Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Parishioners line up to receive communion from Father Frank Kordek during the 11 a.m. Sunday service. Kordek wore a mask while distributing communion and informed parishioners that if he "accidentally" touched their hand, that he would have to stop and sanitize his hands before continuing to distribute communion.
By CHARITY SMITH
Hurley - Many area Catholics were able to attend church services for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as public Mass services resumed this past weekend at St. Mary of the Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Hurley.
"It is good to be back," one woman was overheard exclaiming as she entered the church. "It was heartbreaking not to be able to come to church."
Attendance was limited to 25% of the church's total occupancy, which limited attendance to 52, every adult was required to wear a mask, and congregating inside or outside of the church doors was prohibited.
"Because if you stop at the doors to talk to someone people begin to pile up behind you and the social distancing we're expected to honor begins to collapse," Father Frank Kordek, OFM said during Mass on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
Other safe practices included roping off select pews, and sectioning off the open pews with yellow tape to help guide parishioners with spacing separate households 6 feet apart from each other. Also, several hand sanitizer stations were available.
There were no hymnals, prayerbooks or missals in the pews as they would need to be disinfected after each use. Kordek said during the Sunday service it takes three days for one germ to wear off something that is touched.
Kordek said because of his age he had to get permission from Bishop James Powers of the Diocese of Superior in order to be with his parishioners for services. Many older Catholic priests are not permitted to be with their congregations, because the elderly are high risk. Kordek said he has the distinction of being the oldest practicing priest in the diocese. "At least they didn't say I'm an antique," he said during the Sunday service.
Kordek addressed the "senseless" killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and racism in America during Mass services over the weekend.
"The cruelty and violence he suffered does not reflect the majority of the men and women in law enforcement, who carry on their duties with honor," Kordek said. "We should all understand that the protests we are seeing in our cities reflect the frustration and anger of millions of our brothers and sisters who even today experience humiliation, indignity and unequal opportunity only because of their race and the color of their skin. It should not be this way. Racism has been tolerated for far too long in our way of life."
Kordek went on to say that the violence was "self-destructive" and that "nothing is gained from violence."
"Let us keep our eyes on the prize of true and lasting change," Kordek said.
