Letter from the Pastor
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October 4, 2020
Tomorrow will be 5 years that you have been putting up with me!! Time flies, I can’t believe I arrived here on a Monday morning 5 years ago. And I thank God for 5 wonderful years. This is really a very beautiful, friendly parish, with wonderful, generous, and sincere and most importantly: holy people. It is through your goodness, and generosity that we have accomplished so much these past 5 years. Thank you for putting up with me!
After 41 years of teaching First Grade in our PREP program, we say good-bye and a heart-felt thank you to Mr. David Kasney who is retiring. David introduced countless children to God’s love for them, in Jesus His Son and through the Church of Christ. His great ability for storytelling, his yearly celebration of the Last Supper, with the children participating with grape juice and Rockland Bakery flat bread, his concern for the safety of all the children and adults in the Program will certainly be missed. So David, on behalf of all your past students and your entire parish family, allow me to say thank you and may God bless you with many years of happiness, holiness and a fun retirement.
There is some concern in the parish about people receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. Let me begin by writing, it is strictly up to the communicant on the manner of receiving Holy Communion, this is the Universal Liturgical law of the Church. No one, other than the Pope can say otherwise, bishops, pastors, priests laypeople included. In our country since 1975 with a special indult from the Vatican, people may receive Holy Communion in the hand, it is their option according to their conscience.
This very question came up early on during the Coronavirus pandemic. The United States Catholic Bishops Conference (USCCB) after a study informed the American bishops that it's safe without unreasonable risk to distribute Holy Communion on the tongue.
On April 30th a memorandum was sent containing guidelines for receiving Holy Communion on the tongue in a safe manner. The Dominican House of Studies in Washington consisting of priests, including theologians and medical doctors including infectious specialist Dr. Timothy Flanagan, prepared the guidelines: “Phased Restoration of Public Masses”.
The guidelines stipulate what a priest may do if he senses that his fingers touch "a person's hands or mouth." "He may also arrange for an ablution cup to be on the table, and may purify his fingers in the ablution cup before using hand sanitizer". We have here in St. Margaret’s an ablution cup filled with sanitizer; and a cloth, which is changed after every Mass.
I have yet to touch a person’s tongue or lips in distributing Holy Communion. I place the Sacred Host on the very edge of the tongue, not coming close to touching the tongue, or certainly the lips. Let me assure you that I am very cautious. However, I do touch just about everyone’s hand or fingers tips.
So you tell me which one is safer.
And lastly, no one has the right to pressure another in receiving Holy Communion one way or the other; it is a manner of conscience, it is a manner of Liturgical law. So in pastoral love I say instead of watching how other people receive Holy Communion, close your eyes and say your prayers. The minutes after receiving our Lord are graced moments of deep prayer and communion.
Reminder today at 2:00PM, on the front steps of the Church we will have the Blessing of animals. Humans: please wear a face covering and try to keep a safe distance, but Fido doesn’t have to!