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February 1, 2022By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
Anticipating Saturday’s storm that ended up dumping more than a foot of snow on Central Massachusetts, parishes in the Worcester Diocese made a variety of announcements, many of them on Facebook.
Numerous parishes canceled Saturday night Masses, and sometimes confessions, religious education classes and other activities. Some parishes cancelled all Masses last weekend. Some invited people to watch online.
Other parishes chose to keep all Masses – or even add one.
“In addition to our usual Mass schedule, which is never canceled due to inclement weather, we will add a 5 p.m. … Mass on … Jan. 30,” said a Jan. 28 Facebook posting of St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton. The announcement told people this was for their convenience, “if you need a bit more time to mobilize on Sunday.”
A Jan. 27 posting on St. John’s Facebook page said Mass and confessions are never canceled “but please do use your best discretion to safeguard your personal safety,” and added, “We’ll do our best to keep walks, steps and lot clear.”
Some people injected humor and/or spiritual encouragement into their messages.
“God loves us snow much it can’t be measured,” read Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish’s outdoor sign in Spencer before the storm.
“Stay safe and enjoy the beauty of nature!” advised a Facebook posting of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in West Boylston.
“Keep all those who have to be out in the storm in your prayers,” St. Denis Parish in Douglas posted.
“I will celebrate both Masses on Saturday,” Father Frederick D. Fraini III, pastor of North American Martyrs Parish in Auburn said in a Facebook letter. “However, since the storm is expected to be at its most intense from 5 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., I sincerely urge you to use sound prudential judgment. If you are accustomed to coming to Mass on Saturday, remember it’s not a sin to come on Sunday this week instead! … In a nice way, this notice serves to gently encourage you all to see me on Sunday!”
“Let’s be smart people,” Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas, pastor of Our Lady of Providence Parish in Worcester, posted on the parish Facebook page, with a photo he got online of a face carved into snow blanketing a car. “Let’s focus on Sunday Mass at 9 a.m. or 5 p.m. I don’t need to see you on Saturday! Be safe!” Pastoral care includes concern for parishioners’ physical well-being, he said. He celebrated Mass Saturday anyway, just in case some neighbors had not seen the posting and walked to church, he said. As he had hoped – for their safety – no one came.
Concern for safety, as well as other circumstances, led to the cancellation of all Masses of the North Quabbin Catholic Community: Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi parishes in Athol and St. Peter Parish in Petersham.
“A lot of our parishioners are elderly,” Deacon Bryan A. Lagimoniere, who serves the three parishes, told The Catholic Free Press. “We just wanted them to be safe.”
And their pastor, Father Mateus Souza, was on vacation in his native Brazil. Father James M. Steuterman, pastor of St. Richard of Chichester Parish in Sterling, was planning to fill in for him, and had scheduled a retired priest to celebrate Masses at his parish.
Because of the storm, Father Steuterman said, he cancelled all Masses in Sterling and decided not to go to the North Quabbin parishes. He said there are a lot of unknowns with a storm like that.
“I had the Mass pre-recorded online,” so people from all the parishes could access it, he said.
Deacon Lagimoniere said he talked by telephone with Father Souza, who decided to cancel the North Quabbin Masses.
Father Peter Joyce, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Milford, also worried about parishioners’ safety. A posting on the parish’s Facebook page mentioned concerns about limited parking and visibility if there was a lot of snow and the inability to livestream if winds took down power lines. Saturday night Masses and the 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass were cancelled.
There were still Sunday Masses in the parish’s three languages – in person, online and on local cable access television.
Father Joyce said almost 50 people attended the 9 a.m. Portuguese Mass, 44 watched it on the website, and 98 on Facebook, but he didn’t have numbers for television viewers. More than 50 attended the 10:30 a.m. English Mass, with 132 on the website and 148 on Facebook. The noon Spanish Mass drew 250-plus people in person, 13 to the website and 78 on Facebook.
“A lot of them live in the neighborhood and they walk,” Father Joyce said. “They’re from the mountains of Ecuador. Snow is no big deal.”
The absence of crowds meant parking was not a problem, he said. He’d offered to have ministers distribute Communion without a Mass, drive-through-style, at 2 p.m. in the parking lot, but it was cold and no one took him up on it, he said.
About 10 people attended the 1:30 p.m. Sunday rosary of the Knights of Columbus Valencia Council, 22 watched it on the website and 105 on Facebook, he said.
“I appreciate your being here; I know it’s an effort,” Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Worcester, told worshippers at the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass.
A Flocknote email had announced that Sunday morning and evening religious education classes were cancelled since, though the storm would likely be over, “digging out will just have begun.”
“But do remember that Christ the King never cancels any Mass,” the message added.
