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The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord
2 January 2011
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last Saturday we weren’t just dreaming about a “White Christmas,” we actually had one, and it was lovely. The trouble, though, with a White Christmas or any snowy day in the South is that pandemonium is usually the result, thanks in no small measure to the breathless reporting of the local media who through their non-stop coverage of the weather can turn a non-event into a crisis. Despite the fact that most local roads were never dangerous to drive on, by Saturday evening most of the Protestant churches in Greenville County had cancelled their Sunday services, no doubt leading many Catholics to assume that we would be closed on Sunday. We were not. Last weekend’s exercise in groundless panic presents a useful opportunity to think about what happens when the weather is inclement:
+ Please bear in mind that, as a rule, Catholics and Protestants have a completely different approach to the cancelation of Sunday services. Unless severe weather presents a real danger to life or limb, most Catholic churches will operate as usual during winter weather. If it becomes necessary to cancel Confessions or Mass on a Saturday or Sunday, we will post the notice on the local TV stations, but unless you see a specific cancelation notice for St. Mary’s, you may be confident that we are still open and celebrating our regularly scheduled sacraments. Most stations will broadcast only cancelations, not notices that something already scheduled is still happening, so if we do not post a cancelation notice, we will be here in church and, unless impeded by a just cause, so should you be.
+ God does not ask the impossible, so if you truly cannot come to church during winter weather without risking injury to yourself or others, then you are not bound to the usual Sunday obligation. If you must stay home, then do so with an easy conscience, but only real risk — not inconvenience — constitutes a just cause for missing Sunday Mass. Snow and ice are completely different events, and here in the Upstate we not uncommonly receive ice rather than snow. If a storm brings freezing rain or sleet, we are more likely to cancel an event than if we have only snow, but if snow falls without ice, we will most probably continue with our scheduled events. Please be mindful of this distinction when making your own choices about whether or not to venture outside.
+ Finally, if you do have to miss Mass because of bad weather, please bear in mind that we must still pay our bills and make your contribution for the missed Sunday in the following week’s collection. Or better still, sign up for electronic transfer of your offertory by calling the church office. It is very easy to start or stop electronic transfer, and then you need never think about it again!
Finally, here in the midst of Christmastide, we still say: Merry Christmas!
Father Newman