Catholic Churches Across The US Lift Pandemic Restrictions In Time For Advent
NEW YORK — The start of the pandemic in March 2020 forced churches across the world to shut their doors. Catholic churches followed suit, and Masses were streamed via Zoom and Facebook.
Nearly three years later, churches are trying to return to normal. As the spread of COVID-19 has eased over the last few months — as have the government-imposed restrictions — Mass has almost returned to normal.
In time for Advent, the Christian season of preparation for the birth of Jesus at Christmas, many dioceses around the United States are again offering consecrated wine in the chalice for parishioners to drink while also allowing them to shake hands as a sign of peace.
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Nile Gross, a priest and director of the New Orleans Archdiocese’s Office of Worship, wrote in a Nov. 25 column in the Clarion Herald, the archdiocesan newspaper, “The long hiatus is finally over!
“Also, there exists no requirement to receive the Precious Blood, even in parishes where it is being offered,” he added. “This, too, is a personal decision. Having said all this, we should look at this as a precious gift. The opportunity to receive the Blood of Christ at Mass connects us directly to the apostles, who received the chalice directly from Christ himself. It connects us to great saints throughout history who did the same.”
Catholics believe in transubstantiation — that during Mass the bread and wine used for Communion become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that the priest’s offering of bread and wine, known as the Holy Eucharist, and a reenactment of the Last Supper, are changed into the body and blood of Jesus.
Restrictions on such practices weren’t limited to the coronavirus. In the past, particular bad flu seasons had limited the drinking from a communal chalice. COVID-19, however, put such restrictions forth for a much longer period.
In a letter to parishioners in his diocese, Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge said to “make a full return to our normal celebration of the liturgy,” priests in his diocese would be allowed to “restore the practice of distributing Communion under both kinds beginning on the first Sunday of Advent if the ministers and congregation are prepared to do so.”
Gross, meanwhile, said consecrated wine “may not be offered in separate cups … to individual communicants.”
“If fear of illness exists, that person should refrain from the chalice,” he added.
It was this past summer in an article in the Jesuit-run magazine America that Terence Sweeney, adjunct professor of philosophy at Villanova University in Philadelphia, called for the Communion chalice to return.
“Since the beginning of COVID-19, we have been missing that something,” he wrote.
At the same time, parishioners are once again shaking hands during Mass, a practice that was banned following social distancing measures.
The practice of exchanging a sign of peace with those seated in the pews — introduced in the 1960s as part of the Second Vatican Council — has also slowly returned. While many still refuse to extend an arm, allowing it to happen is another sign that liturgical life is slowly returning to normal.
In a warning during the height of the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert at the time, cautioned: “I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you.”
As a result, church officials had encouraged worshippers to wave at fellow parishioners or even do elbow bumps during Mass.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor at Religion Unplugged and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event.” Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.