[Magdalen] Where are we

[Jay Weigel]

I have not been to church since before the pandemic started. Only via
Facebook in distant congregations. It sucks a lot but that's how it is now.
I occasionally "attend" my former church in Tennessee, even,

On Mon, Dec 21, 2020 at 12:01 PM Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Cady, the only Communion “delivery” we’re being permitted is taking it to
> “shut-ins,” either by the priest or LEV. One kind only, pre-consecrated,
> 15-minute limit...(though I did point out that I could say the words of
> institution at the time, since we don’t have the Reserved Sacrament)
> I asked if,  since everyone is essentially a shut-in at this point, we
> could offer this to everyone, and I was told that was not the intention,
> but to use our pastoral judgment. So far I haven’t made the offer. For one
> thing, I don’t have all the disposable accoutrements I’d need. We only have
> two actual “shut-ins,” and one of them is in a nursing home and can’t have
> visitors. We have not been given official permission to do what Suzie is
> doing, though I think it’s a good idea.
>
> > On Dec 21, 2020, at 10:33 AM, cady soukup <cadyasoukup at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Thank you Judy for the goad that moves us!
> >
> > Prayers offered for those of us in pain of any sort, those of us
> > feeling isolated, those of us who miss in-person gatherings for any
> > reason (oh - live music & singing!). May we each find our own ways to
> > experience the love of our Lord, and may we each experience in our own
> > way the wings of the Holy Spirit hovering over us as we move through
> > our days.
> >
> > This year gets a mixed review from here - I have been watching my tech
> > job disappear (the great move to the "cloud" - or, as I call it "other
> > people's computers"). Jan 4 is my last day on the contract, Jan 14 is
> > my last day for the company. I am looking for other jobs but have lost
> > motivation somewhere in the conflicting layers of 2020. On the other
> > hand, we have been able to keep ourselves healthy so far.
> >
> > The highlight of the year was a trip from Virginia to Cave Creek, AZ
> > to assist my best friend (who had serious knee reconstruction surgery
> > in October) with the Sonoran Arts League "Hidden In the Hills" arts
> > tour over the weekends before & after Thanksgiving (6 days). Maggie
> > and her husband, an artisan blacksmith (and mountain/rock climber, and
> > caver, as we are), hosted 5 other artists at their in-progress forge
> > and shipping-container-house site for the tour. I was able to drive a
> > 6-seater 4x4 to get arts tour visitors from the "parking lot" (a
> > gravel road) to their site. The artists were great fun, had a
> > wonderfully productive year and tour (better than any previous year),
> > and inspiring conversationalists! I navigated the 3 airports and 2
> > VERY FULL airplane fights, the tour, and visiting with mask and
> > without infection. Phew! The anxiety!
> >
> > Our church is in transition as of Jan 1 2021. (In our diocesan region
> > of 10 churches, quite a few are in transition right now. What a
> > challenge!) Trinity, Washington (VA) provides weekly Facebook/Youtube
> > virtual services, but with a separate pdf bulletin (I use a
> > combination of my phone (video/sound) and tablet (service pdf) to
> > "attend" - I am impressed by Suzie's dedication to putting the words
> > with the music. We have a pastoral care group actively contacting
> > parishioners via phone calls and emails, but we have not tried to
> > deliver communion, which might alleviate complaints from our parish
> > members? What a great idea! I don't know if that is verboten in the
> > Dio. VA?
> >
> > Today is "mail out Christmas presents day" here - yes, we are late! We
> > will have an isolated Christmas, but my Sis-Swister (Swiss sister) is
> > setting up a family zoom call on Christmas Day - our first!
> >
> > virtual hugs & hope & prayers to all - Cady
>