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April 6, 2020Bishop inspired by priests’ love for their people, commitment to serve
Tonight, on the Monday of Holy Week, when representatives of every parish would have normally gathered in one place for the annual Chrism Mass, priests across the Diocese of Trenton will celebrate Mass from their respective churches, simultaneously, with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
They will renew their priestly commitment, and, in addition to any special intentions already requested in their parishes, will celebrate this special Mass for the people of the Diocese – all clergy, religious, seminarians and the laity. They also will include the intention of all those in the Diocese impacted by this pandemic: the dead; the infected and their loved ones; public officials; first responders; health care workers, and support staff.
Officially titled The Mass for Holy Week in the Time of Pandemic, the event was announced by Bishop O’Connell April 3 in a letter of invitation to the priests of the Diocese. He wrote, “I suggest this special Mass be celebrated simultaneously (at 7 p.m.) as a sign of our unity, fraternity and solidarity as priests during this time of pandemic.”
Reinforcing that the Mass cannot be open to the public, the Bishop advised that the priests, in observance of social distancing precautions, can be “together” in Masses celebrated throughout the Diocese on the same day and time. The Bishop added, “We need to support each other in prayer.”
Bishop O’Connell, who will celebrate this Mass from his home, issued his homily early Monday. The homily is also available as a podcast HERE .
In the homily, Bishop O’Connell points to this unprecedented time, in which the Chrism Mass, which is a tradition with roots in the early Church, has been set aside due to the global pandemic and the shuttering of churches throughout the world.
He observes that in “another time, the Chrism Mass would have been celebrated – with the priests of the Diocese of Trenton gathered around their bishop – in the presence of the faithful, on Monday of Holy Week, to bless and consecrate sacramental holy oils at the Chrism Mass. They would have stood with the bishop and renewed their sacred commitments as priests, together, before celebrating the Holy Eucharist together and distributing the Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful.”
The Bishop continues, “Tonight, the priests are not together with their bishop, or with one another. They are alone for the most part, scattered at the altars of empty churches throughout the four counties of the Diocese. The faithful are not present and Holy Mass, this night, is celebrated in private, without a congregation.
“What has changed ‘another time’ into ‘this time’ is the virus that has ravaged our world, our state, our Diocese,” he says.
Bishop O’Connell’s homily ends with a prayer: “Dear God, deliver us all, and strengthen our faith. We see the Cross ahead of you on your journey and with you, ahead of us all. Help us carry it together. This is not ‘another time’ we simply remember. It is ‘this time,’ ‘our time.’ We see the Cross. Help us not forget that the tomb will be opened, the stone will be rolled back. And your beautiful light will shine once more.”
It would be the decision of the local pastors to share their Mass with the public in a live video stream. Parishioners should check with parish websites to find out if a livestream is scheduled.
To read the full text of the Bishop’s homily, click HERE.
During this COVID-19 crisis and until further notice, Holy Communion can only be distributed to the faithful as Viaticum for the dying in the Diocese of Trenton.
The Diocese of Trenton encompasses 99 parishes across Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, who together serve a community of 730,000 Catholics.
