During the height of the pandemic (although we are not sure if that is past or future) we invited the whole community to join in “Rethinking Church.” We as communities of faith need to work together to build a post-pandemic church worth coming back to. Many have absented themselves from the community these last 16 months and we don’t know what lies ahead for us all as we see signs of the Delta variant raising the numbers of those hospitalized, sick, and dying. These are tough times in the church. Not just our parish, but all parishes, catholic and non-Catholic, Christian, and non-Christian communities are struggling.
Every October we have our annual Stewardship renewal, making a commitment to our parish community of our time, talent and treasure. One important aspect of the renewal as we build a post-pandemic church worth coming back to is a Community Outreach Team. The most dangerous aspect of this pandemic is isolation. I am looking for parishioners who are willing to call 10 parishioners once per month to make sure they know we are here, and if there is anything we can do to help them in their faith and life journey. You would call the same 10 people once per month at your convenience and offer a listening ear and words of encouragement.
Some who are absent from our pews may be asking “Why go back?” As people assemble and I hear babies crying and laughter coming from those who gather in the aisles after Mass I know how important it is for them and for me to support each other as a community of faith. I jokingly say to those gathering after the 9:30-looks like there are two communities here, the gluten-free community and the gluten-filled community. How good it is that we are here together on the journey.
I don’t know what the future will bring. I hope that everyone will come back to the pews, eventually. But I also hope that we will all learn from our pandemic experience of how important we are to each other, and we will bring with us new expectations of what it means to be The Catholic Community of Sacred Heart. The best way to have a community worth coming back to is to build one; together!