Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
A chaplain at Advent Health hospital in Orlando, our Deacon Walt’s beat includes some of the hospital floors dedicated to COVID-19 patients. In Seminole County, one-third of all hospital patients are COVID-19 patients. One of two ICU patients are COVID-19 patients.
Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital is limiting all patients to one adult visitor per day. All visitors are screened for symptoms upon entry and are required to bring and wear a face covering at all times during their visit. Nursing homes have reinstated similar restrictions.
The good news is that it does not have to be this way. While it’s still possible to get infected if you are fully vaccinated, vaccination dramatically reduces the risk of serious illness caused by the coronavirus variants. Of the COVID-19 patients in the hospital, 95% are unvaccinated. Vaccination keeps you out of the hospital. It keeps you alive and at home with your loved ones.
“Is the vaccine safe for pregnant women?” “What are its long-term side effects?” “How effective are masks?” You can browse Frequently Asked Questions on the websites for OrlandoHealth and AdventHealth. See https://www.orlandohealth.com/covid-19/faq and https://www.adventhealth.com/coronavirus-resource-hub/adventhealth-coronavirus-vaccine-resource-hub
Although the medical reasons for vaccinations are strong, some people may have overriding medical reasons from their doctors not to get vaccinated. They rely on the rest of the community becoming immune through vaccination so that the disease does not travel through the community and infect them.
Some cite their personal freedom to choose whether to get vaccinated. You can help me find the exact quote from St. John Paul II, but the gist of it is that one is not fully free until fully responsible.
Our freedom is not to do whatever we want. Our freedom is to do what God wants. His will be done. As Jesus told Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18).
Spiritually, we have every good reason to get vaccinated. Jesus made clear that we are to love our neighbor. Our bishops concluded, “Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community. In this way, being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good.” https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines
Pope Francis and a half dozen cardinals are in a three-minute public service announcement encouraging vaccinations. They say, “Getting vaccinated is an act of love.” Actually, they say it in Spanish. The subtitles are in English. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-08/pope-francis-appeal-covid-19-vaccines-act-of-love.html
Wash hands, wear a facemask, cover coughs and sneezes, and stay home if you’re sick (except to get medical care). According to https://www.vaccines.gov/, there are 36 vaccination locations within five miles of 32750 zip code. Which one is closest to you?
In Christ,
Father David
NATIVITY UPDATE
This weekend we will take up a collection during Mass to replace the leaky roofs for the Parish Center, parish office, and rectory. The cost is $65,000.
Our annual parish financial report is almost ready. I will give a “state of the parish” update at Mass this weekend.
Let's help drive down the positivity rate below 8%. At the request of our Bishop and to continue to keep each other safe, we updated our Face Mask Policy yesterday. Face masks are now required indoors at all parish activities. Also, food consumption at the parish will be limited to outdoor spaces only (i.e. Coffee & Donuts, Men's Group breakfast, etc.). We will have face masks available for those who need one while visiting the parish.
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) and the City of Winter Park have requested that customers conserve water. A regional shortage of liquid oxygen linked to the surge of COVID-19 inpatient treatments is impacting their treated water supplies. They ask their water customers to limit irrigating their lawns and landscapes. Irrigation accounts for 40% of water use in Central Florida. A typical summer month in Orlando records more than 6 inches of rain, which is enough to meet the 1- to 1.5 inches per week of water a yard needs. https://ouc.com/water-info. The City of Lake Mary supplies water for Nativity Church and has not asked for a consumption reduction. In a spirit of conservation, however, Nativity has cut back on irrigation. Brown landscaping is a sign that we are doing our part.