Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: May 24, 2020
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
As I sit down to write this column, we’ve just finished our first “weekend back.” Public Masses have begun again at the Cathedral and most other parishes throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge. It has been wonderful to say welcome back to you!
It went pretty well, I thought. Getting the church ready took a while, for we had to be ready for a maximum capacity of 160 persons, which is 25% of our building’s usual occupancy of 650. Fortunately, attendance was much lower, as people were properly quite cautious about mingling with persons of varied backgrounds, ages and health situations. Remember, with the bishop’s broad, ongoing dispensation, there is no obligation to attend Mass, so staying at home is always a choice anyone can make.
That natural caution I spoke of, though, led everyone to be very cooperative. Those who came were careful to wear a mask and sit and walk six feet apart from others. Volunteers stepped up to “disinfect” the church’s pews and doors after each Mass. Nobody complained that the bathrooms weren’t available. Those who went to holy communion did so in the hand as asked, and although they said they missed the hymnals and holy water, chalices and incense, they also expressed great gratitude to be able to worship the Lord again in our most sacred space. I even saw a few people dropping donations into the baskets we left out for that purpose! Proof positive!
(You may still remember your Stewardship by mailing your gifts to 412 North St., B.R., LA 70802-5496. Even better, go to your bank’s website and make us one of the “bills” they automatically pay for you each month!)
So we’ll see how things go for the next few weeks. Will attendance increase gradually? I hope so. Will we be able to schedule something like First Communion soon? Since we don’t have very many candidates for this, I think so. Will grooms and brides – and their parents – still be anxious about their wedding plans? Probably so. That’s been true in every day and age! Please pray for an eventual return to predictability, for that’s the one thing that’s really needed to expand our real and emotional comfort zones!
If you have any further questions or issues as we try to restore some sense of normalcy to our life of faith, you can call or come by the Parish Office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8:30 am to 12 noon. Those will be our new “office hours” for the foreseeable future. Lorie and Debbie will be able to help you with Mass intentions, volunteer opportunities, and conditional scheduling of special events. We’ll also be cautiously proceeding with resuming some “in person” meetings here on Cathedral Square – although I have to admit that other parishioners and I have sort of gotten used to “Zoom-ing” around, meeting with each other without ever leaving home!
Still rejoicing in Christ’s Resurrection from the dead,
Fr. Paul Counce
