HOLY  SPIRIT  CHURCH

                                                                                                                May 28, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

     When I wrote the first of these letters to you back in March, it never occurred to me that I would be writing one for “Week 11.”  Then again, I also never imagined back then…doesn’t it seem, in some ways, like so long ago – those ‘pre-Covid 19 days’ – …I never imagined back in mid-March that there would then soon be lines at Wegmans at 7:00am with such a defined and common focus:  toilet paper!  orange juice!  milk!  hand sanitizer!  While in school we may have found in our history books a line or two (or less) on the topic of the 1918 Spanish Flu, it is quite another matter for us now to live through a pandemic on a daily basis ourselves.  When we are able to gather again as a Holy Spirit family of faith, I am confident that we shall all have stories to share, some humorous and others quite profound. 

     Early on in my time among you, just as we were starting the Free Spirits seniors group, one of their first trips was to East Aurora and some of the Roycroft shops.  There I saw a quote which I have remembered ever since, “Lift the stone and thou shall find Me; cleave the wood and there am I.”  The day will come – and probably already has – when we will realize that we are discovering something of God, and something of ourselves because of this pandemic…something within us that we had not before noticed in quite the same way.

     The news presents us with a developing understanding of the novel coronavirus on a daily basis.  Yet even the experts admit that some of their earlier estimations are open to further development.  And the states themselves vary wildly in their regulations.  For example, on the very day last week that Ohio began to allow wedding celebrations with up to 300 people in attendance, New York began permitting up to 10 people to gather.  In the end, what you want (and what I want) is both public safety and the freedom to practice our faith.  With these twin purposes (that is, of physical health and spiritual health) in mind, the diocese has begun to give detailed instructions to guide us toward the 4th phase of re-opening New York State.  It will be in the 4th phase that churches are included.  Of course, some of what is being presently mandated may indeed change, and more than once, based on what the scientists and doctors continue to learn about the transmission of the virus.  Some things seem clear to me, though, such as the wearing of face masks, a pattern of distancing in the pews, and greater attention to sanitizing commonly-touched surfaces.  But by now all of us are familiar with such routines every time we go grocery shopping, so I do not think that any of what will be required of us will be too daunting a challenge.  To be honest, an advantage of being in the 4th phase of the re-opening of the state is that we can learn from the successes (and also the mistakes) that other businesses and enterprises make in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd phases. 

     I continue to be grateful to you for your email responses to my letters.  Last week two of you already volunteered to help in planning for our re-opening, and I am grateful.  Actually, it strikes me that this is exactly what I love about Holy Spirit, that we are a family.  And we will need a number of volunteers to help us successfully navigate these unchartered waters.  So, if you are willing to help on this new committee – planning, sanitizing, etc. – please let me know.  And again, I am thankful to all who can help. 

     Speaking of our family of faith, Hedy Auletta organized a “Zoom” birthday celebration for Eleanor Daigler, who turned 92 today.  Happy Birthday, Eleanor!  And again, this care and concern for one another speaks beautifully of what it means to be a Holy Spirit family of faith.  I was one of those invited into the “Zoom” experience.  But I certainly did not have the fancy paper hat that Rita Riley, also a “Zoom” participant, wore.  Perhaps when we can gather together again Rita would be happy to offer us a class on how to convert a newspaper into a hat? 

     And I may need a hat soon.  In fact, mixed in with the collection basket of envelopes was an envelope with my name on it.  When I opened it, what I found inside was something called a “Hair Emergency Kit.”  I admit I sampled one of the elastic bands to see if it would help, but my hair is not long enough for a ponytail   yet.

     Another birthday took place yesterday, when Rev turned 4.  He informed me that he does not appreciate our human penchant for saying that one of our years is seven of his.  He said he is not 28, he is just 4.  “After all,” he asked me, “would you want me telling everyone that you are 420??”  So here is a picture of my canine companion on his 4th birthday.  And believe me, it was not easy to get him to stay still long enough to take this picture…

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(See picture below)

    

     Be assured of my prayers for you and your loved ones each day.  If you can help on our “Re-opening Committee,” please let me know.  And pray for one another every day.                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                   Sincerely in Christ,

                                                                                                  

                                                                                                   Father Joe

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