Help Line - Saint Mary's Parish

PHONE ASSISTANCE (865) 482-2875

St. Mary’s Parish volunteers are in the process of calling our fellow parishioners in the hopes of identifying those who might need assistance during this time. We know that the cancellation and closure of various services and business may have placed a hardship on our parishioners. We want you to know that you are important to us and that the Parish is here to support you during this time.

An assistance helpline has been set-up so that individuals can call the church office and either speak to a staff member during regular office hours or leave a voicemail message after hours or on the weekend.

Voice mail messages are forwarded to the Fellowship Committee volunteers and will be addressed as soon as possible. You can reach the assistance helpline by calling (865) 482-2875, if no one answers, press “0” and leave a detailed voicemail message. Please be sure to include your name and phone number.

If you feel you require Emergency intervention – call 911.

If you need assistance with any of the following, Click on the Request Assistance link below, complete the form, and one of our volunteers will be in touch.

Daily phone calls
Share a Prayer Intention
Meals
Grocery pickup
Pharmacy pickup
Technology Assistance

Click on me for the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Parish Office Open?

Yes, the Parish Office staff are working and the phones are answered 9 am to 4 pm,
Monday through Friday. The office lobby is closed to visitors, but the breezeway
remains open. There is a mail slot in the breezeway and envelopes and other
communications my be dropped in the mail slot as needed.

What if I need to reach someone after hours or on the weekend?

Call the church phone number (865) 482-2875 and listen carefully to the message
options. The St. Mary’s Assistance Helpline for all things non-sacramental is option “0”.

Fr. Shelton and Fr. Pontian are available by phone, as usual. During office hours, ask to
be transferred to a priest. After office hours, follow answering system prompts to be
transferred to a priest’s cell phone.

Is the Church open? Can I go in to pray?

The Church doors are open 7 am to 7 pm, seven days a week. The Most Blessed
Sacrament will be solemnly exposed during these hours. We ask that you practice
social distancing and that you not enter the church if you have reason to believe that
you are ill or have been exposed to someone who is confirmed to be ill.

What about mass?

No public masses are available at this time. The priests’ daily homilies are posted
on the myParish app. Private masses are being “live streamed” on the parish Facebook
page (https://www.facebook.com/SaintMaryOakRidge/ ):

Public Mass will resume on Pentecost Sunday. See the “Latest News“ section on home page.

 Sundays @ 8 am & 6 pm.
 Mondays @ 6:30 am & 8 am.
 Tuesdays @ 6:30 am, 8 am & 6 pm.
 Wednesdays @ 6:30 am & 8 am.
 Thursdays @ 6:30 am, 8 am & 6 pm.
 Fridays @ 6:30 am & 8 am.
 Saturdays @ 8 am & 5:30 pm.

What about confessions?

The Sacrament of Penance is available on Sundays @ 7:30 am, 10 am, 1:30 pm & 5:30
pm. Wednesdays @ 8:30 am & 6:30 pm. Fridays @ 8:30 am. Saturdays @ 8:30 am & 5
pm. Please practice social distancing between those in line!

Are Mass intentions being fulfilled as scheduled?

Mass intentions will be fulfilled as scheduled, with two changes: intentions for the
Sunday 10:30 am Mass are transferred to the Thursday evening Mass, and intentions
scheduled for the Sunday 2 pm Mass are transferred to Tuesday evening Mass.

What about the Way of the Cross?

A version was recorded in our church and is available on the parish Facebook page.

Is the Food pantry operating as usual?

The St. Joseph’s Food Pantry is operating on the usual schedule (10-11:45 on
Wednesdays) with modified procedures.

What is the schedule for Holy Week (including distribution of blessed palms) and
the Paschal Triduum?

Our tentative schedule for the Sacred Triduum is: Holy Thursday at 7 pm, Good Friday
at 3 pm and the Night Vigil of Easter at 8:30 pm. These are all private celebrations, so
there will be no parishioner congregation present, but our plan is to live-stream them,
just as we’ve been live-streaming the daily 8 am Mass, on our parish Facebook page .

What should I do with my weekly giving envelope?

You can drop your weekly giving envelope in the mail slot located in the breezeway
between the portico door and the lobby door of the Ministry Center Office. The
breezeway is always open, but the door to the lobby will remain locked for the
foreseeable future.

This is a great time to consider making online donations to the parish through
WeShareOnline (https://stmarysoakridge.weshareonline.org/ ). Would you like me to
walk you through how to do that, or would you like to call John Proteau, the parish
bookkeeper? He can be reached at (865) 482-2875

Please know that on-line contributions and dropping off your weekly envelopes will help
us compensate for the considerable lack of Sunday collections. The vast majority of
Sunday Mass collections go to pay the salaries and benefits of our parish employees
who are continuing to work.