Dear Friends of St. Malachy's,
All prayers are heard and answered in God's time. We were never closed (save a couple of days for deep cleaning), but on Monday, June 22nd we resumed a modified public worship schedule. To paraphrase the Broadway composer Frank Loesser, "Praise the Lord and pass the disinfectant."
A word of thanks to all of you who have been so faithful at keeping in touch and letting us know how much you appreciate our efforts in offering the Sunday Mass via the website. We have heard from friends near and far (Asia and Europe) with promises of prayers and expressions of thanksgiving for keeping in touch, even at a distance. Those prayers have helped trememdously. The priests and staff of St. Malachy's have kept in good health while working remotely to keep the temporal affairs of the parish under care and working locally to keep the doors open each day. However, we share with you the economic uncertainty that plagues us in tandem with the health pandemic.
The last three months have been difficult for our beloved parish, as well. Over the course of any given week, our congregation consists of 1/3 resident parishioners (those who live in the theatre district/Hell's Kitchen). Another 1/3 of our congregation commute in and work in the neighborhood. The final third are tourists who come to NYC for shows, sports, fine dining, fine arts and the like.
That being said, we have not seen or heard from 2/3rds of our congregation in over three months. There was no Easter collection to speak of, although Christmas and Easter used to maintain a parish through the lean months in the "good old days." Summer tourism and robust return to work seems bleak, at least through Labor Day. Without the theatre, clubs and the varied dining options for which the theatre district is known and frequented, we suffer from a lack of worshippers. With local businesses employing remote work stations (from home), we have lost most of our daily Mass congregation, How much of the 1/3 resident congregation will return remains to be seen, and understandably so. This pandemic has touched everyone. I have stopped counting the number of people I know who have passed or known someone who has died.
Going forward, we will have to reinvent ourselves in the ways that we interact and gather to worship. I just want you to know we never left you or abandoned you. We followed directives and kept as many people safe as possible. Like children, it was tempting to whine "why" or to become petulant and "do our own thing." Thank goodness, we are emerging beyond all of that. However, it will be different over the next three months. The guidelines that follow are necesary and we will strive to implement them as cheerfully as we can. Everyone will be asked to make sacrifices: the priests (who will assume more responsibility on the altar); the ministers (who will yield their familiar positions to help rather with greeting, ushering and seating); the choir and musicians (who will slowly start to reinvent liturgical music with congregational singing resuming gradually); and you, the faithful in the coming back and forgiving us our multitude of tasks to keep you safe while celebrating the sacred mysteries with joy and new found reverence in being so mindful of our surroundings in these times of uncertainty.
We know what we had and we are feeling what we have lost. Now is the opportunity to bridge the gap. A lot was taken for granted, but a lot was expected too. St. Malachy's has always been resilient that way. Resilience, though, does not rest in bricks and mortar. Rather it lives and thrives in the living stones of the church. Come back better, stronger (masks and all) and help us to move our "faith forward."
For once it is not just a fund raising slogan, "faith forward," but at last a posture we can assume together.
Christ's Peace,
Fr. John Fraser
Monday - Friday, 8:00am Daily Mass
Saturday Vigil Mass, 5:00pm
Sunday, 9:00am & 11:00am
Saturday and Sunday evening Masses and the daily 12:05pm Mass are currently suspended.
Public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, Rosary, Stations of the Cross and other devotions are suspended until further notice.