When COVID-19 spread rapidly across the country in March, 2020, most of us expected it to cause a brief interruption in our lives, and then everything would return to normal. Of course, neither of these things proved to be true. The coronavirus has become part of the backdrop to our lives and things never returned to what we thought of as normal. When it began, no one really knew for sure how the virus was spreading, and lots of safety protocols were put into effect, not all of which turned out to be necessary. Among the many things we were required to do in order to reopen the church was to sanitize the pews after each Mass with a strong bleach-like disinfectant. We now know that the virus is primarily airborne, that it does not nest on surfaces, and that it was highly unlikely that anyone would contract the virus by touching the back of a pew where someone had sneezed an hour earlier. Eventually the Archdiocese made available to us a less toxic chemical, with which to spray the pews; but by this time the damage had been done. It was hard not to notice the staining, the bleaching, and, in some cases, the cracking and splitting of our pews.

As I reported to you back in May, we explored repairing, restoring, and refinishing the pews, but we found that the cost of new pews would not be much greater than the cost of restoration. Were these the original pews in the church, restoration would have been the obvious choice. However, the pews we have are from the late nineteen fifties and bear no resemblance to the original nineteenth century pews. So, as I shared with you, our Finance Council and Pastoral Council agreed to the purchase of new pews in a more classic design. The cost of the pews themselves will be $121,000 (or $2,880 for the longer pews and $1,400 for the shorter pews). A number of people have jumped on board to donate, and we have received donations so far of xxxxxxx. For this we thank you very much. For anyone who might still want to donate a pew, there is a special category on GiveCentral for that purpose, or, of course, you can send a check. We are not going to attach donor plates to the pews themselves, but we will find a way to recognize donors with a plaque in church. As of last week, everything is on schedule. The work is slated to begin on January 8, the Monday after Epiphany. The present pews, carpeting, and tile will be removed; new tile will be installed, then the pews put in place and finally new carpeting will be laid. While this is taking place, we will have Mass in the Parish Hall (our original church!). If there are no complications, the process will be completed in about two weeks, and we will be back in church well before Lent begins. Of course, we all know that things often take longer than expected.

What is a more serious long-term impact of the pandemic has been the disappearance of 15%-20% of the congregation, a fairly common figure around the Archdiocese. People who came to Mass regularly before the pandemic simply got out of the habit and never came back. This only accentuates a trend that has been going on for decades and underscores the need to approach parish ministry differently. Over the summer, weekend visitors have helped fill our pews, but that is just a bonus.

Meanwhile, we have had an influx of new Catholics in our area. They are not parishioners and are not technically within our parish, but they are close enough that we need to show some responsibility. I am talking about the migrants living at the Inn of Chicago and residing temporarily at the 18^th District Police Station. Many of these migrants want to find work and provide for their families, but the bureaucracy in our country moves very slowly. Chicago Help Initiative helps feed migrants living in the Inn of Chicago; but those in greatest need are newer arrivals living at the police station, who often lack even the most basic provisions. Day to day existence is very challenging for the migrants, the police, and anyone else who has business at the police station. A small group of parishioners who form our Refugee Assistance Group have been helping an Afghan family referred to us through Catholic Charities. That family is moving toward self-sufficiency. Now the group is focusing on those living in the police station. They need to know that our church cares about them. How can you help? A Target Registry is being established for the items that we know the families need. You can order them, have them delivered to the Rectory, and our Refugee Assistance Group will deliver them. Would you like to participate in these deliveries? Language skills are not required. Assumption is also making a commitment to feed the group (right now about 100 people) once a month. Your donations can help with this too. Pick up a flyer in the back of church or check our website for more information. Remember, Assumption was established as a church that ministered to immigrants. Now we are being challenged to minister to immigrants again.

                                         Fr. Joe