No, that is not an “exhale” marking an end or completion. It is an “exhale” indicating that what has been has taken my breath away, and that I am breathing to be prepared for all that will come next!
Moving from the quiet beauty of our St. Peter’s Church to the lights and sound checks within St. Patrick’s during the days of the Sacred Triduum and Easter has been quite the reality check for me. Here at St. Peter’s is truly home. In the church I miss you more than you can imagine, and more even than I might have imagined if someone had told us that we would be experiencing these days of social distancing and voluntary quarantining in our homes.
And then I ventured into the relative emptiness of St. Patrick’s where the essential ministers of the liturgies of these most holy of days made up the entire congregation present! And I want to thank Sharon Dupre for willing to be a lector, Sarah Arnold, Peter Sabourin, Jeff Roy, and Nathan Poudrier for both bringing the faces and voices of St. Peter’s Parish to those broadcast liturgies, and for doing so in a way that respected the challenges of these days in a public setting.
The Easter Season has begun. The Church calls upon the Mercy of our God in this moment of feeling disconnected and in this moment of realizing that the gifts and benefits of Church which we enjoy so freely as our norm are deprived to others around the world as their norm. Let us praise God for knowing in this moment what we miss ; and even more in doing the works of faith in this time and according to the opportunities that we have!
I want to thank Fr. Tomasz Borkowski and the staff and liturgical ministers of St. Patrick’s Parish for their welcome and the grace with which we celebrate!