CHRIST IN THE STREETS

Today we celebrate MERCY SUNDAY and more than ever before the world of today begs for and needs the mercy of God.  Priests and some Bishops the world over are trying to find creative ways to bring the Lord to people in isolation.  

As Catholics throughout the western world have been cut off from the Sacraments and often find themselves locked out of their churches due to the coronavirus, Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, stationed himself at the busiest intersection in his city, armed with the Blessed Sacrament held high.  

Accompanied by a deacon and vested in a cope, he blessed the people of God with the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Blessed Sacrament. He said: “I urge every priest to do the same in their city. Bring the LORD to His people!” 

The bishop said that the book In SInu Jesu  has greatly influenced his work as a Bishop in this city of few Catholics. He knows the importance of Holy Adoration, especially at this time in our world.

Our old and very dear friend, Monsignor Robert  Tucker, Pastor of St. Anthony’s in Litchfield, CT, was in great form and high spirits as he took his place on a rolling wagon stage with a large amplifier to his left and a crowd of approximately 75 cars filled with congregants in front of him, sitting in their vehicles  lined up in the parking lot to await an outdoor Mass. Ever creative and one to always find a way to bring comfort to others, this dread virus did not stop him.

Photo- JoAnn Jaacks

Each carload was instructed to tune their car radios to a specific radio station, where the service would be broadcast beyond Litchfield as well. Since all churches in Connecticut had been officially “closed” by Gov. Ned Lamont as part of the state’s attempt to curb further outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus, a great many churches were sharing Sunday services via Zoom, Facebook, or other means.

Photo- Jo Ann Jaacks

St. Anthony’s decided to hold a live service on-site for Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, while taking all precautions against contagion. The leaflet noted “St. Anthony Church is always open for the past 22 years, since we don’t know where the keys are. So, you may quietly visit but keep yourself at a distance from others. This is a perfect time as an individual and family to read the Bible, or at least the New Testament.”

Church members who had not seen friends in a while due to self-quarantine were beeping car horns and waving at each other. The overwhelming popularity of the event was  to be repeated on Easter Sunday but the local bishop intervened! 

On April 15, the Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, New Mexico, lifted a diocesan ban on the public celebration of Mass, issued guidelines for distribution of Holy Communion, and told priests they may resume sacramental ministry if they follow state-ordered health precautions.

“We [as priests] have been called by Christ and ordained to serve the people of the Diocese of Las Cruces, to bring them hope and consolation during this difficult time… It has become increasingly clear that the state shutdown will last for some time. Depriving the faithful of the nourishment offered through the Eucharist was indeed a difficult decision, one that I deemed necessary until I had further clarity regarding our current state of affairs, but it cannot become the status quo for the foreseeable future.”

In other parts of the world priests and Bishops have responded, bearing the Blessed Sacrament to the people.

Pastor Msgr. Bruno Lefèvre-Pontalis of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church blessed Paris with the Blessed Sacrament on his church‘s rooftop in France. The Archbishop of Paris, Michel Alepetit  stood in front of Sacre Coeur and blessed the city.

Photo- Francois Mori

Panama’s Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa went to new heights to deliver the traditional Palm Sunday blessing as the coronavirus pandemic forces churches to close their doors. He held the Blessed Sacrament as he sat on a helicopter at Howard Air Force Base in Panama City on April 5, 2020.

Photo- Luis Acosta

A priest in Villatalla, Italy, a small village close to the French border, boldly carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession through his town, blessing his parish, his diocese, and the whole country stricken by the coronavirus.  


Dom Tomaso Jozef Jochemczyk, a Benedictine, sang the litany of saints while processing with the monstrance.