Welcome to the second edition of our new parish e-newsletter, which we are calling Hedwig at Home (a hat tip to Danny Bonvissuto, a parent at St. Hedwig School, for the creative suggestion!). In this week's edition, we have some exciting things to share.
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• Holy Week Announcements & Resources
• St. Hedwig Sanctuary Remodel Update
• Invitation to Join a Small Virtual Group
• Fr. Chris' Palm Sunday Mass

We want to thank those who have continued to send in your donations. We really do rely on them to cover our basic operating costs and to continue providing programs and services to our community. If you would like to support us during this time of economic fluidity, please consider online giving. Every dollar helps!

Let us continue to pray for each other as a parish family. We continue to collect prayer intentions from parishioners to our prayer page. If you'd like to add your own, simply reply to this email. God bless you!

Several parishioners asked about picking up palms this past weekend. We received further instructions from the Diocese that we should not hand them out. If we make them available at a later date, we will let you know.

Unfortunately, Holy Week and Easter liturgies will not be public. 

But that does not mean we shouldn't enter into these central mysteries of our faith! Here are some excellent resources that you might find fruitful in the coming days:
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• Faith and Family Collective, founded by parishioners in the Diocese of Orange, has put together a resource called Holy Week at Home, which offers creative, yet simple ideas to help share the love of Jesus with your family.
• Bishop Robert Barron has put together a beautiful Stations of the Cross.
• On Holy Thursday, ODB Films will be streaming Full of Grace for free! The film is about Our Lady, who recounts to the Apostles around her the mystery and beauty of her experiences and encounters with her Son. You can watch the film here (the link will not work until this Thursday).
• In addition to Holy Week and Easter reflections, our own pastor Fr. Chris will be posting several liturgies and services on St. Hedwig's YouTube channel.
  • School Mass on Tuesday
  • Holy Thursday Mass
  • Stations of the Cross on Good Friday
  • Easter Sunday Mass
• Bishop Kevin Vann will be livestreaming Holy Week liturgies at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove. You can tune in here. Their schedule is:
  • Holy Thursday - 7:30pm
  • Good Friday - 3:00pm
  • Easter Vigil - 8:00pm
  • Easter Sunday - 9:45am

In these trying times, let us remember one of the fundamental lessons of Jesus' death and resurrection: "No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown" (William Penn). 

​Our construction team has been hard at work on our sanctuary remodel. We are very confident that by the time the governor's shelter in place order is lifted, we will gather in a beautiful new worship space. 
 
Here are some photos of the progress so far:

In the midst of what seems like perpetual bad news, St. Hedwig has some Good News! We will be forming small groups of 8 parishioners to read and discuss the Sunday readings with each other. 
 
These small groups will meet over Zoom, a video conferencing platform, and will meet at various times on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The cut-off to sign up each week is Wednesdays by noon. If you miss this week, you can sign-up next week! You can also drop out at any time. This is for you.
 
If you are interested in signing up for a small group, then simply fill out this form and we will get back to you with instructions on how to connect.

Welcome to the first edition of St. Hedwig's weekly E-Newsletter!

We are living in an unprecedented time where, as a parish family, we are unable to gather together on Sundays and during the week. We are now under a shelter in place order and are practicing social distancing. But that should not turn into social isolation!

As a parish staff, we have been trying to reach out to our parishioners to see how we can help them and how we can pray for them. In our phone calls, many parishioners have expressed interest in an e-newsletter. We discussed it and realized the time is ripe to start something like this.

For now, let us use this time at home as an opportunity to pray more, spend time with those we live with, listen to uplifting music, have conversations with family and friends on the phone, and maybe even dive into a good novel!

Please be assured of our prayers for you, and thank you for subscribing!

 - St. Hedwig Clergy and Staff

​This week, let us join our Holy Father in prayer while "humanity trembles" in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic has reached nearly every country of the world.

On Friday, Pope Francis delivered his Urbi et Orbi address.

This is an address given on solemn occasions "to the city of Rome and to the world."

He delivered his address to an empty St. Peter's Square, usually filled with pilgrims, and he prayed especially for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In the midst of isolation when we are suffering from a lack of tenderness and chances to meet up, and we experience the loss of so many things," he said, "let us once again listen to the proclamation that saves us: He is risen and is living by our side."

Let us also pray for our fellow parishioners of St. Hedwig and their intentions. We are posting parishioners' intentions on this page.

Public Masses Suspended:Until further notice, all public Masses in the Diocese of Orange have been suspended by Bishop Kevin Vann in response to the Coronavirus.

Parish Office Closed: The Parish Office at St. Hedwig is also closed indefinitely. You can still reach us by phone (562-296-9000) or by email (info@sainthedwigparish.org).

We Want to Help: Do you need help with something during this time? Running low on toilet paper? Need more vegetables but can't get out of the house? We got your back! Get in touch with us and we'll do what we can to get you what you need.

Follow Us on YouTube: Fr. Chris has now posted recordings of two Sunday Masses on YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and then click the bell to get notified when new videos are uploaded.

More Resources on Our Website: The most up-to-date list of events cancelled (and not cancelled!) can be found on our parish website. We also list spiritual and secular resources, and a schedule of Masses broadcast online.

How to Continue Donating: Please consider continuing to donate during this time of economic fluidity. We rely on them to continue providing programs and services to our community. You can mail your donations to us, or sign up for online giving. It's easy and secure!