November 25, 2020 As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day 2020 and approach the beginning of a new Liturgical Year on November 30th, the First Sunday of Advent, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving and a very blessed New Church Year. Last year at about this time, my brother bishops from New York and I had just returned from the ad limina visit to the Holy Father. What a difference a year makes! Since that time, COVID-19 has reared its ugly head and continues to wreak havoc in our lives. Tens of thousands of individuals, of all ages, have died. So many are suffering today from the virus. Our sisters and brothers have lost jobs or are worried about holding on to them. Businesses have closed permanently. We struggle with feelings of heightened anxiety and uncertainty as the number of persons contracting the virus increases in our North Country communities. School administrators, faculty and staff continue to extend themselves in truly remarkable fashion to provide safe learning environments for our children and youth. Parental understanding and support have been invaluable. Pastors and pastoral staffs are creatively offering Christian Formation in our parishes while ensuring that all safe distancing, facial protection, sanitizing and cleaning protocols are followed. Health care professionals and hospital staff place themselves in harm’s way to be instruments of healing and comfort. Our local government leaders work hard to assist our communities in combatting the pandemic. Parishes are providing food and meals to families and individuals in need. You know that the sacramental life of our parishes has been severely disrupted. Celebrations of baptisms, First Communions, confirmations, weddings, funerals, and ordinations have all been significantly impacted by the pandemic. The public celebration of weekday and Sunday Masses stopped for a time, and their resumption has been contingent upon the implementation of protocol procedures that have been meticulously followed in our parishes. Such protocols such as facial protection may make us feel uncomfortable in church, but we persevere for the good of our neighbor. Given the changing protocols, we continue to experience cancellations and postponements. However, the mission of this local Church continues. Virtual meetings and the livestreaming of Masses remain a link that many parishioners find helpful. I want to express my deep gratitude for your continuing support and patience as we follow established protocols. Your faithfulness is a source of great inspiration and sign of hope. Certainly, the recent announcements of possible vaccines that are effective against the coronavirus is welcome news. Yet, we are experiencing far more than a public health emergency. Public worship has been compromised. The risk remains that we can become comfortable staying away from Church. We can lose touch with the Eucharistic Christ. This new Liturgical Year brings each of us an opportunity to renew our fidelity to Jesus Christ during these troubling times. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Do we hunger for the Eucharist? In the weeks ahead we will hear more of our Church’s efforts to revive our Eucharistic faith and practice. Such a Eucharist-centered renewal will call our attention to the necessity of public worship and help us realize again that the Eucharist is who we are and what we do as Catholics. Perhaps, not all the members of our families will gather around our dinner tables this Thanksgiving due to the pandemic. Many among us experience isolation and loneliness during this difficult time, particularly loved ones in nursing homes or those who are hospitalized. Let us pray for one another. We are confident in a brighter tomorrow because, Christ-led, Christ-fed, and Hope-filled, the Eucharistic Christ is our constant Companion and Source of unending joy and peace. God’s blessings to you and your loved ones! |
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