Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In much of the Advent season, there is a consistent theme of looking ahead. It’s a time of preparation and expectation. It’s a time of longing and anticipation. It’s a time to get ourselves ready for the coming of Christ more deeply into our lives; both at the Second Coming and in celebration of the Incarnation at Christmas. But it’s with that idea of preparation that I wish to bring something to your attention. While it’s not here yet and may not be for a while, there’s a potential change in parish life that we should be aware of.
For years now, Msgr. Dubell has been helping out with Masses and confessions, going all the way back to 2016. When Fr. Leo was still with us, it was less frequent, but since the Fall of 2019, Msgr. Dubell has been a consistent help, most especially with covering daily Mass on Thursdays, which is usually my day off. If you’ve been to a recent 9AM Mass on Thursday, you may have noticed that I’ve been celebrating it. And the plan through the rest of December is for that to continue to be the case. It’s not that I’ve somehow freezing out the good Monsignor. It’s the result of Msgr. Dubell’s doctor advising him to rest up and not engage in ministry until the beginning of January.
Without trying to sound like a young whippersnapper, it’s getting harder and harder to see how the current situation is sustainable in the long run. Msgr. Dubell is in his mid-80s and while he’s in relatively good health and is incredibly active in helping out and in ministry, that won’t last forever. And given how few retired priests live in the area and how few parishes have a second priest in residence, there’s not necessarily someone waiting in the wings to help with celebrating Mass. I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, because I’m not. But being realistic about the situation is important.
In the short term, I’ll continue to celebrate Mass throughout the week. When Msgr. Dubell is cleared and feeling up to it, he is always welcome to say Mass here at St. Charles. But in the event that he scales back or isn’t up to it, we’ll have to figure out what things look like thereafter. In one scenario, particularly if Msgr wants to say Mass only occasionally, we may shift to a different day for him and go to something like a Communion Service on Thursdays. Perhaps there are other priests that are willing to help out from the surrounding parishes. But whatever shape it takes, what’s most important is that we stay focused on Christ.
And so, please know of my prayers for all of you for a blessed Advent season. I hope that you can stay focused on seeking Christ in the busyness of these days ahead. And please keep Msgr. Dubell and all our retired priests in your prayers this Advent.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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