make a prayer network function smoothly) cost money.

Up to now, we have paid for our website and other costs out-of-pocket, but this is a bit much, so we are asking if you would be willing to donate even just the cost of a cup of coffee to help us achieve these goals.

We have set up a fundraising page at WonderWe, which is a faith-and-family-friendly version of GoFundMe...would you consider making a small donation?

Please also share this fundraising link with others who would be interested!

**Would you like to run this ad in your local newspaper?  Contact us!

Has Mass been restored in your Diocese?  If not, what are you doing on Sundays?

For those Catholics who are still being denied public Mass, we strongly recommend that you read our blog post, Why You Should go to Church This Sunday!  Here in Chicago we gathered to pray outside our churches for 6 weeks or more, and no one got sick.  Especially now, when many are making their voices heard in the public square through violence, we need to give public witness to our faith. 

The St. Charles Borromeo Society was started because we need to pray as if everything depended on God, but work as though everything depended on us. 

We urge Catholics in those places where there is still no Public Mass, to go to your churches on Sunday for Mass...even if it means standing outside and praying the Rosary while Mass is going on inside.

Livestreamed Masses can be very beneficial, but they are no substitute for the real thing.  Where weather permits, and with proper precautions, being outside is safe.  Many of you have been exercising in the out-of-doors...so why not go to your Church on Sundays?

Be sure to post photos in our Forum of your group outside your church, so that we can show others that it isn't so scary after all!

Spread the word!

• Forward this e-mail to anyone you can think of who feels strongly about maintaining access to the Sacramental life of our Church.
• Call your friends and get them to join you outside your church on Sundays!
• Use our forum as a central source of information for everyone.  It's only useful if people use it, and those who are interested can join you.
• Send people to our website!  The more traffic we get, the better we can serve those who want to join us!  There are lots of people contacting us to see if there are events going on in their area...help us to help you! 

Why is this so important?

I'm glad you asked.

There are still a lot of voices that are continuing to stoke fear about this virus.  Maybe they're right, and maybe they aren't.  That's not the point.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to take any chances that this fear will be used to close our churches back down again.

Our churches are NOT dangerous and our faith is just as ESSENTIAL as food.

Now is the time to get organized.  Find a group of people who agree that their faith is greater than a virus.  Start small if you have to.  Build from there.  Keep repeating the statement above to anyone who will listen.

If all goes well and our churches stay open, then there is no harm done!

But if things start getting hairy, you will be glad you started organizing now.

Our churches are NOT dangerous and our faith is just as ESSENTIAL as food.

Pray about it.  Ask what Our Lord wants from you.  And like our Lady said to the servants at the Wedding Feast at Cana:

"Do whatever He tells you."