From the Associate Pastor’s Desk,

Happy Sunday Everyone,

           Father Joseph here. Father Lewis invited me to substitute for him in the weekly bulletin page this week. I asked him the other day for project ideas I could work on, and he suggested this. So, here goes! I decided to give you a glimpse into life as a priest during the covid times and tell you what my days have looked like. I can’t promise it’ll be interesting.

To start with, Father Lewis and I agreed early on, even before Greene County set stay-at-home restrictions, that we would take the most precautions. Because he falls just inside the age bracket for the vulnerable group we didn’t want to take any chances of bringing it into the rectory. Bishop Rice reaffirmed this in a letter to the priests of the diocese, encouraging us to make this a time of retreat, for prayer and reading. He emphasized protecting the health of our priests. Cancelling public masses isn’t just for your safety. It’s for ours. So, all of that is in the back of my mind as I have settled in for the extended stay-cation, as I like to call it.

I have also been named chaplain to Cox for emergency calls. I have been a few times for last rites, but none virus related so far. I wear my mask, use my disinfectant wipes on my book and equipment each time, and burn my cotton ball of oil then get a fresh one; it’s a little extra work than usual. Usually Father Lewis takes night calls and I take them during the day, but now my phone is on 24/7. Thankfully, that continues to be infrequent, but if a second wave hits Springfield hard I may be a regular in the covid ward. Prayers there please.

So what has this young priest done to live this “time of retreat?” The staples have been prayer, reading, and exercise. I give thanks to God that He has prepared me in self-discipline for this unstructured time. After all, much of the priest’s work is unstructured. He always works from home, so to speak. I rise about the same time, eat my typical meals, drink lots of hot tea and coffee, and take my dog Chip for about four walks a day (“ruff-ly” 3-4 mi). I’ve also done a lot of video calling with friends and family to stay connected. Easy peasy.

But let’s be honest. It’s all been a little crazy in between the structure. I reorganized all of my drawers and closets in the beginning week, followed by a redoing of the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. Before long I was out of chores. I’ve also read a few books off my list (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jesus of Nazareth: Baptism to the Transfiguration, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week, working on Dante’s The Divine Comedy). I keep multiple going at once for variety. Just last week I started learning Vietnamese on my phone. Finally, I’ve played a new video game called Animal Crossing in which you move to a deserted island and develop it into a thriving community of talking animals. Think Christopher Robin and the 100-Acre Wood, but Oceanside. It’s a poor substitute for reality, but when reality is shut down it’s nice to be able to go to the store, visit your neighbors, go fishing, bug collecting, and gardening. I can only walk so far and read and pray so much at this stage of life.

I miss all of you very much, and I pray for you constantly in the divine office, rosary, holy hour, and mass each day. If we are in God we are with one another, so I hope you’re praying too. Jesus Our Lord who is risen from the dead taught us not to be anxious. Our Father in Heaven looks after the smallest sparrow and the grass of the field, so much more so does he care for his sons and daughters. See you when the doors reopen!

~Fr. Joseph Stoverink