It has been almost a week since we discussed re-opening the churches. This morning I found out something about the planning our parish has been doing. My Eeyore reaction is that it will never work.
By way of prelude, our bishop has said nothing. He won’t decide what he wants to do until Archbishop Wenski of Miami announces what he is doing. Then our bishop will decide to do it, too. Also, our disappointment-a-day governor went to Washington yesterday to praise the president, sit next to him at a photo op and pick the presidential brain on a staged reopening. He did this on the day the state hit its highest death toll to date.
But the parish staff assumes:
1. The original emergency measures will remain: No cup, no holy water, no contact at kiss of peace, etc. (Suggested: Use holy water with alcohol added. Suggestion rejected.)
Everyone wearing masks. (How to receive the Host? TBA)
2. Collection baskets are being attached to poles to be wielded by ushers. (No more passing.)
3. Social distancing. Best possible seating arrangements have been worked out, using the church and Trinity Center. That means three priests — we have them — each saying five Masses can cover the usual Sunday attendance. (How do we let people know when there is no more room at the inn? TBA How do we get people to sit other than “where I always sit”? No possible answer. The ushers will have to “deal with it.” The ushers, needless to say, have not been consulted.)
5. Older people and ones with conditions will be encouraged to stay home awhile longer. But, of course, they are the ones most likely to feel a compulsion to come anyway.)
6. Instead of depending on plans, pray that the people themselves will produce a staggered reopening. (Two wives have stated they definitely aren’t coming if they can’t sit with their families, and another has proclaimed she’ll decide when it’s safe, and it isn’t going to be safe when the pastor says so because what does he know? The hope is that lot or people will follow that last wife’s lead.)
It is widely agreed that our parishioners will not a) read instructions, b) listen while instructions are explained or c) pay any attention to them. Ushers will have to “deal with it.”
We have been watching another parish's livestreamed daily Mass, because our parish doesn't have one. Ours has only livestreamed Holy Week and Easter so far. The one we're watching is six blocks from our house. In normal times we'd just walk over there.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this morning the priest announced that we may have to rethink the partial opening of the churches which was tentatively planned for next week. Because we are smack in the middle of the packing house meltdown that could have been prevented, but wasn't. (Actually our town isn't particularly bad, but all the surrounding counties are.) The local pastors are going to get together on it. Sounds like they will do the prudent thing and delay.
Now I have to go and sew up a mask with a HVAC filter for my husband so he can attend the parish staff meeting this evening. Be my luck that they cancel the meeting, but at least he will have the mask.
As with our military wars, the American citizens are insulated from the reality of the front lines in this war against the virus. Medical personnel are supposedly inured against the day-to-day tragedies that occur. They really aren't. And this plague is many times worse. Having heard the stories, I am sure that these medical workers will be suffering PTSD symptoms for years to come. And all the cool fighter plane flyovers and congratulations for heroism won't fix them. As much as I hate the social distancing and shutdowns, I am nowhere near experiencing the worst of this. Unless, of course, I get it bad. And it is not a nice way to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you are right that many of the medical workers will have PSTD. I was just reading yesterday about a doctor who committed suicide. She had been in the thick of things, in fact had caught the virus and recovered from it. It sounded like she tried to go back to work too soon and the psychological trauma was too much.
DeleteI am grateful that my pregnant niece who is a PA was put on teledoc duty which she can do from home.
No, they are not "used to it." A nurse in my cancer group explained how the virus kills you and why people with blood cancers die at three times the rate everyone else does. She is working in a "support" capacity thru tele-health, but that's not exactly R&R. This morning she seemed like she was at the end of her tether. Tele-health consults are frustrating. If you can't see someone, it is often impossible to know how much distress they are in, especially if you are used to live interactions. Many people are really rambling and inarticulate about communicating how they feel. So unless you actually know them, the whole thing is really hit or miss, and the nurse spends her time wondering if she got it right.
DeleteIsn't this a pro-life issue? If it is, then parishes need to just cool their frickin' jets. Maybe there ought to be indulgences for staying home, wearing masks, and doing whatever possible to protect others.
ReplyDeleteAlso: Who needs the sacraments most? People dying on ventilators. If they have to go without the Last Rites and the Eucharist, the rest of us should suck it up.
Tom's excellent points in his reply to you notwithstanding, it is a pro-life issue - an excellent way to frame the question.
DeleteYour point about people dying also is very good.
Jean, I am afraid honest answers would feed right back into the discussion of How the President Stole the Cardinal's Watch we had yesterday. It isn't a pro-life issue, as the term is currently understood in the White House and bishops who worship there, because it does not involve fetuses. And having sacraments at least by when the bowling alleys reopen is a religious liberty issue.
ReplyDeleteYou took the words out of my keyboard. "Pro-life" to way too many means nothing unless it is, first, last and always, anti-abortion.
DeleteThe Ohio Bishops in a joint press release have indicated that they are beginning planning for reopening the churches for May 31st, Pentecost.
ReplyDeleteThey tied their plans with the state’s plan for gradually reopening things. The first priority is medical services, e.g. the elective surgeries that have been on hold, outpatient visits, etc. Then they are reopening manufacturing and wholesaling which are necessary before retailing can be opened.
All these are being done with supporting practices in places, e.g. testing for those who will be using medical facilities, and testing and best practices for all those in manufacturing and wholesale. The constant emphasis is that it is not business as usual but business done differently.
Of course details are where it gets tough. The state was going to mandate masks, but got a lot of negative feedback from those who don’t like them for various reasons. So the state compromised and said that the business themselves could require masks for their employees and their customers.
Of course there are going to be a lot of employees and customers who are going to be unhappy when they find that other people are not wearing masks! But at least the state has made that the problem of each business.
The state’s role is to monitor all this, be sure a lot of testing is done, so that we can know quickly if things are getting out of hand. Ohio is now producing a lot of the components of testing, e.g. swabs and reagents instate. The state is hiring and training a lot more public health workers to interview people and do contact searches for those who have the virus.
DeWine’s goal in this is to have a much stronger public health system in Ohio supported by all the academic and business enterprises that can keep it well stocked and supplied.
The bishops have a real problem, because they bring together people in large numbers in very uncontrolled situations. I suspect if they reopen on May 31st we have within a month hot spots of Catholic parishes who did poor jobs of social distancing etc. The state’s system will very likely detect all that. Bishops and pastors, think what the church will look like if it replaces nursing homes and prisons as places of many deaths!
I think parishes right now should be putting all their effort into a permanent system for webcasting all the services, and for archiving the principal Mass. As a step toward reopening I think they should do Masses with small choirs spread out where the congregation normally sits. That would enhance the music aspect of the service, and give the congregation a sense they can participate by singing along at home.
Jack, I like your idea of having of having choir members spread out where the congregation normally sits (I'm assuming this is for the livestreamed or recorded Masses). I miss the music. I also miss doing music with the choir.
DeleteFYI:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/27/most-states-have-religious-exemptions-to-covid-19-social-distancing-rules/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=885eac144f-RELIGION_WEEKLY_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-885eac144f-399934041
APRIL 27, 2020
Most states have religious exemptions to COVID-19 social distancing rules
I don't know if you can see this or not. It may be behind a paywall:
ReplyDeletehttps://international.la-croix.com/news/real-presence-and-virtual-liturgies-part-ii/12271
Real Presence and Virtual Liturgies (Part II)
The difference between watching Mass on TV and participating in a live-streamed liturgy
Felix Just SJ April 29, 2020
It is behind a paywall.
Delete"Best possible seating arrangements have been worked out, using the church and Trinity Center. That means three priests — we have them — each saying five Masses can cover the usual Sunday attendance."
ReplyDeleteThis point is quite similar to one that Thomas Reese made in his article which we had looked at a few threads back. In short: this idea is insane. No priest can commit to five masses per weekend, weekend after weekend. They'll all be dead in a year. Or at least burned out and looking for something easier to do for the rest of their lives.
Much better would be to set up tons of overflow seating in parish halls, basements, gyms, etc. Let people spread out. Use closed circuit television for those who aren't in the worship space. Not as ideal as being in the church, but at least it gives them a way to attend and receive communion.
One of our deacons says he has done three Masses in a day and finds the focus flows away during the third. Asking priests to do five, or even four, is ridiculous. Also, asking ushers to "simply tell people" to do things is ridiculous since part of the job each week is getting people to pass the collection basket just like they did last week and the week before that and the week before that....
DeleteI totally believe that priests and deacons would get burned out with that many Masses. I have a suggestion, have the priests celebrate a normal number of Masses. But consecrate enough hosts so that deacons could do Communion services. The deacons would not need to assist the priests at the Masses. They're going to be simple no frills celebrations for a while. That way they could spread the services out and more people could attend while still observing distancing.
DeleteI don't see any difference between me watching the Pope's Mass live streamed through the internet and people watching the Pope through a Jumbotron at one of those mega liturgies. I likely see and hear the liturgy better than them. I can also sing the hymns with my companions. Except for the possibility of receiving communion, but for many centuries people did not receive communion at most Masses.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of live streamed Masses from a parish in which the ministers for the home bound receive the host at the end of Mass and bring it directly to my house, there is no difference.
So who's going to disinfect the less after every Mass? And how long should you wait between Masses to make sure all the aerosol germs have settled?
ReplyDeleteJack's idea is better of Eucharistic delivery is better than umpteen small masses per day, but extraordinary ministers making the rounds to several shut-ins would not be optimal, either.
At some point, even with some heightened safeguards, it will be OK for most people to go to Mass. Those of us with chronic illnesses will need to take responsibility for ourselves and not expect others to go without.
*disinfect the pews
DeleteA study published in a peer reviewed journal said that the virus may remain on hard services such as metal and plastic for up to three days and soft surfaces such as cardboard for up to 24 hours.
DeleteThat to me says that we cannot do more than one Mass a day on same site without a thorough cleaning of pews and missals. I think it means replacing missals with one time only worship aids already in place in sanitized pews and taken home.
As for the aerosol germs a study of a Chinese restaurant suggests that air flow may be important. Those in tables in a section of the restaurant fed by certain air blowers got infected even though they were not sitting at the same table. This suggest again one Mass a day with the air circulation turned off during Mass.
All this says to me that vulnerable people and those who care for them should be planning NOT to attend Mass in the future until a vaccine is in place and the new cases in the area have dropped to zero for an extended period.
I'm glad that our local priests have decided to postpone even a limited reopening now in light of the explosion of new cases (a thousand people working in a packing plant, elbow to elbow with no safeguards, what could possibly go wrong?! You've heard of venture capitalism. This is moron capitalism. Moron that later.)
DeleteThe process of consecrating and distributing the hosts needs to be rethought.
ReplyDeleteThe practice of some Eastern churches where everyone receives from one loaf (broken) and no one even the bishop self communicates is very laudable from a symbolic point of view.
However we have had self communication by the celebrant and individualized hosts for centuries.
It would be safest for everyone to receive a packet of individually wrapped hosts every month or so in the mail. You would bring the host with you to mass. Everyone unwraps that host after the Sanctus and holds it in their hands as they would when receiving communion.
I suggest the host be promptly consumed immediately after the Amen of the Eucharist prayer while the choir begins singing the Lamb of God. People join in one by one after communicating. Then everyone with upraised hands says the Lord's Prayer.
Then everyone sits (or kneels) in silence while the choir sings hymns and people slowly one by one leave the church.
The sign of peace could be transferred to the offertory where it is in some other rites. Remember the offertory is also going to be a much briefer rite since there should be no bringing up of the gifts or taking of a collection. Perhaps everyone could take out their host hold it up without unwrapping it and bow to everyone around them.
I think all this could be done in very simple, slow but solemn and safe fashion.
A small choir widely dispersed in a section of the church that provides background music to the whole service is very important. As long as the virus is active I would discourage congregational singing in the church but encourage people to sing at home.
We could have home bound communion by consecrating extra hosts within their wrappers and taking them to the home bound but not entering their home. The home bound person receives the wrapped host with gloves, then wipes the plastic cover with a hand wipe unwraps the host and consumes it. The communicant and minister then say the Lords prayer together followed by a prayer over the home bound before leaving.
Jack, I think BYO hosts is a good idea. People who need low-gluten hosts (we have three of them) bring their own now. But they place them in a special pyx, which is put on the altar for the consecration.
DeleteI am dubious about keeping hosts wrapped up with a hand wiping the wrap before and after. I doubt people would do that, and it may not be necessary since the transmission is all in the family that is living together. Anyhow, I haven't seen a sanitizer for sale in food or drug stores for almost two months.
But there would be an offertory. We have, as I said, attached baskets to polls, so no one has to touch the basket (but the ushers). That may not be perfect. (The way our church is configured, people are going to lose eyes over this.) But I'll tell you this: If it's a Catholic church, there will be a collection.
I have read that there non-Catholic churches that, during communion, have a separate little cup, almost like a shot glass, for each communicant rather than a shared cup. So there are precedents, and presumably even supplies, for this way of sharing in the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Filling these individual cups would also call more attention liturgically and spiritually to the act of pouring out, which is of great liturgical and spiritual signifance.
DeleteJust offering this in the spirit of brainstorming.
Congregationalists do this. The grape juice is poured into plastic pill cups stuck into a little tray with holes to hold the cups (like a drinks carrier you get at McDonalds, only with room for a dozen cups). These are passed down the pew and everyone takes one. A tray of croutons is also passed. Everyone downs the hatch at the same moment.
DeleteEpiscopalians have a chip-and-dip arrangement I have seen a couple of priests pass at the rail. You take a host from the "chip" pile and intinct in the wine in the center. I was told Episcopal priests are no longer supposed to use this set-up. Not sure why, as intinction into the cup seems to be the norm where I sometimes attend.
Passing edibles hand to hand is not a good idea. People (especially kids) breathe, cough, and glom onto things. Catholics also tend to be very anxious about any items that fall in the floor or get spilled, and these methods leave more room for accidents to occur.
About the separate little cups like shot glasses, the Baptists have that. They also have little bread cubes that are like you cut up regular bread to make dressing. One time when I was about five I was staying with my Baotist grandma and went to church with her. I thought it was mighty nice of them to serve snacks, especially since the service went on a bit long.
DeleteJim, about the individual cups people would need to purify their own with water.
We had "flower communion" in the Unitarian church, usually for Easter. Everyone brought a flower to church, and one of the Church Ladies arranged them in a nice vase to put at the front table. It symbolized the notion of the harmony and diversity in God's world as reflected in nature and in ourselves. It was always fun to see these being arranged in real time and try to keep track of your flower as new ones were added.
DeleteI realize this offers nothing to the discussion. Just a fleeting memory of a rather happy childhood occasion.
Jean, that sounds nice. Makes me think of a Dave Barry column one time when he wrote about growing up Episcopalian. They had a blessing of the poinsettias when everybody brought their Christmas poinsettias tho church. They held them up for a blessing during the service. His comment was something lije, "And who says we Episcopalians never really cut loose!"
Delete'Piscopalians are big on blessing stuff. We used to bring tools we used at work for a Labor Day blessing. St. Francis Day blessing of animals took all afternoon. Confirmation kids got little pins that were blessed. Catholics here don't bless anything but throats. I sometimes holy water the cats, but it only seems to annoy them. I think I have seen steam coming off my late mother's horrid cat, but I wouldn't swear to it.
DeleteI may have mentioned that I receive a weekly e-newsletter from the Chicago Tribune's theater critic. The live theater industry in Chicago never is exactly flush with cash even in the best of times. Now, with all theater performances shut down and the economy in a deep recession, the theater scene has, for purposes of public presence, ceased to exist. In Illinois, the stay at home order runs at least through May 31. Even if it is allowed to expire on that date in its current form, theatrical performances may not be among those enterprises permitted to reopen. And even if/when the theaters do eventually reopen, the directors, managers et al are not sanguine that theater patrons will return in large numbers.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the newsletter, some of them are saying that live theater will not become financially viable until a vaccine gets us to herd vaccination/immunity.
It seems to me that the same logic should, and will, apply to churches.
I applaud all creative efforts to bring forward the day when our churches can be "back in business". But we shouldn't enable the foolish in our midst, and we must keep things in perspective. The health of our people outweighs all other considerations.
I don't think we should reopen the churches yet, for quite a long time. Here in Chicago, I really hope Cardinal Cupich is thinking along the same lines I am.
The church is subject to the same pressures that other types of enterprises are. Among them is the need to weigh health and economic viability. The much-criticized meeting of President Trump with a few bishops and other church leaders was, from the church leaders' point of view, all about finding ways to preserve the economic viability of their institutions, especially Catholic schools. While many of us find the institutional dimension of the church the least attractive aspect of it, and we may even be inclined to roll our eyes at the phrase "preserve the institution", it's worth recalling that many thousands of school teachers and other employees rely on the institutions for their livelihoods. I don't blame the bishops at all for seeking government assistance to help ensure the well-being of their employees (whether they sought it in the best way is a different topic).
DeleteWhat I'm saying is: while, in the previous comment, I called for the churches to remain closed, possibly until we're all vaccinated, that's probably not financially realistic.
Amen Jim
DeleteI think we should wait to see what happens when theatres, restaurants, and sports reopen. Then profit from their experience,
We should not be the first to go and make all the mistakes and reap all the criticism.
In the meantime there is much that our parishes could do to improve the quality of virtual worship, e.g. live streamed mass, addition of music ministry, etc.
Our Archbishop, George Lucas, announced this morning that the churches in the archdiocese will remain closed for now, due to the rise in coronavirus cases the past two weeks. I think this is a wise decision.
DeleteI do not all blame bishops for seeking to maintain economic viability and preserve the jobs of teachers and other employees. I do blame Cardinal Dolan and others who displayed blatant syncophancy and partisanship in the recent teleconference involving President Trump. There is a saying about needing a long spoon when supping with the devil (the devil here is not necessarily Trump so much as the temptation to be bedfellows with civil powers for the advantages one seeks to gain). They don't have a long enough spoon to avoid getting burned.
What's happening to actors in all this depresses me. A local theater company is Zooming, or something, its planned readings series, but free. That's not putting food on actors' tables. The shows are cancelled, of course. ISTM odd that beaches can open and theaters can't. I know, social distance isn't possible in theaters. But the photos clearly show it isn't done at beaches. So what's the difference?
DeleteAt my age and condition, I should avoid gatherings. Come to think of it, that describes all but one of our six ushers for the 12 o'clock Mass. Hmmm.
But I think it is a good idea to wait and profit from the inevitable mistakes of the re-openings of commercial gathering places.
"I do not all blame..." should be "I do not at all blame..."
DeleteWe must choose to serve God not Mammon.
ReplyDeleteWhile we are allowed to sacrifice our own lives in the service of God and others we are not allowed to sacrifice other peoples lives to serve our own needs, or the needs of any institution or the economy as a whole.
We cannot simply say that because people have the freedom not to work or not to come to Mass that we hold no responsibility for their health if we encourage them to come to Mass or work and thereby risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Love the Dave Barry story. I think Episcopalians have loosened up a bit since his young years. I’ve only met a couple of cradle Episcopalians. In fact, both priests at our church for ten years were converts - one from the Baptists and one Presbyterian with a detour with the Quakers for a while. After the rector retired they recruited a new priest who grew up Catholic and graduated from Notre Dame. She was one of seven, Catholic schools all the way. Guessing she might have stayed RC, but she felt called to the priesthood and could not follow that call if she stayed RC obviously.
ReplyDeleteAt our parish, one of the oldest churches in the state, communicants kneel at the altar rail. Bread in the hand, given by priests and either intinction or sip from the cup. I would say 75% intinction. We went to a Lutheran church one Sunday. Little individual paper cups for wine, grape juice on offer, bread given by the priest, all in the hand. Communicants standing.
Dang it, did I miss a link to a Dave Barry story? Could someone please repost it?
DeleteJim, sorry, I don't have a link. I was reaching into the dusty and cobwebbed recesses of my memory. I did a search for the story, but Dave is a very prolific writer, and everything came up but what I actually was looking for.
DeleteNo worries, Katherine. I used to love reading him, 20-30 years ago. I don't know whether he's still active (or alive), but used to love his stuff. Didn't want to miss out :-).
DeleteAnd for the record, I'll put the net tonnage of my cobwebs up against anyone's!