(Editor’s note: The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live our lives and how we worship God. Few can recall churches ever being closed, except during the worldwide outbreak of the Spanish Flu more than a century ago when public Masses were suspended. And yet during this time, the faithful of the Diocese are facing the crisis with fervor and hope. The following are accounts of what several parishes are doing to stay connected to one another … and to God.)
FAIRFIELD—On a cold and rainy March morning, Father Peter Cipriani left his church after celebrating 9 o’clock Mass alone and went out into the streets of Fairfield…with Jesus.
The Creator of the Universe certainly wasn’t worried about coronavirus and neither was Father Cipriani, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, who conducted a Eucharistic procession with the Blessed Sacrament in a magnificent monstrance, followed by an acolyte ringing bells. The tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages during periods of pestilence, reminds people that in the darkest times, God is with them.
“Someone was ringing the bells as we were walking down the streets to let people know that Jesus was coming,” he said. “People came out as I blessed the houses. It was a powerful experience with a very important message because we need to remember that even though public Masses have been suspended, the power of Christ, especially in the Eucharist, is very much present.” Every week, he has given the Eucharistic blessing on different neighborhood streets.
It is just one of many practices that parishes have begun since Bishop Frank J. Caggiano issued directives suspending public Mass and liturgical services. As a result, many parishes have adapted by live-streaming Sunday and weekday Masses, uploading videos to YouTube and connecting with one another on parish Facebook pages. In many churches, the attendance at virtual Mass has increased significantly as Catholics turn to God during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is important to keep people connected,” Father Cipriani says. “The word ‘religion’ means ‘to connect,’ so here we are, using social media, which is all about connecting. I am trying to think of any and every way to keep people connected. I have also been going down the list of parishioners and giving them a call to tell them we are still here for them.”
Every day, he has a videotaped announcement on the parish website. Mass is live-streamed. Vespers are said through Facebook. Stations of the Cross are prayed on Friday along with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 pm. At the request of parishioners, he continues to prepare homilies for children, which are available on the website in the “Kids’ Corner.”
“Our faith is really being challenged, but I believe there will be a resurgence especially for those who have been on the fence a long time,” Father said. “They’ll realize, ‘Maybe it’s time for me to reconnect with my faith, reconnect with my church, reconnect with God.”
When the crisis began, Father sent a letter to his parishioners, reminding them of the Gospel story about Jesus and the Apostles in a boat when a storm broke out on the lake as Jesus sleep in the stern. Frantic and fearful, the Apostles woke Jesus, who went to the bow of the boat, rebuked the storm and then looked at the Apostles and asked, “Why did you doubt?”
“When the sea is calm, a sailor is not being challenged, and not aware of his or her potential until a storm hits. That’s when you begin to appreciate your training,” Father said. “I tell people that we are carrying a particularly heavier than usual cross this Lent, which means it is going to be a particularly greater, more powerful Easter, similar in scope to that first Easter.”
‘The Lord has not abandoned us’
Father Gustavo A. Falla, pastor of St. Mary of Stamford was concerned. The parish food pantry was running low, and with restrictions on public gatherings, he feared it would be depleted and those in need would have nowhere to turn.
“I said to myself, ‘With the church closed, people are not going to come and drop off donations,’ but I learned on Facebook that people were posting very moving messages like, ‘Where there is food for one, there is food for two.’ And ‘If you know anyone who wouldn’t mind sharing someone else’s meal, please let me know.’”
His parishioners are preparing and delivering meals for others in need and communicating through Facebook and regular updates on the parish website.
St. Mary and St. Benedict-Our Lady of Montserrat are in the process of merging, and during the crisis, Father has been using St. Benedict because of its updated ventilation system. As a result, the two communities are coming together.
The church is open from 8 am to 8 pm for Eucharistic adoration and people have been maintaining social distancing, he said. Ushers are present to sanitize the door handles and ensure there are no more than 40 people in the church at a time.
His parish regularly has lines of 50 people for confession, so he has adapted in recent weeks by hearing confessions at the entrance to St. Benedict or having the penitent sit in nearby pew. He is also devising a system where reconciliation can take place from car to car in the parking lot.
“I have had a number of people call who are very concerned and frightened, and my message is that we are not alone,” Father Falla said. “The Lord is with us. The Lord has not abandoned us. The Lord allows this to happen because of his love and mercy, and something good will come out of this. We can already see it in the positive stories about people risking their lives and dedicating their time to alleviate this difficult situation.”
Someone sent Father Falla a poem that said, “What do you mean that Jesus is not going to walk the streets this year, when he is already tending to the sick and reaching out to everyone in need.”
‘Our parish family was with you’
Last year, hundreds of people packed the Parish of St. Catherine of Siena in Trumbull when Bishop Caggiano consecrated the church.
This year, Father Joseph A. Marcello celebrated the anniversary Mass alone on March 24 as the 12 consecration candles were burning. But in reality, he wasn’t alone. Jesus was there, as always, in the tabernacle. And so were his parishioners—someone emailed him this message: “I wanted to say that I hoped you felt all of your parish family was right there with you.”
In a letter to his faith community, Father Marcello said, “You are never far from my thoughts and prayers, and this is true even more so in these days of uncertainty. I want you to know that I am with you.”
Recalling the anniversary Mass, he said, “I looked out at the 12 lighted consecration candles, points of brightness along the walls of the dimly lit church, and it bought to mind the words of the prologue of the Gospel of St. John, ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’”
Neither has St. Catherine been overcome by the darkness. The church is open for private prayer Monday to Friday from 8 am to 1 pm. There is Eucharistic adoration on Sunday from 1 to 3 pm in the church and Tuesday in the McClinch Family Center, along with confession from 6 to 8 pm In addition, Sunday Mass, the Stations of the Cross and the rosary are posted on the parish’s YouTube channel.
There is no greater consolation during this crisis, Father Marcello said, than private prayer in the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
“The red flickering lamp high above the sanctuary reminds us of Christ’s enduring presence in the tabernacle, He who is with us always,” he said. “His closeness to us, and his presence with us, are our greatest consolation during this perilous time.”
‘It’s time to really start trusting in God’
This year St. Joseph Church in South Norwalk was preparing a major celebration for its 125th anniversary with a Mass on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. Instead, pastor Father Peter F. Lenox and parochial vicar Father Otoniel Lizcano each celebrated the occasion with a private Mass.
Father Lenox looks hopefully to the future when the anniversary can be observed with his parish community, but until then, he has adopted a routine of reaching out to parishioners with regular letters, administering Anointing of the Sick, and providing opportunities for private prayer in the church.
“This past week, I wrote letters in English and Spanish to them because I want people to know we are not closed,” he said. “Although the parish office is closed, our staff continues to work from home and the priests are available by phone. As a parish, we are still moving forward each and every day.”
It has been a strange feeling for him to see what was typically a bustling and vibrant community suddenly so quiet.
“This virus offers us opportunities to return to God or become closer to God, and that proximity is based on our faith and how much we trust in him,” Father Lenox said. “As a society, we have become so distanced from relying on him. We have become dependent on our own auspices, confident in our scientific knowledge, and often don’t trust in him because we have found we can explain everything away. We can unwittingly and unknowingly limit what God can do for us.”
Although there will be no public liturgical celebrations for Holy Week, the Triduum and Easter, Father is making plans to live-stream Masses and liturgies.
Every day, people stop by the church to pray. St. Joseph is open daily from 8 am to 7 pm Confessions are offered twice a week, including Wednesday evening during Holy Hour with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
“This time is a challenge to us and our faith, and we have to remember to place our complete trust in God with confidence and love,” he said. “This is a time in which the Church is being asked to turn to God more fervently in prayer and faith. We know from the Gospels that our Lord was unable to perform miracles in towns where there was no faith, and when he did perform them, it was in concordance with the amount of faith presented to him. As we enter into this difficult, extraordinary and challenging time, we must remember the Lord is at our side, ready to respond from his omnipotence with great love and mercy to all.”
A mission of mercy for the homebound
Every day, Father Cyrus Bartolome, pastor of Church of the Assumption in Westport, reaches out to the homebound and the elderly of his parish with phone calls and personal notes. He is even delivering groceries from the parish food pantry to their front doors. It is a corporal work of mercy in a time of global crisis … and a time of personal crisis for many in his parish community.
“Most of the people are locked down in their homes, and I especially want to reach out to the elderly and talk to those who live alone,” he said. “Many of them are scared about what will happen and how they will survive this pandemic, so I make sure I call them.”
After each live-streamed Mass that he celebrates, he ends by reminding his parish that he is there to counsel and console anyone and everyone.
Many people have been coming to pray privately at the church, which is open every day from 7:30 am to 5 pm The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration on Monday and Wednesday. One group regularly comes to pray the rosary, maintaining a safe distance from one another, he said.
He, the deacon and the cantor have begun making preparations for Easter, which they will celebrate apart from the parishioners physically but united spiritually.
“Many people are finding God in this crisis,” Father Bartolome said. “There is a great hunger for God now. He is coming into people’s lives. It is good to see people coming back to the Church. This crisis has taught us that we don’t control the world, that we’re not in charge. God is.”