A beloved image we have of Our Lord is that of the Good Shepherd. During Eastertime we listen to the Gospel of John, which emphasizes the love that the Shepherd has for his sheep and his willingness to lay down his life for them. The sheep hear his voice and they know him. Sometimes the voice of a shepherd speaks what the sheep do not want to hear and there are many who do not listen.
In the Diocese of Camden, I left the decision to close a parish church to the pastor. Some did, others did not. In the latter cases it was open ONLY for the faithful to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, always respecting social distancing. I issued a prohibition against the public celebration of the Sacraments in the church or any other parish venue.
During these past weeks I received a few requests from some of the faithful asking me to reverse that decision. I feel for the sincerity of some of these individuals for whom the reception of Holy Communion and participating in Mass are daily practices. My decision caused them spiritual distress, as it did for all the faithful, for our priests and for myself.
I miss the presence of a congregation as I pray the Mass. The faith and active participation of the people of God encourage my faith. I miss the singing of hymns, most especially during these weeks of Eastertime when we celebrate for 50 days the Paschal Mystery, the Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. I miss greeting the faithful after Mass, exchanging pleasantries or listening as they seek counsel or ask for prayers. I sympathize with those families who have lost a beloved relative and have not been able to gather with extended family and friends for a wake, a funeral Mass and at the gravesite due to the limitations on the numbers permitted to be present.
Some who wrote letters of complaint about the public unavailability of the Sacraments are completely misinformed. They blame that decision on the Governor of New Jersey. Others imagined some kind of anti-religion conspiracy on the part of elected officials. None of this is true. The decision was made by me as the diocesan bishop for which I have the canonical authority.
I did it out of a shepherd’s care for the health of his flock and following the counsel of some of the most brilliant scientific and medical minds in the world and in conjunction with the Catholic bishops of New Jersey. To suggest that a politician or an anti-Catholic propaganda are responsible is ridiculous.
Our Catholic practices had to change during this pandemic. Not to do so would be criminal. It is a fact that this virus easily spreads among groups of people. It is contagious. It causes terrible sickness and death. It even attaches itself to non-human surfaces. The numbers of its victims locally and worldwide are staggering.
Yes, our church is a sacramental church. However, there are other ways to experience the presence of the Lord, such as the practice of spiritual communion which has been used by the Catholic Church for centuries. I encouraged it and requested our pastors to do the same. That we have been able to live-stream Masses is a contemporary phenomenon that the church effectively used. Thousands of the faithful found spiritual comfort in following Masses from their homes. Seeing and listening to their pastor and praying with fellow parishioners were sources of grace for many.
The suspension of Masses is a matter of justice. We cannot endanger the lives of others or be the cause of their deaths. It is a matter of faith. Our Law was given by God, the fifth commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” It is a matter of Christian charity. Jesus’ Law is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The suspension of public celebrations in the churches of the Diocese of Camden will remain in effect until the experts tell us that it is safe to publicly gather in groups.
We do know that when that happens (and we are all praying it will be soon) restrictions and limitations will have to be followed. For example, seating positions and movement in church will be done differently than in the past. WE WILL NOT RETURN TO THE WAY THINGS WERE DONE BEFORE MARCH 15TH. This past week our pastors received a six-page detailed memo from our Vicar General to assist their preparation for reopening. It will be a new way for congregations to gather and move in our church buildings and it will be very challenging.
Cancelling Masses in times of pestilence has been done over the course of the history of the Catholic Church. Those who have gone before us may not have had the benefit of scientific evidence but they had common sense to separate when there was need to do so. We Catholics preach the sanctity of life, which means we follow reasonable norms to protect human life. We take every precaution to ensure public safety.
This experience has been very difficult for our pastors and the priests of the diocese. I thank them for all they have had to do and put up with during this time. Their staffs have been exemplary in responding to the many emails and memos from the Vicar General. Our Catholic school teachers and administrators have risen to the challenge of distance learning. Many of our diocesan offices have been very busy providing pastoral events for live-streaming and giving guidance to the pastoral ministers in our parishes.
Finally, I would be remiss not to say that in the not too distant future daily Mass at each parish church in this diocese will not be possible due to the shortage of vocations to the diocesan priesthood. Recently, I met with those who advise me about assignments of priests, and it was very evident that we do not have the necessary numbers to staff our parishes. Some serious praying and serious searching for candidates must be done by every member of the church. You can assist by approaching a young man whom you know and consider worthy of the priesthood and ask him if he has considered a vocation to the diocesan priesthood. You never know what your words may do in the heart and mind of that young man. In contemporary culture, for a variety of reasons, many young men are hesitant to respond to the call of the Lord to serve the Church as a priest of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd.
Let us commend to the mercy of the Lord those who died during this pandemic and those who mourn them. Let the sick return to good health. Let us pray that a vaccine will soon be available to protect us against this virus. May God bless us now and forever. May all be safe during this pandemic.
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”