Posted on 08/25/2020 6:16:38 PM PDT by ebb tide
“On the most innocent level, the people staying home are the elderly and the sick afraid of contracting COVID-19 because it can be very detrimental to them,” Hichborn told LifeSiteNews.
“That’s fine, there’s a dispensation for them. Aside from that, I think that you have a lot of cultural Catholics who don't think about why they go to Mass. In a lot of ways it feels like Gideon, where God culled the army. It feels very much like a culling. People who are not very strong in their faith are thinking, what’s the point? There’s a dispensation, I don’t have to go.”
Habits are made and habits are broken. Leftists, some at least, surely recognized getting people out of the habit of going to church would be a side effect of this shutdown.
We haven’t gone for months. Won’t sign a register that is kept on record for 2 weeks, so they say. This is a violation of the 1st Amendment. Tole the priest so.
That'll show them, won't it!
Excuses, excuses.
It’s actually not that at all.
At my parish, Masses resumed in June. I have not been back; as you need to sign up online and you are checked in at the door.
It’s not the sign up that is the issue either. They are collecting names for contact tracing; and if one other parishioner has so much as a co-worker or family member who tests positive (not the parishioner themselves); the parish turns that list in to the county health department; who will then contact me and every attendee; intending to enforce a 14 day quarantine lockdown on me; an individual who is neither sick with symptoms or even diseased at all; meaning that I will be unable to work for two weeks and my two high schoolers, unable to attend school.
My parish is accepting up to 156 parishoners for each of 4 Masses per weekend; I signed up this past Sunday for the first time, but did not attend for the reasons stated above. The Sunday late morning Mass I signed up for was had the most sign-ups, at 57 of the 156 open spots. This parish had at least 600 attendees per Mass pre-pandemic.
I know that this is not very faithful; but it is practical.
All they have to do is stop taking names and I would immediately return to attending every weekend. I enrolled in Faith Direct to continue my financial support of the parish back in April; I hope to be able to discontinue that online support and go back to using my ‘church envelopes’ in person soon; but the contract tracing list must end first.
Excuses, excuses.
Obviously, I disagree entirely.
The State has no business in the Church, and the Church has no business submitting to the State.
They have and this is the result. 550 of the 600 Mass attendees obviously have the same take as I do.
Judge me all you like, I don’t care.
I’m not in any fear of the disease at all; but my parish needs to kick the government out God’s House. They have no right to be there.
True
What diocese do you live in?
Who’s your bishop? Have you contacted him?
Pittsburgh; Zubik; he’s fully on board.
Not a boat rocker at all.
Maybe these Catholics are more perceptive than this priest realizes.
It was perfectly natural for these parishioners to doubt whether their priests and bishops even believe in the Real Presence, based on how quickly they all shut down their churches completely during Holy Week this year. No Mass, no sacraments ... not even something as simple as a perpetual adoration with one person in the church at a time.
Here are Bishop Zubik’s rules:
Why are you supporting a church you refuse to attend because of its submission to the state?
Have you heard of the Little Sisters of the Poor?
Here in Tucson the Bishop does not allow children at any Mass and also no Altar Servers so that could explain lower numbers. Also no Sunday School so when some parents don’t bring their children they don’t attend Mass themselves. We are down from six Masses on Sunday to four but the number of attendees are limited so that may affect numbers too.
I heard the pathetic silence of my shepherd’s voice loud and clear.
Our Parish would only allow registered Parishoners to attend Mass on Sunday. Your name was checked off the list and you were given a number and told where to sit in the church.
This system has been a complete failure - the past Saturdays, only 30 - 50 people attended. The idiot Pastor who came up with this idea is now backing off and asking people to come back. No thanks.
We stay home because we refuse to make a reservation to go to Mass. We watch our parish’s live stream.... the order of the Mass is changed- distribution of Holy Communion is noe after “The Mass is ended. Go in peace...” they dont want those at home to see others receive.
We still fulfill our obligation to our parish. I am beyond angry that our Bishops weren’t fighting to open our parishes as John MacArthur did. They seem worried someone will sue them.
Where is their faith? Everyone’s time to leave this earth is already in God’s plan. We cant do anything to change it or how we leave.
You may need to sign in so you may be contacted if someone at the Mass is later found to have COVID-19 exposure.
I didn't see anything about reporting to the state and mandatory quarantines. Nor did I see anything about reporting family members or co-workers who were not at the Mass.
I never thought about contact tracing being behind d the sign up. Makes me angrier.
At least they aren’t taking temps as you walk in any more.
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