Covid Crisis - Information Updates

Dear Friends:
I write to you as we journey through the Lenten season against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic which continues to profoundly impact our parish family, our nation, and our world. As you may have heard, questions have been raised about the Covid-19 vaccines in distribution. Specifically, some question the vaccines’ processes of research or development using molecular material generated from electively aborted human fetal tissue from the 1970s. A concern has been raised that receiving the vaccine could make one morally complicit in a previous act of elective abortion. With those questions concerns have arisen around the Catholic Church’s stance on Covid-19 vaccinations.

These questions have been thoroughly evaluated by Catholic moral theologians and Church leaders since development of these vaccines began in earnest last year. These evaluations have concluded that all current Covid-19 vaccines are approved for use by the Church and can be used in good conscience by Catholics.

Please reference the below summarized statements from the Church on Covid-19 vaccines by clicking on the links at the bottom of this letter. These are important questions and so while offering summary views here, I have also referenced the full texts of statements from the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops if you are interested in reading through the complete documentation.

Church leaders, from Pope Francis to your parish pastor, strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated for the following reasons:

• Concerns of moral complicity are strongly attenuated by the distance between the original cells and the current cellular material used in vaccination research and development. Many new generations of cells have been developed since 1973. This is similar to several other vaccines presently in use.
• The vaccines are proving effective in slowing the transmission of this disease which has claimed so many lives and caused immense human suffering.
• The vaccines are proving to be safe, although you should always check with your medical provider if you have questions about the potential effects of vaccine on any existing medical conditions.
• Vaccination protects others, especially those who are vulnerable to severe disease, and so is in keeping with Catholic values of serving the common good and acting with particular concern for the poor and vulnerable.
• The sooner we can achieve a critical mass of immunity, the sooner we can look forward to resuming normal activities at the Church of St. Timothy and elsewhere.

Far from prohibiting or discouraging vaccinations, the Church instead strongly encourages all people including Catholics to be vaccinated as soon as they are allowed. Given this, I hope that any of you struggling with this issue will now feel strengthened in good conscience to schedule a vaccination if you have not done so already. Please note that I am writing to you in your role as pastor exploring this question from an ethical and religious perspective. Of course, if you have medical concerns related to Covid-19 vaccines, please discuss those concerns with your primary medical provider before being vaccinated.

As we look at what may be the “beginning of the end” of this pandemic, know of my continued prayerful support for all of you. We are all tested in various ways through these challenging times, which is all the more reason we can turn to God who promises to strengthen us in prayer. May the God of mercy and eternal renewal be with you now and always, and may we soon look forward to the day when we can fully gather together again as a parish community.

May God’s peace and abundant blessings be with you all,
Fr. Joe

Sources and further reading about Covid-19 vaccines

Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict received their first dose of the vaccine on January 14, 2021 at the Vatican. On January 10, 2021 Pope Francis said: "I believe that morally everyone must take the vaccine. It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others…If the doctors are presenting this to you as a thing that will go well and doesn't have any special dangers, why not take it? There is a suicidal denialism that I would not know how to explain but today people must take the vaccine.”

Click here to read the December 21, 2020 statement "Note on the Morality of Using Some  Anti-Covid-19 Vaccines" from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. 
Here is one excerpt from that document. “From the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one’s own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good. In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed…Those who, however, for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted fetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behavior, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons, and who are the most vulnerable.”


Click here to read the December, 2020 statement "Moral Considerations Regarding the New Covid-19 Vaccines" by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 
Here is one excerpt from that document: “In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines…  receiving the Covid-19 vaccine ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community…The current vaccine for rubella, though developed earlier, relies on morally compromised cell lines in much the same way as the newly developed AstraZeneca vaccine. The AstraZeneca vaccine should be avoided if there are alternatives available.  It may turn out, however, that one does not really have a choice of vaccine, at least, not without a lengthy delay in immunization that may have serious consequences for one’s health and the health of others. In such a case, just as accepting a vaccination for rubella with a morally compromised vaccine is morally permissible because of the lack of alternatives and the serious risk to the public health, so it would be permissible to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine.”

Click here to read the January 2021 statement "Answers to Key Ethical Questions About Covid-19 Vaccines" from the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Dear Friends:

We have entered the “Covid 19-Advent” season. As you know, we have witnessed in the past month a dramatic rise in the rate of infection in Anoka County and in the communities served by St. Timothy’s. We remain committed to provide as reasonably safe environment as we can for those who worship in person, in keeping with directives from the State of Minnesota as well as Archdiocesan leadership. To that end, we will continue the practices we initiated in June: wearing masks, distancing, and disinfecting for all in-person Masses or events at St. Timothy’s. We are also adding some additional precautions as we approach the Christmas season. These protocols are listed below. 
 

• The installation of ionizing air filtration system in the church. This is an air purification system that helps reduce the amount of airborne virus, including the Covid-19 virus, in an enclosed space. This system does not produce ozone or other harmful byproducts. It does supplement our ability to exchange fresh air in the church building, especially during the coldest months of the year. 
• Pre-registration for all Masses will continue for the foreseeable future. Even if you regularly attend the same weekend liturgy, we thank you for continuing to register every week. Pre-registration ensures that we will not exceed the amount of people that we can safely accommodate, and gives us the ability to do contact tracing should we need to.  
• If you are in any of the higher risk groups for severe Covid-19 infection, please consider staying home instead of attending weekly in-person liturgies. Mass will continue to be streamed on St. Timothy’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, and the videos will continue to be archived for later viewing. 
• If you have been or may have been exposed to Covid-19 in the two weeks prior to the date of the Mass, we ask that you refrain from attending in-person Mass until two weeks beyond the possible date of exposure. 
• If you feel ill for any reason, please do not attend in-person Mass. 
• We are planning further parking lot services and communion reception services, including on Christmas Day, for those who watch the Mass at home. More information on those opportunities will follow and will be made available through all parish communications channel (website, Flocknote, Facebook, print and digital biweekly bulletin).
• Face masks, covering the nose and mouth, are required once you get out of your car to enter the church building and are to remain in place until you get into your car after exiting. 
• Seating is assigned based on the number of members of your household in attendance. Seating is configured to maintain at least six feet of distance between households in the pews. 

• You will be asked to sanitize your hands upon entering the church and again in the communion procession. 

• As Cathy Sullivan mentioned in her state of the parish address, we are installing livestreaming equipment. This will enable us to livestream the Sunday morning or Saturday evening Mass on our website, or to YouTube and Facebook. We are in the line for installation, but a lot of other churches are doing the same, so we thank for your patience as we get the necessary technology in place to offer livestreaming from St. Timothy’s. 
• We are hoping to have St. Timothy’s recorded weekly Mass broadcast on the local Blaine cable television station. Stay tuned for future announcements. 

Our goal is that with these precautions in place and with everyone’s cheerful cooperation there will be no transmission of the Covid-19 virus during Mass or other events at St. Timothy’s. Again, the best precaution of all is refraining from attending in-person Mass if you are feeling ill in any way or may have been exposed to the virus.

We continue to monitor the number of cases in our ongoing discernment of how best to respond and adapt our parish life. As the public health situation continues to evolve and as our streaming and in-person liturgy offerings adapt, updates will be made available through all our parish communications platforms (“Covid crisis – information updates” page on the parish website, Facebook, weekly Friday Flocknote, print and digital bulletin).  

Advent is a season of staying alert and preparing with hopeful vigilance for Christ’s coming. This year, part of that preparation, part of showing love of God and neighbor, is taking reasonable precautions to lower Covid-19 transmissions. I thank you for your collaboration, rooted in care and concern for all in our parish family, especially those who are most vulnerable. Be assured of my prayers for you and your families in these challenging days. Know also of my gratitude for your prayerful support of St. Timothy’s and all those who lives have been impacted by this virus. May God bless our world with relief and renewal, and may God give us the strength and perseverance we need to act on behalf of the common good. 

Peace be with you all, 

Fr Joe
 

Parish Office Area Policy for Reopening Gradually

1. All visitors must call ahead before coming to the parish office. Only people with appointments will be invited into the parish office. No loitering or socializing will be allowed. Call 763.784.1329. 
2. Those without an appointment who are dropping off paperwork, can do so using our outside drop box.
3. All guests and vendors with an appointment will be asked to sanitize their hands and must be wearing a mask. 
4. All guests and vendors must check in with the receptionist to ensure St. Timothy’s has all the needed contact information including phone number, email, time/ date of visit, who they are visiting.  
5. For the time being, in-person meetings are discouraged unless absolutely necessary.  
6. No food or other hard good donations will be accepted at this time.