Msgr. Pope on Some Lessons for the Church from the Shutdown

"The first reading from Sunday's Mass (6^thSunday of Easter) has a certain application for the Church today in this time of plague. Even though some dioceses are resuming public Masses on a limited basis, there are some practices adopted during the shutdown that we should maintain. . . .

"Clearly, we in the Church have been rocked back on our heels. The cessation of public Mass would have been unthinkable just a few months ago; when it happened, many Catholics were shocked and outraged. This worldwide crisis - which has killed many, sickened even more, and brought economic and personal difficulties upon millions - has also pushed the Church to do things in new ways. For too long, parish evangelization has largely consisted of opening the doors and hoping people will come. During the shutdown we have been forced to reach out as never before.

"This outreach has included live-streaming liturgies and/or recording them. Our parish meetings have had to shift to virtual platforms and attendance has been quite good; there are no longer the concerns over traffic or being out late at night. We had long discussed adding a virtual option to our bible studies and catechetical instructions. When the shutdown came, we had to walk the talk: our twice-weekly Bible studies are now both live-streamed and recorded. This has increased our reach in both numbers and distance. The numbers who 'attend' have increased and we have folks participating from all across the US as well as from a few foreign countries."

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on some of the blessings the COVID-19 shutdown has brought to the Church.

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: Lessons from the Shutdown (17 MAY 20)