THE CATHOLIC MIRROR Vol. 54, No. 11 November 20, 2020 As virus cases soar, diocese takes protective measures Bishop William Joensen s requir- continue to gather around the events will be suspended in all together. By Anne Marie Cox ing face masks or coverings at all Eucharistic altar – the source and 80 parishes beginning Nov. 23 Parish activities such as Staff Writer public events in diocesan church summit of our faith – and wor- through Jan. 10 out of a con- faith formation and public wor- buildings until Feb 2, when it ship together,” he wrote in a Nov. cern for the physical health of ship will continue under current Following a spike in will be reviewed. 11 letter to the faithful. the faithful, and their spiritual guidelines of physical distanc- COVID-19-related infection, “I have taken this crit- In addition, diocesan health, by hopefully preserving hospitalization and mortality, ical step so we may responsibly and parish-sponsored social the faithful’s ability to worship Continued on page 8 Thanksgiving inspires gratitude, Creative ways to be together reflection and over the holidays giving back By Kelly Mescher Collins Staff Writer Even in the midst of a glob- al pandemic, there are reasons to give thanks, said Maureen Kenney, director of Stewardship for the Diocese of Des Moines. We can take a cue from St. Paul, Kenney said, whose letters often begin and end in Thanksgiving. “Give thanks in all circum- stances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you...Continue stead- fastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving,” he wrote. Traditionally, the holidays are a time when many people give back to their church community or those in need. This has been a tough year though, Ken- ney concedes, noting that not everyone is in a position to give back financially Last year’s Christmas gathering for the extended Fangman family (pictured above) looked very different due to pandemic induced furloughs, job from how it will look this year. Sue McEntee of Assumption Parish in Granger (center, kneeling) has fun loss or hardships created by local, natu- virtual activities planned for her family Christmas celebration next month. ral disasters. “Are there other ways God “We’re just going to have a thanksgiving – what we’re thankful for. is calling you to use the gifts and tal- By Kelly Mescher Collins Staff Writer big Zoom with all of the extended fam- And then we dig in.” ents he has asked you to cultivate and ily…,” said Mesink, a mental health It’s not your typical Thanks- grow?” Kenney added. therapist at the Catholic Charities Coun- giving gathering, Mensink admits. But Volunteering your time and seling Center in Des Moines. “We’re at least they can still be together. talents to help those in need is just one Carol Mensink and 17 family members will be gathering around the going to have our laptops, dinner is “It’s going to be weird,” Men- way we can be of service. planned at the same time and we’re all sink said. “We know we’re going to The Catholic Charities Food table for next Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday. Only this year, they’ll be gath- going to have our own turkey and carve Pantry is always looking for volunteers, our own turkey. We’ll say the prayers of said Leslie Van Der Molen, poverty re- ering virtually. Continued on page 9 duction program manager. “It’s a good way to be able to give back and see all the need in our community,” she said. New initiative heals post-election wounds “When COVID first hit we lost 60 percent of our volunteers,” Van Der Molen continued. “We changed how we By Kelly Mescher Collins Civilize It: Dignity Beyond tion have not been magically serve people to make sure everyone is Staff Writer the Debate, an initiative to pro- forgotten. safe. We were really able to adapt, but mote civility, clarity and com- “Those wounds ha- we still have volunteer needs.” In the months leading passion. ven’t gone away,” he said. Some volunteers perform du- up to the presidential election, Now, post-election, “They might become less vis- ties that have minimal contact with there were people who took the Diocese of Des Moines has ible after the election, but they others, such as building food packs, breaks from social media and launched Civilize It Iowa, to are still there.” while others safely interact with the avoided talking politics with promote healing and unity. The solution? Love public. The Catholic Charities Food family and friends because of “We saw a lot of di- and compassion. Pantry works hard on sanitation and so- the strain it puts on relation- vision [before the election],” “Jesus tells us that Take a photo of this QR cial distancing to prevent the spread of ships. said diocesan Vice Chancellor our call is to love on another code with your cell phone COVID-19 and ensure safety for every- To address the divi- Adam Storey. “But that divi- and that if I want to see char- to connect with the sions, the U.S. Conference of sion obviously still exists.” ity in the world, that charity Civilize It Iowa website. Catholic Bishops launched Hurtful words ex- has to dwell in my own heart Continued on page 7 changed leading up to the elec- first,” Storey said. Continued on page 3 www.dmdiocese.org 2 The Catholic Mirror November 20, 2020 Night Saving Time My brother David suf- sense and robust faith. Wellness to God’s tug on our hearts will Love to “presence” itself in the fered a freak accident several By experts will dispense the usual nudge us to be “alone with the acute absences that beset us. We weeks ago when he was opening Bishop advice about preventive measures Alone,” to allow God to share must pass into a night that is not a plastic drink container and the William that will sustain mental health our discomfort, and to commu- oppressive, a night not made by cap shot into his right eye, driv- Joensen (e.g., plenty of sleep, temperance nicate what only the Creator of human hands, a night that—dare ing the natural lens back to the in food and drink, moderate ex- both night and day knows--above I say it—is ‘pregnant’ with life in retina and leaving the eyeball ercise, intentional outreach to all those unspoken words, “I am communion that no virus can take filled with blood. The trauma folks who would delight in hear- with you.” from us. left him grappling with the pros- tion of what lies ahead is shroud- ing from us, fasting from media As the prophet Daniel Thanks to a skillful pect of being permanently blind ed by our present life disruptions or conversations that rile us up acclaims in an alternating play surgeon and, by his own ac- in one eye—his depth perception and the specter that things are go- and rob us of our peace). Yet of praise, “Nights and days, bless count, the power of prayers, my compromised, his field of vision ing to get much worse this winter our faith offers resources beyond the Lord. Light and darkness, brother Dave can now see colors reduced. His family and circle before they get better. what modern medicine or self- bless the Lord.” We need not be and shapes in his damaged eye, of people in his life ramped up We might feel both ac- help guides supply. Our prayer, anywhere other than where we though he awaits the insertion of the prayers. And though he was tual and anticipatory grief, inten- with varied courses of thanksgiv- are for God to find us, so that we an artificial lens. His traumatic attended by great MercyOne and sified by our November remem- ing, petition, and praise—some might discover the elusive peace experience was a night of faith in Wolfe Clinic medical staffs and brance of the souls who have from the treasury of Scripture and that only Jesus can bestow. While which God’s goodness and care surrounded by a lot of love, there gone before us in faith, whose Catholic tradition—is so vital if we have a natural preference for for him was confirmed, and we was an inevitable sense of isola- absence from the dinner table is we are to keep hope alive, to be light, and recoil from anything are all profoundly grateful. Yet tion and wrestling with uncertain- compounded by the prospective able to yield to sleep and awaken that would snatch sight from us, even if he had lost his sight, as ty and discomfort by himself that inability to even gather with fam- and step into the next day. our lives inevitably present us grievously tough as that might no one else could alleviate. ily members and friends whose The first century St. with darkness we did not choose. have been, God’s promise and As we draw close to fond stories of lost loved ones Pope Clement of Rome draws We can run from it and hide, or presence would have not have Thanksgiving and the season might spark laughter and sup- from Psalm 19 in reminding us we can choose to let the Author been diminished, for night and of Advent that quickly follows, ply balm for the soul. And, of that we are always in God’s pres- of both night and day enlist the day both belong to God. Advent I wonder if Dave’s experience course, we dare not broach the ence, and that he is always poised night to save us from ourselves, came early, though it still awaits captures what we all face as we topic of the recent election, lest to communicate his life and grace from our surrender to despair.