The Newman Center at Muhlenberg College 26 August 2020 Transverberation of the Heart of St. Teresa of Ávila Dear students, faculty, staff, and friends of the Catholic community at Muhlenberg College, Know that you are all in my prayers during these difficult times. I know that the coronavirus pandemic has caused many difficulties for everyone within our community. I am remembering especially in my prayers the Graduating Class of 2020, who were made to miss many memorable moments due to the precautions that the pandemic forced us to take, and our all of our new students joining the Muhlenberg family this year, especially the Graduating Class of 2024, whose first semester will be something quite different than they were likely expecting college life to be. I am writing to give you all an update on what Catholic Campus Ministry’s plans are for the coming semester. Due to the precautions that the College has put in place for the safety of all involved, most especially our students, things will look a little different during the Fall 2020 academic semester than what we are used to experiencing as part of Catholic life at Muhlenberg College. Nonetheless, my hope is that all involved with Catholic Campus ministry will help all of the Catholic members of the Muhlenberg community experience a vibrant Catholic life during these difficult times. As such, please see the following points related to Catholic life at Muhlenberg College this semester. MASS Unfortunately, the policies that the College has implemented to safeguard the health of our community, combined with the liturgical law of the Catholic Church, make it difficult to offer Mass on campus this semester, at least for the foreseeable future. As such, there will be neither weekday nor Sunday Mass on campus at this time. The Most Reverend Alfred Schlert, Bishop of Allentown, has currently dispensed all the faithful within the Diocese from their obligation to attend Mass due to the coronavirus pandemic. That being said, Bishop Schlert highly encourages all the faithful who feel that they can attend Mass safely to do so. As our churches take sensible precautions to maintain social distancing and keep our church interiors sanitized and safe, he encourages all the faithful to once again make themselves really present to the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. As such, I will be seeking to swiftly update our local Mass times as they change to meet the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. I can say here that the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, located just a few blocks down Chew Street and then one block over at 18th and Tuner Streets, currently has the following Masses available for Sunday worship: 4:15 PM on Saturday evenings and 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM on Sunday mornings. I will soon be posting a current schedule of Masses at other local parishes both on our website and on the bulletin board in the back of Egner Chapel. For those who do not feel safe yet attending Sunday Mass in person, or who are unable to get off campus to attend Mass, there are a number of streaming options available in the Diocese of Allentown. The 10 AM Sunday Mass from the Cathedral is live-streamed ever Sunday at www.ad- today.com/live. The Diocese of Allentown also keeps an updated list of other Sunday Masses being streamed from across the Diocese at www.allentowndiocese.org/online-mass-services. ON-CAMPUS SERVICES While Bishop Schlert has dispensed the faithful from the ecclesial law to attend Mass on Sunday, no power upon Earth can dispense us of the precept of divine law to keep the Lord’s Day holy, which is given to us as the Third Commandment of the Decalogue. As such, while current circumstances do not allow me to celebrate Mass on campus, I will be providing a regular Sunday service at 9:00 PM in Egner Chapel so that all members of our campus community have the opportunity to obey this divine precept. At 9:00 PM in Egner Chapel, beginning this Sunday, 30 August, and continuing for as long as students are on campus and health and safety guidelines prevent me from celebrating Mass, I will be publicly celebrating Sunday Vespers. The public celebration of Sunday Vespers is an old liturgical practice of the Church, and one that I hope will allow our on-campus Catholic community to come together and worship together even during these difficult times. Vespers, or Evening Prayer, is one of the hours of prayer set out in the Breviary or Liturgy of the Hours. Praying Vespers is an obligation of many priests and religious, who are bound to pray a number of the canonical hours found in the Breviary. Praying the hours has also been strongly encouraged, especially since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, as a means by which the laity may enter more deeply into the rhythm of the Church’s prayer according to Her liturgical calendar. Vespers consists of praying three Psalms or canticles, a reading with the possibility of a short homily, a short responsory, the recitation of the Magnificat (also called the Canticle of Mary), petitions, the recitation of the Our Father, and a closing prayer and blessing. I will work on making sure that disposable booklets for praying the Vespers proper to each Sunday are available for students. If things go well, I may also add a short period of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, so that we may be really present to the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist as we pray the prayer of the Church together. I would encourage all Catholic members of our on-campus community to consider regularly attending this Vespers service, whether or not they attend physically attend Mass on Sundays. It will allow our first-year students to not only experience worship in Egner Chapel, it will also give them the opportunity to become familiar with other Catholic members of our Muhlenberg community. It will be an opportunity to form new friendships and perhaps even work out regular carpools to Sunday Mass. USE OF THE NEWMAN CENTER Unfortunately, given the size of our Newman Center and the precautions that the College has implemented to keep our on-campus community safe during the Fall 2020 academic semester, I must ask that students not use the Newman Center, located at 2343 Liberty Street across from the Life Sports Center, at this time. There is no way to maintain proper social distancing within the Newman Center given its intimate size. For this same reason, there will be no weekday Masses celebrated in St. Patrick Chapel, located on the second floor of the Newman Center, for the foreseeable future. The small size of the chapel makes it impossible for Mass to be celebrated with proper social distancing and in accord with other College health and safety policies at this time. I am sorry for these restrictions. As soon as circumstances change and make it possible to safely use the Newman Center again, I will let students know that the Newman Center is once again available for their use. At this time I will also make available the forms that allows Catholic students to request extended swipe access to the Newman Center during the 2020-2021 academic year. FR. BRENDON’S OFFICE HOURS I will be able to make myself available to students on the side of the Newman Center reserved as the residence and office of the Priest Chaplain. The space available on the lower floor will allow me to meet with individual students while maintaining social distancing. The Priest Chaplain residence and office is located at 2339 Liberty Street, across from the Life Sports Center. It is the right-hand door of the Newman Center. Anyone coming during my office hours can ring the doorbell and I will be able to speak with them. I will be offering slightly extended office hours during this time, since I will not be regularly celebrating weekday Mass in St. Patrick Chapel in the Newman Center. My office hours for the current semester will be 3:00-5:00 PM on Mondays and 6:00-8:00 PM on Wednesdays, beginning next Monday, 31 August 2020. Students can also feel free to contact me for an appointment outside of office hours either via e-mail or by calling me at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, where I am the parochial vicar, using the following number: +1 610 433 6461. CONFESSION TIMES Our standard Confession time should be available to us without a problem. This is 8:30-8:50 PM before our Sunday service in Egner Chapel. Confessions are held in the large office of the Chapel Secretary. It can be accessed by going down the right-hand side of the chapel, towards the bathrooms. The door to the office is the left-most door, past the doors for the men’s and women’s bathrooms. The size of the office will allow us to maintain social distance. I would ask that all students continue to wear their masks during Confession. Students can also request Confession by coming to see me during my office hours or by making an appointment with me via the methods outlined above. I do my best to make myself available to students, especially to those who desire to receive Our Lord’s mercy in Confession. I realize that we are beginning this Fall 2020 semester under difficult circumstances. I realize that it is especially difficult for our first-year students.