Day 3 of our quarantine
Day 3 of our self-imposed quarantine. I have been praying for Fr. Potter and his return to health. He is in isolation at another location. Both Fr. Mark Thomas and I are here at the rectory, Fr. Walsh is hunkered down at St. Stephen and Fr. John Odeyemi is in isolation at St. Rosalia. We appreciate the prayers and concern that so many people have expressed over the past days. We had someone drop off a delicious home cooked Italian dinner yesterday; someone else dropped off deviled eggs and a bottle of Barolo! They left everything on the porch and then we retrieved it safely once they left. Very strange days indeed! So many emails, phone calls and texts offering prayers and support - all of this means a great deal to us. Thanks to everyone for your concern.
I continue to pray for our staff and anyone else who may have been exposed. Sincerely hoping that all the precautions we have taken over the past month - wiping down surfaces regularly, safe- distancing, avoiding unnecessary contact, closing the rectory to anyone from the outside, sanitizing regularly - hoping that all of these good practices will minimize the risks to all who have had contact. Please keep those prayers coming for all of us and our staff.
The consolations are great. I can't even sleep in but getting up at my regular time at 4:45 am, praying morning prayer and my office intentionally for everyone in our parish grouping. What a blessing and joy to be able to celebrate Mass every day in our chapel in the rectory. It is a blessing to have so many fewer interruptions to the day during this time. It is a joy to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the quiet of the morning. There are so many projects and tasks that have taken a back seat that this time will now allow me to complete. What seemed so important or difficult just a few weeks ago now pales in comparison to what we are all trying to deal with. Yesterday afternoon the priests of the diocese had the opportunity to join with Bishop Zubik on a conference call. We prayed together, he lifted us up with encouragement in his remarks to us and we had a chance to reflect on the difficult decisions made over the weekend in closing our churches and restricting the sacraments. But we all know it has to be done for the good of our people. It is one thing to risk our lives in the service of the Gospel; it is quite another to put so many other people at serious risk because of what we are doing.
This is a time for all us to reflect more deeply on the treasures of our Catholic faith. Remember this is only for short time in the big picture of our journey. We must pray every day that Gods' hand will keep us safe from harm, bring us through this pandemic, and allow us to become stronger and more vibrant in our love for the Church and her sacraments. These things that we can no longer access so readily will in fact become the things our hearts long for and that we will come to see as a precious treasure. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else will be given you besides.
I continue to pray for our staff and anyone else who may have been exposed. Sincerely hoping that all the precautions we have taken over the past month - wiping down surfaces regularly, safe- distancing, avoiding unnecessary contact, closing the rectory to anyone from the outside, sanitizing regularly - hoping that all of these good practices will minimize the risks to all who have had contact. Please keep those prayers coming for all of us and our staff.
The consolations are great. I can't even sleep in but getting up at my regular time at 4:45 am, praying morning prayer and my office intentionally for everyone in our parish grouping. What a blessing and joy to be able to celebrate Mass every day in our chapel in the rectory. It is a blessing to have so many fewer interruptions to the day during this time. It is a joy to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the quiet of the morning. There are so many projects and tasks that have taken a back seat that this time will now allow me to complete. What seemed so important or difficult just a few weeks ago now pales in comparison to what we are all trying to deal with. Yesterday afternoon the priests of the diocese had the opportunity to join with Bishop Zubik on a conference call. We prayed together, he lifted us up with encouragement in his remarks to us and we had a chance to reflect on the difficult decisions made over the weekend in closing our churches and restricting the sacraments. But we all know it has to be done for the good of our people. It is one thing to risk our lives in the service of the Gospel; it is quite another to put so many other people at serious risk because of what we are doing.
This is a time for all us to reflect more deeply on the treasures of our Catholic faith. Remember this is only for short time in the big picture of our journey. We must pray every day that Gods' hand will keep us safe from harm, bring us through this pandemic, and allow us to become stronger and more vibrant in our love for the Church and her sacraments. These things that we can no longer access so readily will in fact become the things our hearts long for and that we will come to see as a precious treasure. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else will be given you besides.
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