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. Covid-19 Update

Instructions for Attending Christmas Masses

 
We are sorry to have to impose the following restrictions for the Christmas Masses.  Regrettably, in order to avoid the potential for crowding and to abide by the Covid 19 guidelines for social distancing, we will be distributing a limited number of tickets for seating at the 5 Christmas Masses.

Tickets will be mandatory and are available at the reception desk.  Those without tickets will not be permitted entry to the Church.  Tickets will be limited to 5 per person.
 

Christmas Mass times will be:

3:00 PM & 5:00 PM Christmas Vigil Mass
8:00 PM Christmas Solemn Mass
8:30 AM & 10:30 AM Christmas Day Masses

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A Letter from Father Fred

August 28, 2020

Dear Friends,

Once again, I can only greet many of you through the written page. I long for the opportunity to see our whole parish come together again to celebrate our weekly Masses, special feast days and to begin our social events at the hall again. I know that the Knights of Columbus are anxious to start their pancake breakfasts and Lenten Fish fries again.

I hope that you will make the opportunity to vote in our national elections. Our country needs to hear the voices of all its people and you will be much happier if you have added your voice to that of the nation. It is the moral obligation of each citizen to take responsibility for their government and the most obvious way that you can do this is by voting. Please vote.

Advent and Christmas are right around the corner and we are all wondering how we will get through the holidays. Bishop Dewane has extended the dispensation from attending Mass through November 28^th. I suspect that this will carry over into the next year. However, many of our parishioners are coming back to church on Sunday and we are taking all precautions to keep people safe. We are fogging the church several times a week with a sanitizer that is used in public places and doctors’ offices. We are wiping down the pews after Masses on Saturday and Sunday and we ask people to wear masks and sanitize their hands when they come into the church. I hope that more of you will feel that it is safe enough to attend weekly mass again.

Because Christmas can be an occasion when the church gets very full, I regretfully have made the decision to issue tickets for each of the 5 masses of Christmas. This is the only way that we can protect you and preserve some form of distancing.

Mass will be on Christmas eve at 3 PM and 5 PM and the solemn Mass of Christmas will be at 8 PM. On Christmas day masses will be at 8:30AM and 10:30AM. Tickets are available only at the office (there can be no “hold at the window”  or “ mailed tickets”. We will issue 300 tickets for each Mass; first come first serve. Tickets will be collected at the doors of the church and regrettably nobody will be admitted without a ticket. We do this only with the greatest regrets but with necessary caution for the good of all.

We will stream Christmas Mass on the website for those who cannot attend.

Once again, this year we are having a small fundraiser with the sale of Christmas greens thanks to Michael and Wendy Deming. The forms are available on the website and you can mail in your forms and checks to the parish and we will make sure that your gifts are delivered.

I want to thank you very much for sustaining your giving during this difficult time. Most of our parishioners have continued to bring in or mail in their weekly envelopes. We have also exceeded in pledges the parish assessment for the CFA. Please don’t forget to send in your pledged money to the diocese. Finally, I want to thank all of you who helped us build the new rectory. Fr. Richard and I have moved in and we are enjoying the fruits of your generosity. We would love to have an open house and show you what your generosity has brought to the parish. We will find some way to do this in the next few months.

As we enter the Advent season, I ask you to pray harder than usual that the coming of the infant Jesus this year will bring an end to the many crises facing our world and our country. May we all find the peace that has been given to us by our loving savior and waiting now only for us to open our hearts and minds to let it be born in our midst.

God bless you,

Fr. Fred and Fr. Richard

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WELCOME

The Parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a caring and worshiping community of Catholic Christians, called to proclaim the good news and be a living witness as the Body of Christ in the Osprey and Nokomis areas of Sarasota County. We are a pilgrim people responding to the call of our baptism, serving each other in collaboration and mutual respect. We worship together, serve the needs of others especially the less fortunate, and make visible the Good news of Jesus Christ by our example of Christian living. We strive to be good stewards of God’s creation by protecting the environment and giving of our time, talent, and treasure generously for the common good.

Established on October 1, 2000, as a mission of Epiphany Cathedral for the growing community in the Osprey and Nokomis area, we became an independent parish on March 1, 2002. We first gathered in a store-front building on Route #41, but the growing community soon moved to Pine View School Auditorium for weekend liturgies. The property was obtained for a permanent facility and groundbreaking took place on February 22, 2004. The first Mass was celebrated in the new facility in October of 2005 and the dedication of the new facility was celebrated on January 15, 2006. The parish hall presently serves as the worship space and eventually, a dedicated church building will be constructed.

Our parish is served by the Carmelite Order whose ancient charism of prayer, community, and service influences everything we do. According to the tradition of the Carmelite Order, we call Mary our mother and our sister. Her patronage helps us in our striving to emulate her obedient and contemplative spirit expressed in her humble service and love, first for her son and then for the Church. The Order brings with it the spiritual traditions of some of the greatest saints including St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, and more recently the two martyrs of Nazi concentration camps:  Blessed Titus Brandsma, O. Carm. and St. Theresa Benedict of the Cross O.C.D. (Edith Stein).

All are welcome to join us along the way as we seek the Kingdom of God.

Sincerely in the Lord,
Father Fred Tillotson, O.Carm., Pastor

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CLICK HERE TO ORDER CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Monday - Thursday
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Friday
8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

begins
9:00am, Sunday, October 11th

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