Importantly, I need to share the news on the obligation to attend Mass: Archbishop Naumann has chosen the Solemnity of the The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the weekend of June 5-6, 2021, as the occasion on which the dispensation from the obligation by the faithful to attend Mass shall be lifted. Beginning with Masses for that weekend, all the Catholic faithful residing within the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas must return to observing the precept of the Church to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Of course, those who suffer from underlying health concerns or compromised immunity, or who have genuinely serious concerns about the risk of contracting the coronavirus are not bound by the obligation to attend Mass.
For most of us the time has come to return to Mass and the Eucharist. There is nothing greater in this world than the Eucharist, since it is Jesus: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And we need it! Since I anticipate more folks returning to Mass over the next weeks, we will be making efforts to slowly increase capacity while also trying to maintain areas where people can feel safe by social distancing. It is a difficult balancing act, so please be patient with us as we make this transition, and stay tuned for more details about it.
Getting back to normal is a partly a result of many folks having been vaccinated against COVID. I know there are various opinions on vaccinations, so I give some of my own input if you haven’t discerned whether to receive one. First, you are not obligated to receive a vaccine. It is your choice. Yet, there are good reasons to receive a vaccine. As others have said, including Archbishop Naumann in his April 16th column in The Leaven, “Receiving the Covid vaccines can be an act of charity by which individuals are seeking to protect not only their own health but the health of others.” The “for others” part of vaccination and all our safety precautions has always resonated with me. I am not personally afraid of contracting the virus, but I do fear harming others if I am not careful. Really, in my reasoning it is not about deciding out of fear, but out of love. I want to do my ministry as a priest as fully as possible, and for me, the vaccine helps open more doors and makes many folks more comfortable (and hopefully safe) to being around me and each other. There is a lot more to it, but in a nutshell, for me weighing it out it, my conscience directed me to get the vaccine. What about the abortion issue, that a cell line (HEK 293) developed from an aborted fetus in 1973 was used in testing for some and production for other vaccines? I have read the moral theologians' thinking on this, and I share from Archbishop Naumann’s column again (and remember he is the chair of the USCCB Pro-Life committee and one of the most pro-life people I have ever met). He said, “The bottom line is that Catholics in good conscience can receive the Covid vaccines despite their use of HEK 293 in their efficacy testing (Pfizer and Moderna) or in the production and development (Johnson & Johnson as well as Astra Zeneca). The bishops encourage, when the option is available, to request the Pfizer and Moderna because their connection to HEK 293 is even more remote.” So, the bottom line for me was that I chose to receive the vaccine, and I believe it is helpful for folks to get the vaccine to return us to normal. I know there is always much more to the discussion and others can make different conclusions, but now you have a little input from your pastor.
In any case, I am eager that we can get back to normal and bring our whole community back together. Thanks for filling out surveys regarding the pandemic and returning to Mass, and I will be looking at those to help guide our actions as a parish. Let’s pray for each other always as we get through all this!
Peace,
Fr. Greg