Archbishop Bernard Hebda greets a family in a van as he prepares to offer a Christmas blessing at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Dec. 25. Bishop Andrew Cozzens later joined the archbishop to bless those driving by in cars plus a handful of pedestrians who walked by the Cathedral. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Snow was on the ground but the sun was out and the wind was low, making for a bright and cheery Christmas afternoon as Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens dressed warmly and bestowed Christmas blessings on those who drove by the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Dec. 25.

Some families packed into vans and a few walked up the street. The afternoon blessings were a socially distant, outdoors, safe way to be with the faithful during the novel coronavirus pandemic, when churches are limited to 250 people for in-person Mass. The bishops bestowed a similar blessing on Easter, when churches were shut down completely because of COVID-19.

“I think it was seeing the simple joy of people receiving a blessing, especially people who for various reasons couldn’t come to Christmas Mass,” Bishop Cozzens said of what struck him most vividly. “Christmas is a very important time for people to be connected to the Church. And it was a great way for us to be connected. Archbishop Hebda and I also desire to be connected to people and to see people, and at this time that is difficult.”

Archbishop Hebda noted that pandemic precautions make it difficult to travel right now, particularly internationally, and people from many nations came for the Christmas Day blessing even as they might not have the contact that they would like with extended family living elsewhere.

“It really represented the United Nations,” the archbishop said of the drive-up blessings.

The archbishop said he was grateful to all who came. And he was struck by the many people who sought prayers for loved ones.

“A good number of people asked for prayers for a loved one, a relative who was unable to come, or someone who was experiencing health challenges,” Archbishop Hebda said. “It was beautiful the way people brought the needs of others to the experience.”

Bishop Cozzens noted that the real gift of Christmas is Christ, and the wonderful opportunities to share that gift with prayers and blessings. “I find myself edified by (people’s) faith,” he said.

And who knows, Bishop Cozzens said, perhaps an Easter or a Christmas blessing by the bishops will become a tradition in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, one “that would last beyond COVID.”

From left, Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens together offer a blessing. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT