Faith in the time of coronavirus
Closures due to COVID-19 swept the nation in only a matter of weeks, and the St. Kate’s community was no different. One such closure that is affecting campus, and many communities across the United States besides, is the cancellation of Masses.
With Holy Week, when Catholics honor the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, fast approaching, the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice made the decision to cancel all Masses and services in the Our Lady of Victory Chapel, hoping to limit the spread of the virus. The Chapel, while a focal point for many students on campus, also serves the broader community that surrounds the university.
The inside of the Chapel, now eerily empty
“I am hearing from people of many faith traditions the great loss they experience in not being able to gather with and pray with the religious community of their choice,” Said Sharon Howell, CSJ and Director of the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice. “Community gathering and interaction are core to human experience.”
Despite the decision to cancel Mass, the Center still has plans to serve the St. Kate’s campus virtually, using YouTube, Zoom, and their social media pages to stay in contact with the community. Prayer reflections are currently being offered through YouTube and Instagram. These prayer reflections are available for all on the St. Catherine University YouTube and the Center’s Instagram page: @spiritandjustice.
Similarly, the Center has been hosting Sunday Word and Prayer each week at 10:30 a.m. on the video conferencing application Zoom.
“Since March 16, Bex Gaunt, University Liturgist, has been working with CSSJ student Chapel assistants providing prayer reflections…” Sister Sharon explained. “Should we need to do so, this team will continue to provide prayer opportunities until we are able to offer Masses and services within the Chapel.”
A snapshot of a Sunday Zoom session, courtesy of Bex Gaunt
The dates and links to the Zoom sessions are included on the Center’s Instagram page.
Many other churches outside of St. Kate’s have started offering virtual resources of their own, including local parishes near campus. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have compiled a webpage of resources and church locations, found at this link: https://www.archspm.org/locations
“For the season of Lent, this experience really underscores what abstinence really means: accessing many things in our lives, shortages in the grocery stores, concerns for family, friends, people in our surrounding community who are suffering due to loss of jobs,” Sister Sharon said of this unique experience. “As we are actually living out the practices of Lent, working together to let people know they are not alone, and that we are in this together.”
The Center will continue to provide support and outreach to students of all faith traditions throughout the ongoing crisis. Staff are partnering with University administration and the Sisters of St. Joseph to find out how to best keep up the vital services of the Food Shelf, and Dr. Aisheh Wazwaz, the Muslim Spiritual Advisor and Chaplain, is currently developing online programs for St. Kate’s Muslim students.
The Center for Spirituality and Social Justice will remain a focal point for the St. Kate’s community despite the many closures due to COVID-19, and students who wish to meet virtually with anyone from the Center can email spiritandjustice@stkate.edu to receive support.
