In March 2020, the priests and Bishops of the Church here in the United States advised the Catholic faithful to remain at home and not to come to church. It was an unprecedented decision in our modern times, but we had no choice in the matter, as we were complying with state and national health guidelines that required us to close our church buildings. At the time, we reminded the Catholic faithful that protecting our health and the health of others was of utmost importance.
We at St Jude and at other parishes in our Diocese and throughout the country responded with live-stream Masses. It was a new frontier for us. We made the effort to bring mass into your homes over the internet, but we know it was not the same as being there in person.
When we re-opened in-person Masses at St Jude two months later in May 2020, we invited you back to Mass with certain limitations. We required you to sign-up on-line in order to accommodate everyone as best we could. We had our weekend Mass in cars in our parking lot. We at St Jude and at other parishes instituted scrupulous cleaning, sanitation, ventilation, distancing, and other restrictions. We required masks. There was no holy water in the fonts or no sign of peace. There was no contact and no communion from the chalice. We did what we had to do to keep everyone safe.
Many of the faithful returned to Mass in May 2020 and in the subsequent months, even with all these restrictions in place. We priests have tried very hard to rise to the occasion and to reach out to our people. We are so glad that the faithful are coming back.
Attached is a letter from Bishop Kopacz about coming back to Mass. Bishop Kopacz and our other Church leaders (your St Jude pastor included!) are encouraging all the faithful to come back to Mass. We have been working hard at St Jude to institute a lot of positive changes. We have a lot of good things planned for our children and youth, including renovated classrooms and atriums for religious education classes. We have instituted a Sunday afternoon Mass at 4:00 pm to give one more option of attending Mass on the weekend. During the school year, the youth activities and youth religious education will take place after that Mass. We will still continue our Saturday evening drive-in Mass to have that option. As the summer unfolds, we will be working hard in planning to resume many of our parish activities in the fall.
We the easing of the pandemic, we are able to ease up on our restitutions, which I know is a welcome relief. Still, keeping all of us safe is of utmost importance.
We at St Jude are a warm, welcoming community. We would not be so without all of you, our parishioners. As we just finished celebrating the Easter season, as we just finished celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the joy of those celebrations is still in our hearts.
Coming to Mass should not be seen as just an obligation of the faith. On the contrary, celebrating Mass and participating in our community of faith are called to be the highlights of our faith. It should be a joy and a pleasure for us.
I recognize that this has been a tough year for all of us. Please read the attached announcement issued by Bishop Kopacz. We hope to see all of you at one of our daily or weekend Masses soon.
Blessings to all of you,
Father Lincoln Dall
Pastor
St Jude Catholic Church
Pearl, Mississippi
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MOST REVEREND JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D., PH.D.
Catholic Diocese of Jackson Catholic Diocese of Jackson
May 20, 2021
Dear Disciples of the Lord,
May the Holy Spirit pour out the love of God into your lives as we look ahead to the great feast of Pentecost. In this mailing you have the latest updates in our ongoing response to the impact of the pandemic. It can be a twisting kaleidoscope for sure, replete with uncertainty, but there are tangible positive trends in our nation, state and communities. New infections are much lower, and more people have received the vaccine, and/or continue to utilize the safety protocols. Many venues have reopened and are fully engaged. In response to the current landscape we have adapted our protocols for Mass and ministries. This being said, we all know that the virus is not dead, and therefore, it remains wise to err on the side of safety and the common good. It is everyone’s hope that the virus will be suppressed further, and that we will not be sidelined by a summer surge. Nonetheless, we are loosening the protocols and “taking down the ropes” as some have urged me to do months ago. I thank the leadership of our diocese who have contributed to these updates for our protocols. Of course, there is not total agreement on all of the items, but there is substantial consensus over the steps that we are taking at this time.
The Dispensation from Sunday Mass will end on the Feast of Corpus Christ, Saturday and Sunday, June 5/6.
The Sunday obligation will be restored on this great feast when we can satisfy our hunger for the Bread of Life, in Word and Sacrament with the reception of Holy Communion. Keep in mind that the Church always dispenses from the Sunday obligation when any of the faithful are confronting serious health concerns. Therefore, someone can validly make the decision to attend Mass during the week, if able, and to participate in the Mass on the Lord’s Day through live streaming.
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz Bishop of Jackson
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