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A Look at Some Creative New Ways to Live Stewardship During Pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our way of life, the Catholic Church continues to find new ways to serve the people of God.
It has indeed been quite a year, one filled with unprecedented challenges. But thanks to the abundant graces God continues to pour out, as well as the many gifts He has given us all, Church leaders and Catholics around the country have stepped up to face these challenges head-on.
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From the creation of new ministries, to the use of new technologies, to the brainstorming of new ways to keep our faith alive, Catholic parishes are continuing to be present for everyone in their community, while keeping parishioners engaged, involved and connected in the era of social distancing. Here are just a few of the creative ways parishes are dealing with the crisis:
— Evangelization and Staying Connected: Pastoral efforts by priests and parish staff to reach out to parishioners by phone, email and social media have reinforced a sense of parish as community despite physical separation.
— New Ministries: Many parishes have created new ministries in response to the pandemic, including groups such as sanitization ministries, mask-making ministries, livestreaming ministries, and social media ministries. Several parishes have also set up commentator ministries, through which a parishioner makes announcements before and after Masses to provide guidance on new procedures as parishioners enter and leave the church.
— Evolving Ministries: Traditional ministries are adjusting procedures. Ushers are wearing face masks and holding the doors open at the entrances so that others don’t touch the doors, and they are pointing out the location of offertory baskets, which cannot currently be passed around the pews. Also, some ministries are serving double duty. For example, lectors are carrying up the cross during the processional —a task traditionally handled by altar servers, who are not able to serve for the time being at many locations. One parish decided to suspend its greeters ministry to keep members safe, but the members of the parish stewardship committee stepped up to assume this important hospitality ministry at Masses. The committee members wanted to lead by example, so they are ensuring several committee members are there before and after Mass to greet and bid farewell to Mass attendees. They’re also taking “head counts” at each Mass to ensure the parish follows all safety protocols. Talk about spiritual teamwork!
— Mass Enhancements: Some parishes have brought in musicians to accompany the choir — usually reserved for special liturgies like Christmas and Easter — to enhance the worship experience during these unnerving times.
— Using Technology to Worship: Since most parishes have removed missalettes and hymnals, many have utilized phone apps for Mass attendees to follow the readings and music on their phones.
— Using Technology to Meet: Online meetings on platforms such as Zoom between pastors and ministry leaders have also become the norm. In fact, they are becoming so popular that some pastors have said parishioners want to continue the online gatherings, even as Masses and other activities in their locations have resumed.
— Using Technology for Faith Formation: Many online, home-based catechetical resources have become available over the past six months, and many incredible faith formation programs are being offered at no or little cost to parishes. There are many free formation resources online, such as programs from Our Sunday Visitor (osv.com), Ignatius Press, FORMED.org and more.
The creative new ways Catholics have continued to be intentional disciples and live the stewardship way of life have been nothing short of amazing. The possibilities, the level of creativity, and the resources available for Catholics are endless during these trying times. Without a doubt, God has given us the gifts to come up with these amazing new ways to answer the call of stewardship. Even in the face of adversity, there is no limit to how individuals and parishes can discover new ways to give their time, talent and treasure back to God and their parish community!
