Current Announcements

This Thursday is the great feast of Corpus Christi. We could not be blessed with a greater patron than our Eucharistic Lord, the Word made Flesh who continues to dwell among us. We will have a low Mass at 4pm and a sung Mass at 5:15pm. Please register for the 5:15 sung Mass on our website. 

By order of our Bishop public masses have resumed in the diocese of Venice as of Monday, May 18th. A restriction of 50% of max occupant capacity applies for each mass according to the place in which it is celebrated. See the original letter (6.26.20) here. 

Schedule of Masses (as of May 18th until further notice) 

The following is the new/provisional schedule of Corpus Christi's public masses. Please read carefully all important details below regarding the various necessary changes to our normal routines and practices.

St. Agnes, Naples
50% capacity / 90 people / Reservation required for Sunday 8:45am mass: Check Availability/Get Tickets

• Monday-Friday: 4:00pm, &  5:15pm 
• Saturday: 7:30am
• Sunday: 7:15am, & 8:45am

Resurrection, Fort Myers
Main church, 50% capacity / 200+ people

• Sunday: 12:30pm

St. William, Naples 
Main church, 50% capacity / 400+ people

• Sunday: 4:30pm 

Obligation of Attending Mass

The faithful of the Diocese of Venice are not obliged to attend Sunday mass through at least November 27. As it is not an obligation to go on Sunday, one may freely choose another day during the week if one wishes to go at least once a week. The daily mass at St. Agnes averages between 40-50 people. 

Details Regarding Masses at St. Agnes' Chapel 

• One must sign up for any Sunday Mass at St. Agnes they wish to attend so that everyone can know if there will be room for them given the very limited space at St. Agnes' chapel. This is not necessary for the weekday masses (Monday- Friday at 5:15pm) unless otherwise noted for a special occasion. The chapel has space (max capacity-90) for all who wish to attend. 

• When there are two masses scheduled in a row, please be mindful to come only 15 minutes in advance, and to leave within 15 minutes after mass so as to give time to sanitize common areas/seats and allow for the next group of people to come in. We will need volunteers to help with these tasks after each Mass. 

Details Regarding All Masses

• Holy Communion can only be received on the tongue in the Latin Mass. The Bishop has likewise confirmed this for us. If one is uncomfortable with this at this time, then one is urged to make a spiritual communion. 
• The Bishop has asked that all wear masks when coming to mass. Although one may feel this is not necessary or that one is willing to take any risk in not wearing one, your neighbor might be at greater risk and it is thus recommended as the safer course to follow for the common good. One must procure one's own of whatever form, as they will not be provided. 
• Shared missals, bulletins etc. will not be available. We recommend that one bring one's own missal, or follow the online missal from the website- of livemass.net, where everything is conveniently laid out in order for each day, and that one sign up for our weekly ebulletin or at least check the "news" section of our webpage weekly, as we navigate through and make possible forthcoming adjustments under these new circumstances. 
• Chairs/pews will be marked as to their availability so as to space people with prudent physical distancing, although those of the same household are allowed to sit together of course. Please observe the same 6 feet distancing when you line up for Holy Communion. 

Confessions

Confessions will be heard before and after daily and Sunday Mass at St. Agnes in the back room. Confessions are heard at Resurrection, Fort Myers, in the meeting room at the back hallway on the right, before and after mass. Confessions are heard at St. William's in the sacristy before and often during mass. One can likewise schedule a personal appointment with the priests. 

Your Tithe & Giving

Collections will be taken up at masses, but online giving is available and most recommended as it will make for less interaction between people and ushers.

Donations by mail may also be made out and addressed to Corpus Christi Chapel, 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Rd. Naples FL 34120. 

It is recommended that donations, particularly larger ones, be generally directed to the building fund, which is not taxed and which receives a 3.25% interest rate, and will be exclusively used for our future parish home, unless there were an unforeseen/emergency operational expense that we did not have enough to pay from our operational account. Excess in the operational account is periodically transferred to the building account. 

For those in economic hardships at this time, we are praying for you, let us know if you may need any help, and please remember your first duty is toward your family as the obligations of charity begin at home. 

Summary Reminders: 

Again, it is not of obligation to attend these masses, and it may be more prudent, and thus more sanctifying and pleasing to God, for any at risk or caring for those at risk to stay home. If one chooses to attend mass, one is doing so under one's own responsibility, conscious that there may be possible health risks at a public gathering at this time. 

We likewise remain, as we have this whole time, available by private appointment for any sacramental needs you or your family may have. Do not hesitate to ask. 

Though these new arrangements require some sacrifices we may not like, please remember they are prudent judgments taken by the legitimate authority in care for the common good. Please recall too that we are guests at the churches where we offer mass in our pilgrim state, and it corresponds to the pastors of the said churches to apply such norms to the particular circumstances they are responsible for. Please remember that we are not in charge of those guidelines and be grateful that we are resuming mass. Remember that mass makes present the crucifixion of Christ before us, which likewise required from him a certain degree of sacrifice, self-denial and uncomfortability. :) And all the more motivation to give generously to build our own future parish home!

Please let us know if you have any further questions, and continue to check our page for ongoing announcements/ adjustments. We are very grateful to God and our Bishop to be able to celebrate public mass with you all again. 

"But in all these things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, nor use of face masks, nor any other creature, nor the avoidance of any other creature by social distancing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Rom 8.37-39, Newly Revised Coronavirus Standard Version

St. William Catholic Church. 601 Seagate Dr. Naples, FL 34108
Main church, 50% capacity / 400+ people

• Sunday: 4:30pm (beginning June 7)

Please recall that the guidelines require us to wear masks at Mass. Please observe any other guidelines regarding the pews available for seating. The collection will be taken up after mass, deposited in baskets by the exit. 

Please remember that we are guests in another's church. We are very grateful for this opportunity to have another mass and more space in the Naples area!  

Please Pray for the new FSSP priests and deacons to be ordained for our North American District on Monday, June 1st in Lincoln Nebraska. Public invitations will not be possible this year, but one can follow the ceremony via http://www.livemass.net/ at 11am EST. 
Fr. Romanoski will be attending the ordination, and will be away from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday night. 

It will not be necessary to sign up for masses at Resurrection (12:30pm Sunday) as we will celebrate in the main church in the available pews desginated to assure physical distancing. There is room for about 220 people. Families can sit together of course. 
One must enter through the front door (our usual entrance is the back door- which will only be for handicapped) and exit out the side doors. 
Only the bathroom at the front of the church will be available. Those on the side exiting out the halls toward the back are only available if there were some more urgent need. 
Again, the Bishop has asked that one bring one's own mask while at church to be extra careful to not possibly infect someone else who might be more at risk. 
One may kneel for Holy Communion, and is encouraged to do so if one can, but there will ony be pads on the floor and not kneelers available to do so. 

Corpus Christi Chapel will hear confessions this Saturday from 12pm-1pm at the Church of the Ressurrection in Fort Myers. Confessions will be heard outside in the parking lot. Please observe the instructions given when you arrive, staying in line in your car until it is your turn to approach. 

Dear Corpus Christi families, 
I regret to inform you that it will not be possible to have our 2020 summer camp. Although public masses will be resuming, with certain restrictions, other parish activities are cancelled by the diocese until further notice. We do not know when that will change, and even if it were sooner rather than later, that would give us very little time to plan for the camp, which would still need to pass the approval of our hosts at Royal Palm Academy and would probably be complicated by any other restrictions that would be in place under this gradual reopening. If you have signed up and submitted any payment, and have not yet received an email from me, please let me know at your earliest conveinence, as your payment will of course be fully refunded. 
If possible we hope to attempt some activities with the youth during the summer, for those here and interested and we look forward of course to next year's summer's camp. We will keep you posted.

As was previous announced in January, a very generous family gave a donation of 250k toward our building fund and agreed to give another 250k as a matching offer to others in our community from then until Easter. 
Our goal was met! At the end of December we had $800,102.48 in the Savings account and at the end of March $1,061,329.12, thus a total  of 261,226.64‬ was given during that time. 

Inspired by this very charitable example another gentleman has stepped forward to offer another matching pledge challenge of 100k from this time until our patronal feast day of Corpus Christi, June 11th. 

We could not be more grateful for those who continue to give on-line during this time, as the online giving numbers are at their highest ever for the month of this past April. Again, as we have very little operational expenses at this time, most all of these donations can be designated to our building fund, which is not taxed and receives a 4.5% interest rate. In general it is recommended that people donate designated to the building fund at this time, and extra monies in the operational account are periodically being transferred to it as well

We know there are families unable to donate at this time, so please feel no pressure, but for those who are able this is another great chance to reach the goal of your future traditional parish home. 

Please visit the new page on our website for updates as to the general goals and ongoing project, with pictures of other FSSP apostolates like our own that have already built there phase 1 building, and who will serve us as a model for our own at https://www.corpuschristifssp.com/newbuild

Dear Corpus Christi Chapel faithful, 
This coming Saturday, May 16th, we will make the sacrament of confession available at St. Agnes from 5pm-7pm. The current guidelines are to do so while maintaining appropriate distancing to avoid any possible spread of germs, whereby they will be heard outside as we have done previously. Please remain lined up within your cars until it is your turn to approach for confession. 
Likewise, we are also available for any private sacramental appointments by request.

While we pray Mass virtually, and await the forthcoming permission for public masses in our diocese, let us review what the saints have taught us on how to most efficaciously pray the most divine prayer of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Fr. Romanoski explains what tradition teaches us on the topic