Connecting to the Church Virtually

Courtney Vallejo ponders some ways her family members have enriched their faith during the pandemic.

I’m sure there is a saying about you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Last March when the world changed, those of us in the US were able to experience the loss of the sacraments, a situation which is not new to our brothers and sisters in rural parts of the world. The US is privileged for the most part, when it comes to the reception of the sacraments.

Since my conversion 19 years ago, I’ve always lived within 15 minutes of at least two or three Catholic churches. Admittedly I really have access to multiple daily Masses each day, but most of the time the business of motherhood doesn’t allow time for regular attendance. Before the pandemic, it didn’t really dawn on me to turn to an online option for connecting with the Church.

My son inspired me by his love of Bishop Barron and his desire to watch daily Mass every time he thought about it. My 11-year-old felt drawn to the Mass and while I know the internet option is NOT a replacement for the Mass, I believe that watching and participating to the best of our abilities is better than nothing at all.

20210525 CVallejo 2 HCFM

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What have you taken away from this pandemic time, in terms of new ways to incorporate the faith into your day-to-day life? #catholicmom

My husband recently participated in Exodus 90, and again we turned to Adoration online to help complete his Adoration time when getting to church wasn’t an option. I noticed how calming it was to just look up and see the monstrance on the tv while I was running around the house taking care of different tasks. Again, in no way a replacement for time spent in the Adoration chapel, but seeing Jesus on the TV has been an added sense of God’s presence in the day to day of household life.

What have you taken away from this pandemic time, in terms of new ways to incorporate the faith into your day-to-day life?