In his book, Let Us Dream, Pope Francis writes that all of us experience a “personal Covid” during our lives. These are moments when life as we know it ends and we are called to start over. The Holy Father points to a time of serious illness when he was a young man as his first such moment. He says: “What I learned was that you suffer a lot, but if you allow it to change you, you come out better. But if you dig in, you come out worse (44).”

During the past two years, face masks, hand washing, and social distancing have become a new normal. All of us now live differently. We shop differently, work differently, pray differently, and interact differently with our friends and families. All of us know someone who has been sick. Almost all of us know someone who has died during the pandemic. We weep at the staggering losses inflected on our sick and suffering world. But through tears, we envision better days ahead.

In light of improving statistics related to the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Charlie Baker and Cardinal Sean O’Malley recently announced that the indoor mask requirements that they imposed late last year will be lifted on Monday, February 28th. In its statement, the Archdiocese of Boston also urged parishes to exercise and encourage caution; and parishes could continue to require masks at the discretion of the local pastor.

Last weekend, Father Jim met with our pastoral team and finance councils. He asked us to consider how our parishes should proceed during the “latest new normal.” Our response was clear and unanimous. We will continue to celebrate Sunday Mass for YouTube and offer high quality spiritual resources online. We will continue to offer socially distant seating at all liturgical services in Saint Ann Church. And in solidarity with the sick, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions, we will continue to encourage all parishioners to wear face masks, use hand sanitizer, and practice social distancing in all of our churches and parish buildings at least through Easter Sunday, April 17th.

Why? Wearing a face mask is a small individual sacrifice that has proven effective in slowing the spread of a virus that has killed more than 5.8 million people worldwide and more than 934,000 in our own country. Wearing a face mask is sign of support for those who are afraid, anxious, or unable to be vaccinated due to a serious medical condition. And it is a sign of support for our pastor who lives with a chronic medical condition and comes into contact with hundreds of people every week. If Father Jim is quarantined, it is almost certain that we will be forced to close our parishes until he recovers. This would require us to cancel Masses; postpone baptisms, confessions, funerals, and weddings; and deal with the financial instability that would result.

These are difficult times. There are no easy one-size-fits-all answers. Our core values of prayer, fellowship, and service are being tested over and over again. Our mission to live the Gospel, share God’s love, and rebuild the Church is more challenging than ever. But we are ever-grateful for the encouragement and support of our fellow parishioners. And we are inspired by the courageous witness of Pope Francis and the timeless wisdom of his predecessors. Saint John Paul II once said: “Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we want, but in having the right to do what we ought.” Now more than ever, we stand ready to do the right thing. Let’s do it together — always together!

CCGR Pastoral Team
Contact: office@ccgronline.com

CCGR Weekly Newsletter (2-20-22)
Bringing Home the Word (2-20-22)
The Kids Bulletin (2-20-22)

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The Synodal Way
How Does God Speak?
Synod Spiritual Exercise 1