Return to In-Person Mass

At the end of a long project or journey, we often say that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps that expression is best modified for our pandemic experience with all the waves and surges of COVID variants. One needs to be sure there is no relative motion between the light and the end of the tunnel. It might just be the train headed your way.

Our COVID journey is not over, but we are far enough along that we have some assurance there is no train headed our way. And so, we need to make new plans and efforts to realign the parish to again be an open and welcoming community celebrating our Catholic Identity and Franciscan Spirituality amid a diverse and ever changing landscape of our lives in Prince William County.

Over the coming weeks and months, you will see ministries and groups begin to offer and promote opportunities to become engaged in the life of faith. There will be all manner of opportunities to enhance your faith, apply your energies, reach out to neighbor and stranger alike – for individuals, families, and everything in between. We will announce them in the parish e-Newsletter, bulletins, website, and social media channels. Stay tuned!

However, over the past two years, too often we have had to announce: “Join us in person or online.” Our online streaming of the Mass was a blessing that helped our community stay connected as we all were “safer at home.” In the beginning, most weekends there were several thousand “views” of the live streamed Mass. Two years have passed, and we are in a new season of hope.

These days hope is evident as seen in the increased attendance of Mass in-person. Meanwhile our average live stream viewership is between 20-40 with an average viewing time of 28 minutes. Our best guess is that viewers are disconnecting after the homily. Could it be that there is not a desire to “watch” the Eucharist by those who long to receive it?

In this new season we need to remember that at the core of our Catholic Identity and Franciscan Spirituality is the celebration of the Mass, the Sacred Liturgy in which the community gathers. It is simply not the same to be disembodied entities at the end of a digital stream, at least not in what it means to gather. In the Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, we proclaim that Christ is truly present, most especially in the Eucharist, in and through the ministry of the priest, in the Word of God proclaimed, and “when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matt. 18:20)”. Yes, two or three can gather anywhere, but the fullness of the presence of Christ is in the community gathered, the Word of God proclaimed, and most especially in the Holy Eucharist.

It is time to fully return to Mass and focus our energies on the embodied gathering of the faithful to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy in prayer, in song, and in receiving the Holy Eucharist. We need to hear the babies cry in church, signs of new life. We need to see the reddened eyes of the person in the pew and ask, “Can I help?” We need to catch up with folks on the sidewalk and at coffee and donuts.

It is time to end our live streaming of Sunday Mass. Even as we plan this, we are aware that those who are homebound or sick will not be able to participate in Mass. But this is not a new problem. In the past, we have handled this inevitability by visiting these people at home in person. A small team of lay eucharistic ministers volunteered to go to the home of anyone who could not make it to church and wanted a visit. They would meet one-on-one with people, caring for them, reciting a short liturgy together, serving communion and catching up. This asks more from a community in terms of time and commitment than streaming a service online. It gives the gifts of personal, embodied presence, friendship, and love – and most especially the Eucharist.

Pentecost Sunday, June 5th will be our last weekend of live streamed Mass. Between now and then we have work to do to update our list of the homebound and recruit our homebound visitation ministry. We have been asking via our newsletter and the front page of the website. The responses are not what we hoped for – even in the identification of the homebound. One of the dynamics of parish life is that people assume someone else has already told the parish. Trust me, they have not. Give us a call and let us know. This is how we will again be a community fully present to each other.

For for faithful who are home bound or unable to attend in person, may we recommend some other Franciscan parishes staffed by friars from Holy Name Province.

Franciscan Online Masses