By 
Announcement
As Bishop of Tyler, I am asking all of us to use the website of the St. Philip Institute (stphilipinstitute.org), as our Virtual Diocesan Family Room.
Let us be strong in the power of prayer, penance, fasting and almsgiving. Every day pray the rosary and pray with the Bible, make an Act of Contrition, offer up your sufferings and make sacrifices, refrain from one of your favorite foods or activities, and share what you have with the church and with those in need.
Please go to the St. Philip Institute (stphilipinstitute.org) website for Holy Masses, prayers, teachings on the Catholic Faith, and ideas on navigating this present reality as a family of Faith for every season of life.
I ask every priest to send information about their parish or mission to strasancos@stphilipinstitute.org so that it can be posted on our Virtual Bulletin Board that is part of our Virtual Diocesan Family Room.
My Tweets are accessible on the St. Philip Institute (stphilipinstitute.org) website; just scroll down to the area that has a picture of me you’ll see Letters from the Bishop and below that "Tweets by @bishopoftyler" -- please visit there often.
Even as we remain physically separated let us be more spiritually united than ever before. I hope that four basic principles can guide us as a Diocesan Catholic Family. 1) Let us use all the electronic means we have available to stay spiritually connected as a diocesan family. 2) Let us use the principle of subsidiarity with all of our efforts at this time. This means decisions need to be made at the most basic level the family, then the church community, then the Deanery and then the Diocese. 3) Let us use our hunger for the Body of Christ, the Real Presence of Jesus as motivation to enhance our reverence for Him. Let us use this extended Penitential Rite to prepare our hearts to receive Him joyfully as soon as we can return to the normal reverent celebration of the Holy Mass in our parish and mission churches. 4) Let us follow the guidance of our local civil authorities to keep social distance and to stay at home as much as possible.
This announcement will be posted on St. Philip Institute (stphilipinstitute.org) website in the Letters from the Bishop section mentioned above so that you can refer to it as needed.
God bless you and May our consecration to the Sacred Heart of Christ, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Chaste Heart of Joseph strengthen us all.
Joseph Strickland
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland was named the fourth bishop of Tyler in September of 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Prior to being named bishop, he served a number of roles in the diocese, including vicar general, judicial vicar, and pastor of the Cathedral parish. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1985. 