Holy Week services available

By Bill Doyle
CFP Correspondent

Parishioners can attend Mass during Holy Week, unlike last year when churches in the diocese were closed to the public because of the pandemic.
To promote safety, however, there will be strict guidelines concerning those Holy Week services. These guidelines were distributed to the parishes by the diocesan Office for Divine Worship.
Churches can be filled to, at most, 40 percent of the building’s capacity. Masks, sanitizing and social distancing will be required. On Palm Sunday, palms must be picked up from tables that are spread apart. Parishioners will be discouraged from reading the part of the people during the proclamation of the Passion because reading materials can’t be distributed.
Fewer people will be able to take part in the washing of the feet. During the veneration of the cross, parishioners can bow or genuflect, but not kiss the cross.
At the Easter Vigil, the blessing of the fire and the procession will be omitted if the pastor believes they can’t be done safely. Baptisms will take place at the discretion of the pastor.
Msgr. Michael G. Foley, pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough, said that most of all he will miss watching his parishioners holding candles they have lit for one another during the Easter Vigil Mass.
“That is one of the most awesome, beautiful sights you can see,” Msgr. Foley said. “When a priest stands at the altar and looks out and sees that sea of faces all lit by candlelight, because they’re holding the candle in front of their face, it is just beautiful. That’s going to really be missed.”
Of course, even if parishioners could light candles for one another, priests couldn’t see their faces because they’d be wearing masks. Then again, last year for Holy Week, priests saw only empty pews while they celebrated Mass for online viewers.
“It’s wonderful that people will actually be there,” Msgr. Foley said. “That’s what liturgy is, having people gather together. So that’s very exciting.”
St. Luke accepted reservations for Christmas Masses and Msgr. Foley said it was more than likely that they’d be required for Holy Week as well.
So many people attended the 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Feb. 28, Msgr. Foley encouraged parishioners to spread out among the church’s other Masses.
Msgr. Foley doesn’t plan to conduct outdoor Masses because he believes if St. Luke follows the sanitizing and social distance rules, offering Mass inside the church is the safest thing it can do because the environment can be controlled.
Parish secretary Maria Gasser has attended St. Luke’s since 1989 and she has mixed feelings that more people will likely attend Mass during Holy Week.
“I’m concerned that people are letting their guards down,” she said, “and I’m also concerned with the numbers that we saw for Ash Wednesday. We didn’t have a sign-up and some of our Masses were pretty full. So, I’m afraid we’ll see the same thing on Palm Sunday.”

SOME STILL AFRAID

Some parishioners attended Christmas Masses without reservations.
“I hate like anything the thought of turning anybody away,” Mrs. Gasser said. “You don’t know what brings people to church and what’s moved in their heart. If they come and you have to turn them away, that’s not a good thing. It’s like so much in life, it’s complicated.”
Father Richard W. Polek, pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Worcester, said some of his parishioners are still too afraid to attend Mass so they watch online.
“I feel bad for them because they are scared,” he said. “I don’t blame them because maybe they’ve experienced the sickness among their friends or family members and they know how difficult this might be.”
Father Polek contracted COVID shortly after last Easter when the churches were closed to the public. He said his symptoms were mild – no fever, no breathing trouble, just muscle and joint pain – so he continued to livestream Masses by himself.
Father Polek plans to add a fifth Mass on Easter weekend as he did for Christmas. He won’t accept reservations for Holy Week Masses because he found that requiring them for Christmas prompted too many people to stay home and that some parishioners booked more reservations than they needed.
Our Lady of Czestochowa parishioners can read the part of the people during the proclamation of the Passion on a projector screen in the church.
Christine Szymczak has attended Our Lady of Czestochowa since 1961 and her husband Simon, since 1959. The Millbury couple watched Holy Week Masses online last year. They returned to Mass when parishioners were allowed to do so last May. They’re looking forward to attending Mass during Holy Week.
“That’s going to be terrific,” Mrs. Szymczak said. “Watching on the internet is not the same. You want to be there.”
She can’t wait until all parishioners feel safe enough to return to Mass.
“I wish more people were going to church,” she said, “but, then again, you can’t tell somebody, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t be afraid.’ It’s up to everybody. You’ve got to make up your own mind.”
Bob Prytko, another Our Lady of Czestochowa parishioner from Millbury, watched online during Holy Week last year, but he, his wife Lisa, and their five children have attended Mass since the church reopened. During Lent, he’s attended Mass every day.
He sees no reason to spread out palms and to prohibit parishioners from holding lit candles.
“My feeling is, whoever in the media, they’re scaring everybody,” Mr. Prytko said, “by saying, ‘You could get COVID if a priest dips his hand in some ash and then touches your forehead and then somebody else.’ I’m not afraid at all of that. I’m not afraid. I think they have gone way, way overboard on it.”
Mr. Prytko pointed out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer urge people not to handle their mail.
“I think they understand now that COVID is an airborne disease,” he said, “and if we touch candles or we touch palms, I mean, we’re not going to get it. People can be conservative if they want. People say they err on the side of caution, but let’s not err on the side of non-science.”
Mr. Prytko plans to have his feet washed on Holy Thursday. He sees no need to limit the number of people doing so. 

 APPRECIATE THE SACRAMENTS

Last year, Agata and Sam Hannoush of Shrewsbury watched Holy Week Masses at Our Lady of Czestochowa online and prayed the Stations of the Cross with their five children at home.
“I’m so thankful that this time we can be in the church,” Mrs. Hannoush said. “Having the Stations of the Cross, adoration hours and confession, it’s a blessing. I think we appreciate all the sacraments more right now than before.”
St. Patrick Church in Rutland required reservations for Christmas Masses and Father James M. Boland, the pastor, was considering whether to require them for Holy Week.
St. Patrick will livestream Holy Week Masses for those who don’t feel comfortable attending, but will not offer outside Masses during Holy Week.
“Last year, we couldn’t do a thing,” Father Boland said. “This year at least, even though it’s not perfect, just to have people back for Holy Week and to have Holy Week be at least somewhat normal, all you can do is say, ‘Thanks be to God.’ I’m glad that we have people here, I’m glad that we can still serve those who are at home by streaming and pray to God we’re not too far from the end of this pandemic where we can bring everybody back into the church as normal.”
Joe Becker attends St. Patrick with his wife, two teenage children and his mother, and he’s looking forward to spending Holy Week at church.
“I think it’s a great step forward,” Mr. Becker said, “and based on the experience that I’ve had and my family has had since churches have been reopened, we all feel very safe in the environment that’s been created.”