SPECIAL REPORT

SPRING 2020

KEEPING THE FAITH

AT FIRST, IT WAS A FAINT, IF TROUBLING, RUMBLE OF THUNDER from beyond the horizon: an outbreak of a new and strangely named viral disease in China. Months later, when the first case appeared in New York, few realized how swiftly and brutally Covid-19 would overturn so many of our earthly assumptions. On March 8, parishioners attended Sunday Mass in the Archdiocese of New York, unaware that it would be weeks – or months – before they would be able to do so again.

The effects now are felt in every part of the world and every part of our lives. Our best-laid plans – for Easter Mass, family gatherings, first Communions, confirmations – are on hold. Our daily routines have unraveled; the lucky work from home, the unlucky face unemployment, and most face an altered financial future. The poor and vulnerable, and especially those families directly struck by the virus, suffer terribly. And essential workers, particularly those in health care and first responders, put their well-being, or their lives, at risk every day.

In this suddenly transformed world, the Catholic Church continues to carry on its ministries. Some are being delivered remotely, via TV, telephone or digital media: Masses, holy hours, Eucharistic adoration can be attended via television and live stream; telehealth and counseling appointments can be conducted via phone or video conferencing. Innovative concepts such as drive-through reconciliation and parking lot prayer vigils allow the faithful to receive clerical blessings in person but at a safe distance.

Certain ministries of the Church, however, can only be delivered through close contact. There is no virtual option that would allow Catholic Charities to feed the hungry, house the homeless, or care for the developmentally disabled. The doctors, nurses and other workers of ArchCare cannot tend to the elderly, the chronically ill, those suffering from neurological disabilities – to say nothing of actual patients suffering from Covid-19 – without standing beside them, examining them, looking them in the eye.

It’s impossible to know how long our lives will be altered directly by the coronavirus, or how the experience may transform the social contract going forward. For this Spring 2020 issue of Archways, we have replaced our coverage of recent news, services and upcoming events from the departments of the archdiocese with this special report on faith in the time of Covid-19: a mix of updates and interviews about how the Church’s ministries are responding to the multifaceted crisis along with a selection of recommendations and tools you can use to keep in touch with God, the Church and the archdiocesan community during the time of social distancing, however long it may last.