The Bishop has decided to
restore the “Sunday Obligation” effective the weekend of Palm Sunday, March 27-28. The primary characteristic of this new phase of covid-response is a greater discretion being given to pastors, who can continue as many of the precautions as they deem reasonable and appropriate to the needs of each individual community.
Here are some of the approaches we will be taking as a parish, for now. Many of these will be subject to change in light of the developing situation.
1.
Gratitude. First I want to thank everyone for your patience and understanding. I’ve received phone calls, emails, and had personal conversations over the course of the last year revealing a very wide range of perspectives about how we are, and should be responding to this situation. I want to express my thanks, because everyone who has reached out to me from our parish has done so with respect and understanding, and a rational approach to these hard problems. I appreciate that, and will continue to try to chart a reasonable middle-ground that is both safe and prudent, but also reasonable and measured.
2.
The Obligation. Even though the obligation to attend Mass will return on the weekend of Palm Sunday, the obligation
never appliesif a grave cause makes it impossible to attend Mass. If, for personal, professional, family, or any other reasons, you are concerned about your health and wish to be vaccinated but have not yet had the opportunity to do so, that situation would certainly represent this kind of grave cause. If any parishioner is uncertain whether this exception applies but remains uncomfortable about being at Mass for any reasonable cause, he or she can contact me, and I can provide a personal dispensation for a few weeks longer, which I am able to give as pastor to any parishioner on an individual basis.
3.
Distancing. Those who have been at weekend Mass recently have seen the steadily growing number of people returning to Mass, such that we have now reached our capacity with pews blocked off. This joyful sign of progress is causing a situation in which we are actually able to distance less effectively, because people are crowding into the open pews and congregating in the narthex and back of the church. Therefore, on or around Palm Sunday, I hope to remove some or all of the tape from the pews. I ask that you continue to do the best you can to maintain a respectful distance from other families both for the health and the peace of mind of those around you.
4.
Masks. This issue has been among the most divisive during this time, and again, I thank all who have brought me concerns and recommendations with gracious respect, despite such a striking variety of perspectives emerging about this matter from reasonable people of good will. As one called to shepherd the entire flock, I have resisted denying any person access to Mass because they will not or cannot wear a mask for ethical, medical, or personal reasons. I have also been very sensitive to people who feel uncomfortable being at Mass because of lack of sufficient mask-wearing by others. In a parish with such beautiful diversity as ours, both groups of people have been numerous. I will continue the approach of trying my best to navigate a middle ground.
As your pastor, and as a personal request to each of you on behalf of others in our community,
I humbly and sincerely request and invite everyone to continue wearing your mask at Mass, both for the health benefits this can provide but also so that others can be comfortable attending Mass with minimal concern. It is my hope that no person feels disenfranchised from Mass, either because he cannot wear a mask himself for any reason, or because too many people around him are not doing so. Thank you for your help in making this possible.
5.
Other Ongoing Precautions. For the time being, I think it is best not to resume the distribution of the Precious Blood in common cups, or the communal “Sign of Peace.” As always, if you have a gluten-related issue that prevents receiving the consecrated host, please contact me and I would be happy to accommodate you with an individual and private chalice, as I do already for a few of our fellow parishioners. Many of you have adopted the practice of a friendly nod or physical contact limited to immediate family at the time of the Sign of Peace at Mass, which is certainly a reasonable and praiseworthy approach to continue. Once the hymnals and holy water return, feel free to use these or not, on the basis of your own comfort level.
On Palm Sunday I expect to resume having two communion lines and another minister of communion distributing alongside me, and
I will ask those who receive on the tongue to come to my line only for the next several weeks; it is my hope that this will alleviate some of the concern that a few of you have expressed to me about receiving communion after one who has received on the tongue. We will continue our regular and thorough cleaning of the church and diligent hand hygiene.
6.
Continuing Discernment. As I have said several times before during the last year, as we try to discern how to respond to these challenges and live as much of the life of the Church as we can during the pandemic: I have never done this before. Nor has anyone. For that reason, I will be continuing to think and pray hard about this, and I will continue eagerly to receive guidance and feedback from you and from others. As I stated above, these are only our initial and current plans to proceed. This is an ongoing situation, and we will continue to be nimble and responsive to the realities around us. Once again,
thank you for your understanding, patience, and faithfulness during this extraordinary time.