Blessed Sacrament

Where Mass is important it is also important that we do what we can to care for the health and safety of our neighbor as well as ourselves.  The real hero is the one who sacrifices his/her needs for another. After all, that is what Jesus did and what Jesus taught. You may recall the parable of the Good Samaritan, where both a Levite and a priest used their spiritual obligation as an excuse not to help a man who had been robbed and beaten.  Where you may not be sick or at high risk for covid-19, we have a moral responsibility to our neighbors to do what we can to preserve their health as well. The measures we have been asked to take are drastic because the danger is grave. The virus is deadly and there is no known vaccination that can protect us from it.   

The final thing I ask is prayer.  

Pray for those who are sick, may God give them healing.  
Pray for those who have lost a loved one or has one who is ill, may God give them comfort.  
Pray for those who are suffering financially because of the crisis, may God give them all they need.   
Pray for those who are frightened, may God give them courage.  
Pray for those who are serving others in this crisis, may God give them health and strength.  
And pray we may soon return to normalcy, May God have mercy on us all.  

You may choose to do your prayers at home. Prayer is important, especially at this time of crisis. While we are "sheltered in" you may wish to take a little walk or drive and come up to the church to pray. God always has time to listen.

Please see our UPDATED guidelines below:

Here is what Blessed Sacrament is doing to allow you to practice your faith as fully as possible during this crisis.

• First of all, there will be no public masses until further notice. Everyone has a dispensation from the weekly obligation to attend Mass. There will be no daily Masses for the public starting immediately. Weekend Mass at Blessed Sacrament can be viewed online - there is a link here on the website.  We tape the Saturday evening Mass "Sine Populo" (without people) and it is available on Sunday morning at the regular Mass times.  You can make a spiritual communion. You can also call the parish for all other spiritual and sacramental needs.
  
  The church is open each day until 5:00 PM. However we ask that you come in through the hallway next to the Adoration Chapel or the handicapped entrance in the front. There may be times that the maintenance crew is cleaning in the church and it may not be as quiet as you like. We apologize for the inconvenience.

• The parish is not closed - questions can be directed to the parish office at 217-528-7521. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM.  

• Adoration Chapel continues to be open from 5 AM to 10 PM. If there are more than four people in the chapel, you may go into the main church to pray. The chapel is wiped down every morning and wipes are available for you to use for your chair.  We ask that you not pray out loud or in a way that distracts another person trying to pray privately and please do not speak on your cellphone. Please respect other people in the chapel by social distancing (six feet) from them.  If you not feeling well, please be considerate of others.

• Holy water is available in the dispenser in the chapel.  Please bring your own container to take it home. If you are taking large amounts, please see one of the priests to have them bless your water.

• Confessions are heard Monday through Friday from noon to 1 PM and on Saturdays at 3 PM. Confessionals are being sanitized daily.

• Visit the parish website at www.bsps.org. This is the best way to know what is going on in the parish. You can also sign up to receive electronic messages at the right hand side of this page.

• The parish depends on your stewardship and generosity in order to bring sacraments and spiritual services to you.  With everything severely curtailed, our finances have suffered. Please remember to mail in your contribution or donate online through the secure link below.  This will help us meet our obligations. Call the parish office to sign up for ACH (automatic contributions). Many parishioners are also suffering financially from this crisis.

• A donation to H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People in Emergencies), formerly known as St. Vincent de Paul, will let our parish reach out to them.

• Scrip gift cards will be handled through the parish office while the school is closed.

Our beautiful statue, created specifically for Blessed Sacrament, will be installed soon.

Another original work by the artist, Angels Unaware, was recently installed at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.  Click HERE to watch a video about this inspiring work of art.

Click HERE to read an inspiring article about sculptor Timothy P. Schmalz.