DRIVEN BY FAITH

It had been 83 days since the faithful in the Diocese of Albany received Holy Communion. That all changed at one parish on Sunday. Under a sunny blue sky, St. Ambrose Church in Latham was one of the first parishes in the Diocese to allow distribution of Communion in the church parking lot after its live streamed Mass at 9 a.m. It all happened one day after New York State announced that places of worship could restart public services immediately at 25 percent capacity.

And it was a smashing success with 140 cars registered and over 200 hosts handed out.

“(Sunday) was all about meeting people where they are at. This was a vision that was ‘volunteer minister’ rooted, achieved and developed to reach out in a unique way to anyone watching the Mass at home,” said Father Brian Kelly, who did his best to greet each car and talk with the parishioners. “It’s not the ideal, it’s not our new normal, but a temporary solution that abides with Church teaching and reverence, even though the location and system seems far-fetched.

“The joy of each person who received the Eucharist they hunger for was overwhelming for each person involved. This is a day and an opportunity we will never forget and hope to use as we slowly and safely transition back into the church at full capacity.”

There was a feel of military precision in the air as cars entered on Old Loudon Road and were directed into one of three lines. Everyone was wearing masks and there was plenty of hand sanitizer available.Parishioners were required to complete a self-declaration COVID-19 screening form on the parish website or before receiving communion.They then exited their cars wearing masks, received the host, took a step back, consumed the host, got back in their cars and exited.

Tom Acemoglu, the pastoral associate for Evangelization and Catechesis, said the Parish Advisory Council devised the idea of how the day would work with input from the Diocese.Between 20-25 staff and volunteers helped with parking and distributing the hosts. Acemoglu said social media “got the word out and the people answered the call.”