The Sunday we fasted from Eucharist

by Shannon O'Donnell

The parish staff had talked about being prepared for some emergency. With only one and a half priests in the parish (the second is shared with another parish), chances were that something might happen.

The Second Sunday of Lent, 1998, it was just after six and I was getting ready for work. Sunday mornings are religious ed time. My first task was hauling out supplies and shoving tables around. The phone rang. It was the pastor. He was on his way to the emergency room and could I handle the 8 and 10:30? No problem, I told him.

So religious ed got set up and then I was over at the church, vested in my alb. The 8 a.m. liturgy went just fine. The parish has a wonderful sense of itself and people come together to pray, not just watch someone else praying. And another woman was already scheduled to preach.

9 a.m., I was back at religious ed, greeting kids and parents, passing out hugs.
10:30, back at church. Church was filling up. One of the married priests of the congregation came to argue about him doing liturgy, but I said no. We were prepared to do what we would do. Liturgy began, and coming in procession, I suddenly felt like I was riding a wave. That continued through the opening prayers, after which I took a long moment, looked around at the assembly who were still standing, looking expectant, and said, "Sometimes miracles happen. This isn't one of them!" And they laughed. And we proceeded to pray together.
Midway through, a visiting Jesuit knelt by my pew and whispered that he was a priest and if I wanted, he could do the consecration and all. I said no. (We had Liturgy of the Word, no communion, because we don't keep enough hosts in the tabernacle for 600+ people.) I thought that to plug him in at that moment would be to dishonor the community. For us to fast from Eucharist one time would only give us a deeper hunger.

We did more than survive. We thrived.

Our parish is a wonderful community with a good grasp on its own identity and mission. For some, it is the "parish of last resort" before they leave the Catholic Church altogether. For others it is a welcome home. Many find a place where they can begin to heal, and go on to heal others.

Shannon O'Donnell is pastoral associate at St. Leo the Great Parish, Tacoma, Wash.