Diocesan priests come up with non-traditional ways to minister

Empty churches translate to lonely Masses for parish priests across the Fargo Diocese. Since Bishop Folda’s March 17 directive that canceled the celebration of public Masses and diocesan events, along with closing Catholic schools, many priests in the diocese have been going the extra mile to make sure the needs of their parishioners are met as seamlessly as possible amid the restrictions placed on them due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By far the most noticeable change has been the inability to celebrate the Mass with parishioners present in the church. Many priests have turned to technology to live-stream daily and Sunday Masses. These efforts have allowed the celebration of the Mass to come into the homes of the faithful. But some have gone even beyond offering online Masses.

“As a parish staff, we have to be creative in finding ways to reach out and bring the gospel message in the means that we have,” said Father Neil Pfeifer, pastor of St. Philip Neri in Napoleon. “Many of our parishioners have not left their farm or home since this began in March, and they have called, and sent messages to let us know how grateful they are. One benefit is we are receiving letters from people who are out of state who follow us every day. This is one positive use of social media.”

But Father Pfeifer has gone beyond just relying on social media. He has also held drive-thru confessions, using proper social distancing techniques, and a drive-in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

“Our community really misses coming together as God's family, said Father Pfeifer. “To fulfill their hunger and desire, our staff has tried to bring the Lord to our community through various means. We held a vehicle procession around the city to ask God to spare us from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have live-streamed Wednesday night CCD, and we even went out of our way to set up a trailer for adoration in the parking lot on Divine Mercy Sunday and for various prayers. The people gathered and remained in their vehicles to keep the social distancing, and our parking lot has been packed.”

Fathers Michael Slovak, pastor of St. Michael’s in Dunseith, and Dennis Mary Dugan, pastor of St. Ann’s in Belcourt, have been connecting with parishioners face-to-face while expanding their online and social media footprint. In Belcourt, Father Dugan has been doing Eucharistic Processions on Sundays for two or three hours. He says he plans to continue this, covering most of the back neighborhoods in the woods near Belcourt. He also holds confessions in the parking lot while in his car and wearing a mask. Parishioners drive-up alongside him wearing masks as well and also receive a bulletin and a Divine Mercy picture to hang on their front door.

In Dunseith, Father Slovak has continued reaching out through the parish’s Facebook page and has added a YouTube channel for embedded videos and live-streaming.

“Since the crisis started, I have learned to use iMovie that came with my Mac,” said Father Slovak. “I make weekly parish news videos that put our bulletin into a news update format. We made a Stations of the Cross video with captions and pictures that we posted the last few Fridays in Lent. I also made an education video to explain indulgences and how to receive the plenary indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday. In the next weeks, I plan to make a series of videos explaining different parts of the Mass.”

At. St. Timothy’s parish in Manvel, parishioners wanted to help Father John Ejike feel a little less lonely when live-streaming Mass to an empty church. They followed the examples of other parishes across the country and placed the photos of parishioners and parish families in the pews. Pictures were placed where the parishioners usually sit. The pew project became quite emotional for Father Ejike and staff at the parish. Walking through the pews reminded them of how important the support of friends and relationships are every day.

With the closing of all Catholic schools, students have had their weekly celebration of the Mass with their peers interrupted, along with the opportunity to go to Reconciliation. Father William Slattery, Chaplain for Sullivan/Shanley Schools in Fargo, decided to use the facilities available at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo to live-stream a Mass every Wednesday morning just for JPII school students as a way to bring as much normality as possible amidst their transition from classroom to online learning.

“At a Catholic school, the sacraments are a foundation of a healthy culture,” said Father Slattery. “With all the needed changes limiting the sizes of public gatherings and social distancing, our need for God’s grace has not changed. So the sacraments remain an important part of our search to comprehend God’s will for our lives and the source by which we find the grace and strength to confront each moment of our day. Making the Mass and confessions available is part of our priestly work, so that we can support our people and keep them connected to the sure ways that God provides them with encounters with his grace and mercy.”

These are just a few examples of the innovative ways parish priests are making the effort to minister as best they can to the faithful of the diocese. Please pray for our priests as they continue their labors of love for us, pray for our Catholic school children, and most of all, pray for the end to this health crisis so we may once again gather together on that joyous day to celebrate the Mass and receive the precious body and blood of our Lord as a faith community once again.