It has been nearly four years since the Covid virus upended our Nation and the world. As most people and entities have returned to normal, it is time for the Church and our Catholic population to embrace the “full and active participation of the Faith” as Vatican II would say.

Full and active participation comprises our participation in and through the faith. As Roman Catholics we are called to celebrate the Mass in public and then to go forth from the Mass (the great commissioning) and live the Word of God out in our daily activities of life feeding the hungry, praying for the lost, the wondering and all in need, caring for the sick, educating the ignorant and so much more.

During Covid and unprecedented government restrictions on the practice of the faith, the Church was forced to comply with State imposed restrictions which at first forbade public worship and then limited the numbers that could fully and actively participate with six foot distancing rules.

Now in 2024, it is more than time for us to return to normal, and that means for those who are well and able, to “fully and actively participate in-person in the Mass. For those who are unwell or have compromised immune systems, there is still an opportunity to participate in some way in the celebration of the Mass. Going forward; this is how we shall operate:

• For those who are well and able, Roman Catholics should attend Mass and if free from grave sin, receive the Eucharist at Mass. After all, Christ calls us to be fed and nourished with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. It is His intention to give us the grace we need to be the best Christians we can be. 
• For those who are unable to attend in-person Mass due to health or mobility issues, the 11 am Sunday Mass will be livestreamed at www.stcatherine.info –but no longer will every Mass be livestreamed. Moreover, the reason for this change is so that everyone who cannot attend in-person can have some simulation of full and active participation in the Mass. We must, even if remotely, attend in unison as the One Body of Christ. It should be less about convenience and more—much more—about full and active participation of the Mass. We decided on the 11 am Mass for a host of reasons: (1) it is the Mass with a choir (except for the summer months) and it is the Mass with the largest attendance. 
• The livestreamed Mass should also be attended Live, not watched at a convenient time for scheduling purposes (i.e., after the Red Sox or Patriot’s play). For live participation adds to the “full and active participation of the Mass.” 
• You will notice on the front page of the bulletin a change in the Livestream schedule, and I thought some explanation for this change should be addressed in the bulletin. I do know that not everyone will be thrilled with not having his or her favorite Mass livestreamed, but before Covid, this was not an issue. We should not, as a nation or a Church, be so changed in our practice of the faith by the events of Covid. Our Church believes in the Real Presence of Christ, and as such, we must return to the respect and the desire of receiving the Lord in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. To steal from the Got Milk television commercials, “it does a body—and the Soul—good!