Eucharistic Adoration and Social Distancing

I was at the Eucharistic Adoration chapel yesterday, and the week before. Nothing unusual there. What was different about week before yesterday was that I left early.

I’d arrived a half-hour early, again nothing unusual. It’s not that I’m so pious that I can’t wait to go. I’d reached a stopping point in what I was writing, and figured that showing up early was a good idea.

Which it would have been, if we hadn’t had new rules.

I’d logged in when I noticed something new.

A sign on the door said that our bishop, in compliance with new Minnesota COVID-19 regulations, was limiting the chapel to two persons at a time.

I looked through glass beside the doors and saw two folks already inside.

So I waited a half-hour, getting a little reading done. The other person who’s scheduled to be there during my hour showed up.

The two other folks were still inside.

I had a short conversation with my counterpart, said that my easiest option was turning around and going out, and did so. After signing out, with a short note that I was leaving early in order to follow our rules.

Fast-forward to Sunday. During announcements at Mass, our priest mentioned the new rules and clarified that scheduled adorers had priority. He phrased it more diplomatically, but that’s the gist.

I dropped by the chapel on Tuesday, to get a photo of the sign. There was a new one. Two new signs, actually, one in English and the other in Spanish. The text had been updated.

A mother and elementary-school-age kid were kneeling before glass to the right of the doors, since there were folks already in the chapel. With a duo right there, next to the chapel’s doors, I decided to photograph the pair of signs on an ‘outside’ door.

New Rules, Making Sense During a Pandemic

St. Paul's Church and its new addition. The St. Faustina Adoration Chapel is to your left.Someone else was there when I showed up yesterday, kneeling outside the glass.

Someone else was kneeling, outside the glass, I mean. That’s a syntactic mess. Oh, well.

This Wednesday, yesterday, knowing the new rules, I arrived only a few minutes before my scheduled time.

Two other folks, the scheduled set, were inside. They left when my counterpart and I arrived. We left when the next scheduled adorer came. We’re adjusting to a new routine.

I’d prefer that we didn’t have new rules, limiting how many folks are in the chapel at any given time. There’ve been maybe up to a half-dozen drop-ins most weeks, besides me and my counterpart.

I’d also prefer that the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t a reality we should deal with.

But my preferences won’t change the rules, and they sure won’t make the SARS-CoV-2 virus go away. So I’ll follow the rules, do what I reasonably can to stay healthy and help others do the same, and maintain the routines that do make sense during a pandemic.

I’ve talked about this before. “These” before?? Never mind.

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About Brian H. Gill

I was born in 1951. I'm a husband, father and grandfather. One of the kids graduated from college in December, 2008, and is helping her husband run businesses and raise my granddaughter; another is a cartoonist and artist; #3 daughter is a writer; my son is developing a digital game with #3 and #1 daughters. I'm also a writer and artist.
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2 Responses to Eucharistic Adoration and Social Distancing

  1. Over here it is mostly Masses on-line being streamed. Those who attend church have to follow strict guidelines.

    God bless.

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