In 1878 a small band of Episcopal nuns, a couple of Episcopal priests, a number of Roman Catholic sisters and priests, and a few prostitutes, were doing what they could to minister to the sick and dying in Memphis.
The Mother Superior of the Sisters of Saint Mary had just sent two more sisters from New York, Ruth and Helen.
Sister Ruth wrote, ““The city is desolate, everyone who is not ill says, ‘It is only a matter of time.’ … Money is quite useless … There is plenty of money here, but it buys no head to plan, no hands to wash, nor the common necessaries of life. … We are helpless and do not know what to do nor how help can come … There are nearly fifty children here now [in the orphanage]; we have no clean clothes, and it is utterly impossible to get any washing done. There is no one to send for supplies, and no stores are open.”
In a city of 50,000, 30,000 fled and 5,000 died. Sisters Ruth and Constance were among the dead.
In response to Ruth and Helen being sent to assist, Sister Constance wrote the Mother Superior this:
my sense of duty in the matter is so divided between the feeling that I ought to secure all the help I can for these poor suffering people, and the fear for those who come. I will guard them to the utmost; but they know and you know that they are offering their lives.
A shift
My guess is that the conversation in much of the church will now begin to shift from how we care for ourselves (washing hands, sanitizer, limit contact, common cup, intinction) to matters of the spiritual life (humility in the face of what we don’t fully understand and control, meditation upon death, adoration and love in response to fear, sacrifice for the common good).
In the more thoughtful and prayerful corners of the church the conversation will move from the necessary and obvious conversation into the deeper and more demanding conversation. And some of that will be liturgy—as I write this a message came from Saint Mary’s Times Square announcing tonight’s Stations of the Cross; an act of adoration and reflection—“we adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.”
We will be struggling our way out of the impulses of denial and catastrophizing. The church’s illusion driven and crisis junkies will do what they do. The rest of us need to attend to adoration and kindness, devotion and compassion, reflection and sacrifice.
We need to take special care to not feed a sense of panic and faithlessness in the church. To not cater to the most paranoid, frightened, anxious, and conspiracy driven people who come to us. Do not let them set the agenda for the entire parish. Consider the facts as we learn them. I was impressed by an interview in the Living Church with Dr. Lisa Gilbert. She offers both a rather grim picture of what we may face along with a trust in God’s goodness.
Encourage people:
To take appropriate precautions for themselves, their family and their friends, their coworkers, and all the other citizens they come in contact with. And, if you have been trying to serve as an information source on the virus—turn your attention to the spiritual life. Provide links to the medical experts in your area and let them do that work.
To open themselves to adoration and awe. Say the daily office. Offer intercession and adoration in communion with all the saints, maybe especially Constance and her Companions.
To give thanks for those on the front line of sacrifice. Medical workers especially those in direct contact. First responders. All those who continue to go to work each day to provide transportation, food and supplies, and the working of government.
To be willing to join in the common work of sacrifice. Accept in humility any needed restrictions upon your person that are for the safety of all.
To share the stories of those who serve the ill and dying, those who care for the dead, those who bear their illness with patience and courage. Tell the stories of perseverance and sacrifice.
To be good citizens, participants in the beloved community. Be kind and gentle to all. Do not spread rumors. Seek the truth.
Pray with the Martyrs of Memphis: Constance and her Companions
If an icon will be helpful, please feel free to download this image of the Martyrs of Memphis. Use it in your prayers. Place it in the church near the altar. It would be appropriate to acknowledge that the icon writer is Suzanne Schleck and that it is part of the icon series “The Anglo Catholics” that I commissioned in recent years. Here is a web page related to the icon. An article from the Episcopal News Service - ‘Martyrs of Memphis’ have lessons to teach those battling COVID-19
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Postings on Parish Development during the Virus
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