Pastor's Page

8/8/2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we are all aware, I expect, the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic remain an extremely serious matter, especially with the more contagious and harmful Delta variant now spreading. While vaccinations have, thank God, do a very good job of protecting those who have received both doses, the lack of vaccinations amongst many sectors of our U.S. population continues to pose a threat and leave us prone to the continuing spread of this deadly virus. In the face of these troubling developments, I write to ask and to urge your cooperation with the following measures that are meant to protect our parishioners and guests who attend our celebrations of the Mass at OLG. First and foremost, I strenuously urge all our parishioners to get vaccinated, provided there is no prior condition pertaining to their physical health—e. g., cancer, or auto-immune disease—that would make doing so in any way a dangerous or ineffective thing for you. Consult your doctors and be prudent and careful. However, if there is no legitimate health reason that would make it wiser for you not to get vaccinated, please be sure to get vaccinated as soon as possible. I urge this not only for the wellbeing of all who can get vaccinated but also for the protection and wellbeing of those who are not allowed to get vaccinated, such as our young children under the age of twelve. Our Catholic moral teaching reminds us of our duty to promote and foster the common good, and this pandemic is certainly a threat to our common good. Pope Francis himself, advised as he is by medical experts on such matters, has stressed the moral urgency of getting vaccinated. The longer this virus lingers, the more opportunity it has to develop variants and to continue to threaten us with harm and loss. It is clear that these vaccines are proving effective in fighting the coronavirus, but only for those who use them. Of course, nothing is 100% effective, and therefore other measures in addition to the vaccines continue to be necessary in order to slow and prevent the spread of this pandemic, especially the wearing of masks. I urge all our parishioners to please wear their masks when they come to Mass at OLG, whether they have been vaccinated or not. The wearing of masks will increase the safety of any young children who are present and will help to reduce, if not prevent, the spread of the virus at our liturgies for all. Thank you for your cooperation. I continue to pray for you and for those you love.

Fr. Kevin