In all places and circumstances, the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to lots of disruption and uncertainty in many lives.

Fr. Charles Schwartz, pastor of St. Patrick – St. Anthony Parish in Grand Haven, recently wrote to his congregation to remind them of the constancy of faith and the good works that can still happen in the midst of bad circumstances.

Even beyond the effects of the pandemic, recent months have presented added blessings and sorrows, Schwartz said in the parish's September 2020 newsletter. He provided the example, within his own family, of the loss of one of his sister's 19-month-old boy, contrasted with the joy his family experienced as another of his sisters gave birth to a son.

“As you can imagine things have been difficult and incredible to behold,” he said.

In the first months of the pandemic— as well as throughout— there were a lot of adjustments, from finding ways to stay in contact with the congregation through technology to actually figuring out how to make podcasts and livestreams and other means of communicating Christ’s message a reality.

Yet the work of the church continued.

“We called parishioners, mailed bulletins, added prayer requests to the website and created daily content online," Schwartz said. "Confessions continued. The doors of the church were always open for prayer.”

The result has been significant good works despite the challenges— and often even inspired by those challenges. 

“Everything may seem different," he said. "But we are still a community that is alive in Christ making present the kingdom of God, welcoming folks to worship the Lord and serving His people!”

While there is still uncertainty, there have been a lot of lessons learned.

“We still experiment with new approaches to share the Good News and to reach out to one another, but we are heartened knowing we are eager to learn and master new skills,” Schwartz said. “Faith makes up the space enforced by social distance. Community unites us in the worst of times as well as the best.”