Bishop Andrew Cozzens, foreground, and Archbishop Bernard Hebda bless people in one of hundreds of vehicles that lined up for an Easter Sunday blessing April 12 in front of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
History was made March 18, 2020, the day Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced the suspension of public Masses due to the emerging coronavirus pandemic.
“It was a decision I never would have anticipated making in my life,” he said in an interview for “Practicing Catholic” airing March 12. “Certainly, it was very difficult to make that decision. We were blessed that we were working as well with the other bishops here in Minnesota. I think that was very helpful for us, and we saw what was going on around the country as well.”
In the interview, Archbishop Hebda discussed COVID-19 impacts on the local Church this past year with Maria Wiering, editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit. He noted that very little was known about the virus last March.
“We were trying to figure out how is it that we make a good decision — and not only for our Catholic faithful, but for the common good as well,” he said.
Asked what it was like to lead the Church at that time, especially knowing the faithful would not be able to receive the Eucharist for weeks or months, the archbishop said people of faith trust that the Lord “bestows his graces” upon everyone. The suspension of public Mass provided an opportunity “to go deeper into the understanding of spiritual Communion,” he said.
“One of the areas where we were particularly blessed was that we were able to keep our churches open,” he said. “Even though we weren’t able to offer public Mass, there was never a time when the sacraments weren’t being offered, there never was a time when we weren’t reaching out to families and individuals.”
Opportunities for spiritual growth also included priests and lay ecclesial ministers finding new ways to bring sacraments to people, and to keep parishioners involved in parish life by reaching out as a parish by telephone or the web through platforms such as Zoom, he said. “In my mind, that’s been particularly inspiring,” he said.
To the faithful who may need some words of encouragement as the pandemic continues, the archbishop said, “I think we always have to remember the Lord’s words, that he is with us ‘til the end of time.’ And no matter what the situation is, when we look at the history of the Church, when we consider past pandemics, we know that the Lord is always there and he’s going to guide us and heal us and love us, and that our job is to do whatever it is that he asks of us, and be the bearers of his love, the bearers of his healing, and to see in the present moment those opportunities is for me a great source of encouragement,” he said.
The archbishop said people can’t lose sight of opportunities to help bring some closure to the pandemic — in acts of mercy, attentiveness to the needs of neighbors and of those who are isolated. “They’re all ways in which we’re able to bring Christ into a truly difficult situation — one that needs him so desperately,” he said.
During the show, Wiering asked Archbishop Hebda what he believes COVID-19’s lasting impact will be on Catholics, parish life and ministry. To hear his responses and the complete interview, tune in to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. March 12, 1 p.m. March 13 or 2 p.m. March 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
“Practicing Catholic” is produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Other guests on the March 12 “Practicing Catholic” show are Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, who discusses selling his baseball card collection to help more students attend Catholic schools, and Deacon Gordon Bird from St. Joseph in Rosemount, who describes how St. Joseph can help us in eucharistic adoration.
Recent Comments