“From the Chapel” is a series of short, daily reflections on life and faith in a time of uncertainty. As people across the world cope with the effects of the coronavirus — including the social isolation necessary to combat its spread — these reflections remind us of the hope that lies at the heart of the Gospel.
Americans love their cars. And we love driving. Outside of those who live in older areas of major cities, very few of us choose where we live because it’s within walking distance of our work, or a shopping district, or a grocery store — much less a church.
And even if we happen to live relatively close to a Catholic church, many of us still parish shop (or parish hop). Just because there is a parish nearby, that doesn’t mean it’s the one we go to.
Over the last few weeks, as people across the country have transitioned to working from home, there’s been a lot of discussion about how the measures adopted to slow the spread of the coronavirus may change our lives forever. Many businesses that have previously required employees to work on-site are discovering that remote work can work, and even sometimes can work better than always being in the office. Some restaurants that have managed to stay open are discovering that offering only take-out or delivery allows them to serve more people than before. Grocery stores have made their pickup and delivery services free in order to discourage people from venturing unnecessarily inside the store, and many of us are beginning to realize that we buy less and buy better when we need to be more intentional about putting together an online shopping list.
As states start to ease restrictions, nearly two-thirds of the population of the United States has indicated in polls that they intend to stay pretty close to home for the foreseeable future.
As we are reenvisioning what our lives may look like in a world where COVID-19 hangs around for another year or two (and considering the possibility of a similar pandemic in the future), how might this affect the decisions we make about where we live? And, in particular, if we start spending more time at home, how might we reconsider what we want close by?
Most of my life, I have lived within walking distance of a Catholic church. I, too, have parish-shopped, so the church within walking distance wasn’t always the one that I attended (though it usually was). I have always taken the proximity of a Catholic church for granted, but over the last few weeks, I’ve thought more about how blessed I have been to have a church nearby.
We purchased our house here in Huntington in part because it is a mile from OSV, but also because it’s a few hundred yards from both of Huntington’s Catholic churches. I can imagine a situation, whether in this current pandemic or a future one, where travel is severely restricted, because that’s how a virus moves from country to country, state to state, town to town.
Such hypothetical situations often help us to understand what we truly value. Having grown up in a village in west Michigan, I’ve always felt more comfortable knowing that most of what I need is only a stone’s throw away, so life in a town of 17,000 souls, where I’m a half-mile away from most things I need, feels just right, pandemic or no pandemic.
As we reconsider what our futures may look like, consider this thought experiment: In a hypothetical situation where travel is restricted for public safety, would living within walking distance of your parish church be something you would value more than you do today?
Scott P. Richert is publisher for OSV.
