Today is the last day I am able to physically attend Mass for the next four weeks, unless I'm asked to help with the livestream.
The details are simple enough: numbers of covid in my city have risen, and therefore the provincial government has announced a modified lockdown in my city for twenty eight days starting Monday, which includes a ban on religious services with more than ten people- celebrants and volunteers included. So at Mass today we had a priest, a thurifer, a lector, the sacristan, the caretaker, a person at the door who checks the names of people against those who signed up on line to attend, and to make sure we do not go over our numbers, (the sacristan and the caretaker doubled down on their duties and directed people to appropriate seats and made sure spacing regulations were observed) plus organist and cantor- so eight people involved in the celebration. That would leave space for two in the congregation. Or we could ditch the lector, possibly the organist as well, and get rid of the sacristan or the caretaker, and have the remaining one do double duty, plus the job of the person minding the door, who could then also be ditched, and keep possibly the cantor. That would allow for a congregation to increase to three times the size, to six. That would mean my family, plus one other person. Some families I know would have to leave some at home. And this would be across the city, with parishes whose numbers range from hundreds to thousands. Despite the miniscule numbers involved, the church would have to be cleaned and disinfected after every Mass, same as it is now.
Our Cardinal decided instead to cancel the public celebration of Mass for the duration of this lockdown, which will include almost the entirety of Advent. Certainly every Sunday of it. If the numbers remain high, we may lose Christmas Mass in person as well, even as we lost Easter.
It's a sign of how lucky we are, that this is a burden upon us. In many places, not being able to attend Mass for weeks at a time is the norm, not the exception. Even in Canada, there are many such places. My wife and I have considered moving to other provinces, but in several of the places we have looked, the website for the local church often lists Mass as taking place every second Sunday of the month, and sometimes only that during the summer months. Otherwise, nothing. It is my hope, though not my expectation, that many of my fellow Catholics will feel a renewed love for the Mass and for their spiritual home, and that those who go through these months will learn to never again take the Mass for granted.
If anyone is inclined to comment on the situation, even to say you disagree with the Cardinal's decision, feel free. However, if the only way you express your displeasure with the Cardinal is by calling him names and throwing out insults, your comments will be deleted. Name calling makes no point, furthers no argument, and deserves no respect. It shall be given none here.
6 comments:
The Premier reduced to 10, he is an ignoramus, not attending church nor thinking it essential. The Cardinal reduced it to 0. Why?
Why did he not order every priest to offer 5 masses on Sunday and 3 daily? What else does the priest do all day? One priest, one server/lector, one caretaker, once cantor at one Sunday Mass. Take a list and rotate top to bottom.
There are 14 million people in Ontario and 454 in hospital as of yesterday due to covid. Do the math.
Insanity.
David Domet
Judging this matter properly, or, as you put it, to 'do the math' requires an expertise in several fields in order to judge aright. I have no such expertise. However, when it comes to math, our friend Mark has considerable expertise. Another friend, Alan, also has expertise in science and numbers. Both are concerned with the numbers. Several nurses I know are deeply concerned about the growing numbers in their hospitals. So they, who have the expertise I do not, are concerned.
As for 'what else do priest's have to do all day?': from the priests that I know, much. Whether or not they are physically capable of five Masses is something for them to determine. But the math you suggest for this is quite easy. If they were to do five masses a day, the number of people who can attend on Sunday would grow from eighteen(assuming they do three Masses for Sunday) to thirty. Rotating through a schedule for four weeks of the current lockdown would allow a maximum of 120 to attend Mass. Depending on the size of the parish, this could be from about 1/4 to less than 1/20.
There is your math.
So, you believe this is just then?
A priest hospital chaplain in Toronto said yesterday that "either my eyes are lying or they are" in referring to the now numbers in his university health centre ICU's.
But you go along with it. You accept this.
How does the SSPX priest conduct 5 Masses on Sunday to accomodate? Latin Masses to add, not the option easy Novus Ordo that can be done in 20 minutes.
As of today, there are fewer in hospital than there are hospitals.
But you believe everything they tell you. You keep giving the Cardinal an out.
You never question, you accept all of this.
Pure satisfaction with cowardice and mediocrity.
Actually, it's the EF Low Mass (particularly in the Irish tradition) that can be done in fifteen minutes. The NO takes longer.
As for the rest, it depends on which 'they' you are talking about. One 'they' tells me this is so, and that is so, and another group tells me that this is not so, and that is not so. By what standards does one choose the 'they' to which one shall listen? Shall it be the one who places demands on us, and tells us things which we do not wish to hear, or shall it be the one who tells us what our itching ears wish to hear?
Accepting this is not an issue of questioning or not questioning. I could reject this decision, and rant about it, and the churches would still be closed.
Discussion and debate is a good and healthy thing. It means we are still deliberating and making up our own minds, we are still autonomous beings.
I just heard a very interesting talk by a Dr. Roger Hodkinson of the Alberta Society. You Tube has his 5 minute talk, in which this highly accomplished physician notes he is appalled at how this virus is being used politically, and he believes it should stop, yesterday.
I'm in my 60's. I believe people in their 60's and up need to be cautious, the older you are, the more cautious you might be, depending on your health, perhaps stay home a great deal. But to shut down economies, close Masses, sporting events, etc., when children are hardly affected and young people are hardly affected, madness and political opportunity. We are turning over our lives and our nations to people with a desire to control and rule.
We need to realize that and end this.
The church has led the way to this fresh hell.
Okay I don't know what to say, So I will let St Paul speak. (Keep in mind when he wrote this NERO was Emperor of Rome) St Paul to the Romans. "Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there. ... There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the law of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow." Romans 13:1-2
Do I like that I cannot assist at Mass, no, it pains me greatly. But the Cardinal has spoken and we are mandated to obey our Bishop, and respect him.
Another quotation I could cite is : Roma locuta est, Causa finita est. At some point you are called to obey.
ON a civil note.
If you voted for the PC, and you said nothing when he went for hospitals and cut funding reducing nurses. And now you are upset because he is coming after something important to you, as though he is attacking you personally. If you said nothing when he went after autistic children to "cut the fat" and limit funding, why are you surprised he is coming after something about which you care deeply. You didn't care what he threatened to harm my family then. You praised him for curbing spending, and now he comes after something you care about and you now suggest HE doesn't care about me and my family. OH I knew he didn't care about my family when he threatened to take away my son's OAP and reduce to almost non-existent. If you voted for this moron, you have only yourself to blame for the harm he is doing.
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