VOCATIONS Seminarian corner
Three viewpoints on overcoming the ‘coronavirus blues’ By Elizabeth Morales South Texas Catholic
W
hile many may recall when news of the coronavirus made national headlines, no one predicted the toll it would take on American lives or how society had to adapt to protect their loved ones. For those discerning the priesthood or the newly ordained, it affected them in ways never experienced before. Mass restrictions meant the faithful, who once filled church pews had to watch a televised Mass from their homes. For many priests celebrating Mass without seeing the faces of their parishioners was the most difficult challenge. For Father R.J. Regalado, Parochial Vicar at Most Precious Blood Parish, and also, Chaplain for Catholic Charities Ministry and Life Enrichment for Persons with Disabilities, it felt as though the world came to a stop. He had become accustomed to celebrating Mass with his flock nearly every day, and suddenly instead of celebrating Mass in front of 1,200 people, it was only himself and his camera. The change eventually took a toll, and during the Easter Vigil Mass, he unexpectedly wept during his homily. As a priest, Father Regalado took his calling seriously – as a spiritual father to his flock. He deeply felt the pain of separation from his parishioners. “God entrusted these people to me,” he said, adding, “and the priesthood is relational. We are providers and protectors,” likening the inability to see his sheep to an empty nest syndrome. He recalled his devotion to St. Mary Magdalene helped him during this challenging period. “When she does not recognize the risen Jesus, she has to grapple with this new way he presents himself to her. With all that’s happening, we can easily fall into anxiety, and He is truly in the middle of it. We have to allow Him to lovingly speak to us, but that means we need to settle down and be silent,” Father Regalado said. With one year of the priesthood under his belt, the unforeseen pandemic was unimaginable. “The pandemic taught me to rely on the Lord,” Father Regalado said. “As a new priest, I try to bring peace to the chaos.” He saw that many people were anxious when the government shutdown. “There’s fear, and then they have to stay at home with family, so there’s room for uncharitability. Rather than be ugly, let’s pray for one another,” he said
SCREENSHOT
Father R.J. Regalado
Father R.J. Regalado celebrates Mass at Most Precious Blood during the stay at home orders.
encouragingly, reminding people that their home is a domestic church. He encourages the faithful to come back to Mass as it nourishes their home life, “As Catholics, we need to go back to the Eucharistic and become Eucharistic people again. The domestic church is important, but it’s important to receive the Eucharist so that when we go back to the domestic church, we can give Christ to people.”
Javier Palacios Javier Palacios, a first-year seminarian for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, said he was on Spring Break from his courses at Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas when the pandemic shifted his curriculum to online learning. He finished the remainder of his semester remotely. “It wasn’t that difficult,” Palacios said, crediting his smooth adjustment to online learning to living out in the world as an adult before entering seminary. Palacios also explained his relationship with Jesus aided him during the transition. He said that through intimate prayer and our yearning to be with Him, we can find peace here on earth. “Mass is the greatest fulfillment,
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