Nearly everyone in the country has been
impacted by the coronavirus, including Father David A. Whitestone, pastor of
St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax. Last Saturday, he was outside his local
Safeway before dawn waiting for latest shipment of a much-needed commodity —
antibacterial hand sanitizer. When the
doors opened at 6 a.m. and the shelves were restocked, he bought the max
allowed: four 2 ounce bottles. He quickly called parochial vicar Father Thomas
Nguyen to come and buy a few more.
St. Leo has three restrooms in the
church, so before the health crisis hit, the community relied on running water
and good quality soap to keep their hands clean. Hand sanitizer was only
found in the sacristy for the clergy and extraordinary minsters of holy
Communion. Now, among several other precautions the parish is taking, hand
sanitizer is found at the entrances.
During his homily that Sunday, Father
Whitestone mentioned his difficulty in obtaining enough sanitizer for the
parish. Soon enough, he had what he needed. “Parishioners responded so
tremendously by giving us their own supply so that we would have enough for
other people and ourselves,” he said. Though sanitizer is in short supply, the
bottles haven’t been removed from the church. “It's a good sign that people are
cooperating and not taking advantage of the situation,” he said. “So far (among
the parish), it seems like there’s a positive spirit. We’re going to work
together and do what’s best.”
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Though many large parish events and
conferences have been canceled, Masses will be celebrated this weekend, according
to Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. Several precautions have been put in place to
ensure the health and safety of Massgoers, including the suspension of the sign
of peace, the removal of holy water and the suspension of the common chalice.
Bishop Burbidge granted a dispensation
from attending Mass to vulnerable populations —“those who are 60 years old or
older, have chronic illness, or immune system deficiencies, as well as those
who care for a person with such a condition, and individuals with grave
concerns about being in public gatherings,” according to the diocesan website.
There are several options for people who would like to watch a televised Mass. (See
info box.) St. James Church in Falls Church is exploring livestreaming weekend
Masses.
As the number of cases of coronavirus
continues to rise, counties, companies, school districts and other entities are
evaluating how best to prevent the spread of disease. Marymount University in
Arlington extended its spring break by two days and plans to shift to online
classes until at least March 30.
Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic
School Joseph Vorbach announced to principals that diocesan schools will follow
the closures of their local public school authorities. As of March 13, schools
in Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Fredericksburg City are closed, and
Arlington County and Falls Church City plans to close schools March 16 through
April 16. Other districts are preparing for online learning.
The Archdiocese of Washington announced
March 12 that Masses open to the public in all archdiocesan parishes, missions
and campus ministries are canceled until further notice. All Catholic schools
in the archdiocese will be closed from March 16-27. Employees of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops are working remotely.
In response to school closures, diocesan
Catholic Charities St. Lucy Project is gearing up to feed school children
without access to free school lunches. Vince Cannava, program director of the
St. Lucy Project, is requesting people donate money or nutritious, kid-friendly
food.
“We’re trying to stay a step or two
ahead so that we can get people taken care of and take care of our volunteers,
especially since most of them are elderly. We could use younger volunteers to
augment the elderly volunteers who have been faithfully helping. Call your
local pantry,” said Cannava.
In addition to common sense measures
such as frequently wiping down surfaces, pantry distribution techniques may
change as well. “In extreme cases, we’ll stop the client shopping and we’ll
have the volunteers in the back of the facility make boxes of food. Then we
would go to the exit door and hand out the food in a box or a bag until danger
is over,” he said.
Related: Diocesan statement on prevention and response to the coronavirus
The Paul Stefan Home, an organization
that runs residences for mothers and children in Orange and Unionville, is
requesting supplies and monetary donations. “We believe the best way to be
prepared is to have a two-month supply of certain items on hand in case they
become unavailable such as formula, feminine hygiene pads, hand sanitizer and
toilet paper,” the organization said in an email.
In a special edition of his “Walk Humbly
Podcast,” Bishop Burbidge asked the faithful to use this time to grow closer to
God. “None of us wanted our schedules to be freed up, certainly (not) in this
way, but use (this) time in a productive way for yourself, for your
relationship with the Lord, and in help to others,” he said.
“When there is stress or panic in the
world, we have to be signs of faith. If our faith is strong and we believe in
God’s goodness and power, we should reflect in the midst of this crisis our own
sense of confidence and serenity. As we’re reminded in sacred Scripture, we
should always be ready to explain the reason for our hope and that hope is in
the Lord.”
Download the prayer cards
Prayer to Jesus for healing and guidance
Oración a Jesús para pedir sanación y guía
Watch a televised Mass
Watch the weekly televised Mass from the Crypt Church of
the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington
Sunday from 10:30 - 11 a.m. on WDCW-50. Beginning March 15, watch the
basilica’s Sunday Mass at noon via livestream at nationalshrine.org/mass. Watch
the daily Mass from EWTN at ewtn.com/tv/watch-live/united-states.
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