Priests who have battled COVID-19 share insights into sickness, isolation and ministry
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Father Joseph Corel had taken to writing to parish and school families being affected by COVID-19.
Especially to young people, he emphasized that “this is not God punishing you! But if we give it to His Son Jesus on the cross and align our suffering with His, He can do great things with it.”
Upon coming down with a nasty case of COVID-19 himself, Fr. Corel had to stop and ask if he really believes what he wrote.
“Believe it!” he told himself. “Because it is your opportunity to grow and participate in this redemptive suffering!”
Fr. Corel, one of the pastors in solidum of St. Vincent de Paul Parish of Pettis County, is one of several priests of this diocese who have had to take time off from ministering in order to be ministered to in this time of pandemic.
“I gave it up to God the best I could and asked Him to do something special with this gift,” he said.
Services rendered
Father Donald Antweiler was very conscious of the protocols for fending off the virus, such as washing and sanitizing hands, wearing a facemask and maintaining proper social distances.
“Yet when my associate pastor tested positive for the virus, I took the test the next day and discovered that I, too, had it,” said Fr. Antweiler, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Jefferson City.
He immediately sequestered himself to his upstairs quarters in the I.C. rectory — stairs and closed doors away from parish office staff working on the main floor.
With Father Benedict Chagula, associate pastor, also ill with the virus, Fr. Antweiler scrambled to get the twice-daily weekday Masses and the parish’s five weekend Masses covered.
“With the help of our good deacons, we covered our weekday Masses and services,” he said. “And with the help of the diocese and our good bishop himself, the people of I.C. were served.”
Fr. Antweiler spent a surprising amount of time on the intercom with parish staff members.
They left correspondence, checks to be signed and business of all sorts that needed attending to on the landing of the stairs leading to his room.
Sometimes, there was also home-cooked food from parishioners.
“In return, I left stuff to be typed, emailed, mailed and so-forth,” he said.
Never alone
His symptoms bloomed into coughing, achiness and fatigue.
“I slept an unheard of nine to 10 hours a night,” he said.
Having stocked up on canned goods and frozen dinners, he found the extra time “a bit liberating.”
“Now I had time to read: history, Scripture, a bit of science fiction,” he said. “I caught some shows and documentaries on TV.”
He could also take his time praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Rosary, studying Scripture and other spiritual reading.
He offered his daily Masses privately, which he had only done a few times out of necessity since his priestly ordination in 1973.
He found it “different and difficult.”
“I know and take comfort in the fact that the angels and saints filled the room and that the spiritual sinews of the Body of Christ connected me,” he stated. “But how much I missed the physical presence of God’s people praying with me!”
It helped him relate better with those who, due to increased susceptibility to COVID-19, can only participate in Mass via livestream.
“In-seat Church gathering of us as a faith family is incredibly important — to be the Body of Christ, receiving Christ present in Word and Sacrament, to be fed with the Bread of Life,” he stated.
Fr. Antweiler is grateful for and inspired by the faith of all the people who “faithfully hang in there and experience the Lord where they are, apart yet connected.”
“They remain in my prayers,” he stated.
Divine intervention
Fr. Chagula, associate pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jefferson City, knew something was terribly wrong after four days of feeling sick, with joint pain and aches, loss of appetite, headache, fatigue and dizziness.
He went for a COVID test, which came back positive.
Being relatively new to the parish and far from his home in Tanzania, he felt worried and lonely during his isolation.
“It was a hard time for me, and I surrendered myself to God Whom I believed was my rescue,” he said.
His symptoms persisted for 13 days.
“I felt weary and very weak, not even able to walk around,” he said. “It was the time to offer my personal prayers, asking God to intervene in this difficult situation.”
People who sent emails and text messages touched his heart, gave him support and helped him relax.
He gives thanks to God for restoring him to good health.
He now ministers with a heightened awareness of the risks he is called upon to take as a purveyor of God’s sacraments.
“Moreover, I have become more aware of the presence of the virus and more sensitive to the COVID-19 protocols like wearing masks, social distancing and thoroughly washing of hands,” he said.
Giving it to God
Fr. Corel fell into the symptoms of COVID while traveling with his mother for her birthday.
Eventually unable to talk without coughing, he retreated into a desert of silence.
“But being silent didn’t necessary end the coughing fits,” he noted.
The constant hacking also affected his ability to sleep.
“When I knew I wasn’t going to get better, I went to the Emergency Room on a Friday and remained in the hospital until the following Wednesday,” he said.
Once home from the hospital, he still couldn’t celebrate any Masses the following weekend.
“One wants to come back from vacation refreshed, energized and ready to get back to the parish to minister — not unable to talk, coughing, tired and unable to minister,” he said.
He also felt overwhelmed at the amount of day-to-day activities, decisions and plans that had to be put on hold.
“But I give it to God as His ministry, His Church, His people, and we’ll get to it when we can,” he said in the spirit of Pope St. John XXIII’s famous bedtime prayer.
Fr. Corel also rested in the reassurance that there are many talented people in his parish to help keep things moving in the right direction.
He recognized God’s presence in the people who shared their concern through phone calls, text messages, Facebook posts, gifts of food and other items brought to the rectory, and genuine willingness to help the priests and staff of the parish.
“God surrounded us with a loving, supportive team and with an army of parishioners and friends who really showed they cared by their words, prayers and actions,” he said.
United in prayer
Fr. Chagula said anyone dealing with COVID and its symptoms should follow the advice of medical professionals while also using ginger, garlic, onions and lemon and steaming themselves over hot water.
These are things that brought him relief during his illness.
He also encourages all the faithful to continue frequently praying Bishop W. Shawn McKnight’s Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for Protection from the Coronavirus.”
Fr. Chagula urges everyone to follow the proper protocols for slowing the virus’s spread, both in their personal dealings and as they gather for worship.
Fr. Corel emphasized that anyone afflicted with the virus should call on their fellow parishioners for help.
He noted that being physically isolated shouldn’t mean being totally isolated.
“If you’re able to talk, call on people,” he suggested. “If you can’t talk, text-message or write letters. Don’t stay isolated in mind by cutting yourself off from others.”
Finally, he also urged people weathering COVID’s obnoxious symptoms to turn them into a prayer.
“Don’t let the sufferings go to waste!” he advised. “Offer them to Jesus on the cross and give Him your intentions of what you are offering them for.”
Full of promise
In due time, Fr. Antweiler safely returned to his post, in the midst of the challenges the pandemic continues to afflict upon the parish and the school.
Although this year’s Thanksgiving gathering with his family had to be virtual, “I’m glad we were able to do that,” he said.
He misses spending time in prayer and fellowship with his fellow members of his priest support group, which has been gathering regularly for decades.
He also longs for the return of the monthly get-togethers of his brothers and sisters-in-law.
“These gatherings are COVID causalities, at least for now,” he stated. “But I am grateful for the health to serve God’s people.”
He gives thanks for the prayers and support of his parishioners, present and past, and his friends.
“I am grateful for Advent and Christmas and the promise of the life and joy of Jesus Christ,” he said, “maybe especially in a Christmas season different from any in our memory.”
“COVID, like all things of this world, will pass,” he proclaimed. “Christ endures and brings life and joy! Can I get an Amen?”
