Early in the pandemic last year, Archbishop Bernard Hebda suspended public Masses. That brought change to parish life across the archdiocese, including those in rural areas.
Father James Stiles, pastor of St. Mary in Le Center and St. Henry in Le Sueur, joined Patrick Conley, host of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show, to discuss the pandemic’s impact on his community and the decisions he made to stay connected with parishioners. The interview airs at 9 p.m. April 16 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Father James Stiles
While he understood the public health need for suspending Masses, Father Stiles said it was heartbreaking. The holy Mass is what Catholics live and breathe on, he said. One of his parishioners told him that the Mass is “our greatest weapon, our greatest defense against the pandemic.”
Some people thought it meant “a respite” for Father Stiles. But he said in some ways it became the fullest time of his ministry so far because “everything” was ramped up regarding the normal things people rely on to communicate and remain engaged.
“The creativity and the thinking through everything freshly required a lot of extra energy and time,” he said.
Father Stiles said the main issue was figuring out how to best communicate with parishioners if they’re not coming to Mass. Parishioners at the two churches skew older, too. “How do we continue to keep them engaged in their faith the best that we can?”
Father Stiles weighed sending letters, relying on social media and the parish website, and livestreaming. One winning idea was offering a “drive-up Mass” at St. Mary that was said for people parked in the lot and along the street. Because a PA system was used, Father Stiles knocked on neighbors’ doors beforehand to give a heads-up.
One parishioner donated a large trailer and volunteers built an attached awning to protect Father Stiles from the elements during Mass.
Drive-up confessions also were a hit. “It seemed like we had more people coming to confession in that time than we normally do otherwise,” Father Stiles said. “Even as people would walk up and drive up, I would joke and say, ‘Welcome to McDonald’s.’”
Plenty of people brought ideas forward, Father Stiles said. The Lord provided “over and over” throughout the pandemic and continued to inspire new things not just through him, but through others, he said.
“It was very, very clear that the Lord was with all of us in the midst of this, and that indeed, prayer was key and throughout all of it,” he said. “And that he had things in his hands.”
During the interview, Father Stiles described feeling upset one day when he was trying to figure out the best way to serve his parishioners. During a walk, he asked the Lord what he wanted him to do. He sensed the Lord’s response, starting with a succinct six words. To hear them, tune in to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. April 16, 1 p.m. April 17 and 2 p.m. April 18 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father Bruno Nwachukwu, who describes how the call of God “moved him” from his native Nigeria to Minnesota, and John and James Ondrey, who discuss their Catholic softball team.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired:
soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic
Practicing Catholic on Spotify
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