Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: March 14, 2021
Congratulations go out to Mr. Steven Vaughan, our Parish’s sole catechumen this year. At Mass last Sunday Bishop Duca called him to receive the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist in a Rite of Election. These last few weeks of Lent will be a more intense time of preparation as he prepares to join the Church.
You may have read – either on the diocesan website www.diobr.org or in secular media – that even though the governor generally has broadened Covid restrictions in Louisiana since new infections and deaths have lessened recently, Bishop Duca is taking a more cautious approach. I heartily concur. The bishop desires that our current protocols regarding pastoral life and worship remain the same. These include continued requirements to wear masks and maintain physical distancing (accomplished here by using every other pew and a six-foot “safe distance” between people of different households). We’ve been doing this since we “reopened” the Cathedral for worship after 2½ months of “lockdown” back in May 2020.
I meant it when I said I concur in this “go slow” approach: it has been instrumental in ensuring that your Cathedral is a safe place for worship, although for few other group activities. As the number of vaccinated people increase the serious effects of the virus should decrease. Once we can verify the reasonable elimination of danger, restrictions on Church gatherings will be lifted. But as the bishop pointed out in his letter of March 6, determining that specific moment will be difficult.
The good thing about our restrictions on spacing and masking is that it is helping many people to come back to Church. They feel safe here. So we’re not going to change things for a few more weeks, while it’s determined what changes would be best. Some restrictions will likely continue for some time – for example only sprinkled holy water, no handshakes and hugs at the “sign of peace,” no shared chalices, as well as masking. But I’m hopeful we’ll soon be able to return our hymnals to the pews, take up actual physical collections, and have lay ministers of holy communion commonly assisting in its distribution. I’ll let you know as soon as I know!
Bishop Duca also announced that he recently made the decision to allow pastors in our diocese to permit weddings, even with Mass, on Saturday evenings, as well as on Sundays and holy days of obligation. This changes a diocesan rule that goes back to the days of Bishop Tracy, and while everyone agrees that the Lord’s Day – once begun with the Saturday anticipated (“vigil”) Mass – still is the far more important general observance, occasional wedding celebrations won’t do too much damage to this doctrine! Here at the Cathedral, with the bishop’s permission, we actually have “experimented” with some Saturday evening weddings over the years, and while scheduling and hosting them are definitely more challenging, it’s not impossible, generally since weddings are requested so far in advance. I certainly will intend to permit other clergy to officiate at them here, and even to do such myself if my schedule permits.
In the merciful Lord,
Fr. Paul Counce
