by Bobby Del Rosario
Our family consists of four people, so COVID-19 has affected each of us differently. Diane, a freshman in college, had to struggle with the in-person instruction required for her music degree. Mark has been switching between work and school for the past few years as part of his university program. Having worked remotely in his past job, it was easier for Mark to adjust to the drastic changes brought about by the pandemic.
My wife, Hanelli, a support staffer at JCMC and an essential worker, reports diligently to work every day. I was furloughed for the first four weeks of the quarantine. This gave me a chance to catch up on some house projects.
Our shared faith has been our family’s great connector. My wife and I used to attend daily Mass and start our day with Jesus. Going to Sunday Mass as a family is our longest running tradition. As our children grew up, they joined us in our liturgical and music ministries. This made church an even bigger part of our shared lives. When the pandemic hit, losing Sunday Mass meant losing our family’s main ritual. But we made new ones. When the Mass began to be live-streamed, the four of us gathered on the couch at 10am to celebrate our faith together. Afterwards, we would eat Sunday brunch together, an old ritual we lost as our ministries split us up into different Masses. As in-person Masses begin, the four of us are looking forward to serving as hospitality and liturgical ministers.
As the world turns upside down, our family marches on. Diane has continued with her musical endeavors even without her rehearsals or performances. Mark continues to work and prepare for his next semester in school.
Hanelli reports to work daily. As for me, our company is now considered an essential business so I’m blessed to be working out in the field and seeing the happy faces of my clients.
As we pray together each night, we thank God for whatever He has planned for us all. We are looking forward to being in communion with the rest our OLM parish family.