Cindy confronts the thought of a priestless parish...

There is a strong rumor around St Michael's parish that the parish priest is going to be transferred very soon and no replacement priest is available. Rumors are running rife about the possibilities of what could happen over the next few months.

Maybe the parish will be clustered with a nearby parish or a few parishes.
Maybe a priest will be imported from a foreign country.
Maybe a retired priest will live in the empty presbytery and just say a Mass now and then.
Maybe St Michael's will simply be left vacant.

The questions keep coming from the parishioners. When, what, why us, what will we do?

Cindy has no more answers to the questions than anyone else.

The biggest question seems to revolve around the question of EUCHARIST.

"How can we celebrate Eucharist without a priest"

Various ideas have been thrown around amongst the parish groups during this week and the past few months.

Maybe a priest could consecrate hundreds of hosts and leave them in the Tabernacle. Special Ministers could distribute them at a Communion Service on a Sunday.

Hosts could be rushed from a surrounding parish to St Michael's after the Consecration there.

Maybe consecrated hosts could be frozen and stored for longer lengths of time. This brought up the question "Would Jesus still be present after thawing?"

The whole idea of 'Freezer Jesus' shocked some parishioners so much they became very upset.

"But Jesus is not fast food" they protested "that would be so irreverent".

The arguments came back "But the Eucharist is the heart of our faith, we can't not have regular Communion".

"Well, what really is Communion?" asked one wise elderly lady. "I always thought we are the Body of Christ when we join together," she said.

The ideas and thoughts have gone back and forth with no clear answers emerging.

So questions keep bouncing as people ponder just what is Eucharist and do we need to regularly receive Communion bread or is Eucharist present in the community?

As Catholics, the idea has been suggested that we only need to receive our First Communion. Once is enough.

The thought has also been mooted that some members of our community take on the commitment as Funeral Celebrants. This raised the point as to whether or not they would be allowed to use the Church Building. Which then raised another point "Who would have authority in the parish to even say whether the lay people could use the Church for ceremonies?"

If there is no parish priest, does the Bishop become the person in authority?

If no priests are available for weddings, could the Church be used by Catholic Marriage Celebrants for a Church Wedding?

If the parish does not have Mass every weekend at least, people will not come and contribute to the Thanksgiving program. Without that income, the parish will move deeper into debt and some of the buildings may need to be sold.

So, Cindy wonders also just what will happen in the future.
Is St Michael's entering the era of 'Freezer Jesus' and long-life frozen hosts?
Parishioners burying their own dead?
Civil Celebrants for Church Weddings?
Communion Ceremonies in place of Mass?
Special Ministers presiding over Baptisms?

Yes, St Michael's parish may be entering new territory in the very near future.

The parishioners only have questions — not answers.

Cindy the Sacristan is the first new character to be written by one of our other readers whose imagination has been fired by Cliff's Menagerie. In reality these are real-life memoirs of one of our members who would prefer to remain anonymous.

[Cindy's Archive]