Going to Mass Sick: question

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We must fight Aerosols with Aerosols
 
A friend is now undergoing cancer treatments which have destroyed his immune system.I would think he needed mass more than someone with a cold but what do I know. I am a cat.
 
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If you are too ill to go to Mass you do not have to go.

Having the chills strongly suggests you have an illness that is contagious, i.e. can be passed on to others. Stay at home and do not go to church.
 
Mi_Rose said:
A friend is now undergoing cancer treatments which have destroyed his immune system.
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Your friend has my prayers.

However it would seem incredibly high risk for this friend to go anywhere since they have no immune system.

In fact, I would suggest the priest visit your friend rather than risk their life.
 
The doctor said he could go to mass. Everyone around him was given hand sanitizer for the sign of peace.
Our 87 year old priest with heart failure does not visit the sick anymore. An EMHC brings the Eucjarist to the sick.
He would not have gotten mass at home anyway.
There are many people who are getting treatments or medications that wreak havoc to the immune system. People who even suspect they are contagious should keep that in mind. That’s all.
 
The pastors at our parish have pointedly said that not only is there a dispensation for staying home when you are sick but that if you are sick your pastor is telling you up front: STAY HOME!! He says this to protect frail parishioners who deserve to be able to have a common-sense amount of safety from communicable diseases. For you, maybe you miss Mass once. For them, maybe their health is knocked down and they’re never going to get to come again. Don’t be a “hero” who puts other people on the line more than yourself.

There was a similar prohibition suggested for people who can barely walk who insist on showing up when there is an ice storm. It was a suggestion, but the message was: Don’t even bother to ask me, this is what I’m telling you now, and it is not a difficult question to answer.

He did imply that sometimes the most faithful parishioners are also the most difficult ones to persuade to use their common sense. Perseverance, like all virtues, must be good friends with Wisdom.
 
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Because so many people come to Mass sick, I tend to sit away from everyone.

I am amazed that so many people are willing to hug me, shake my hand or just sit right next to me, all the while telling me how sick they are.

Please stay home. (Or by this time, I hope that you stayed home.)
 
vz71 said:
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PetraG:
Don’t be a “hero” who puts other people on the line more than yourself.
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Again, this a false dichotomy.
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How so? T me, it sums up the situation perfectly.
 
vz71 said:
Again, this a false dichotomy.
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This is how our pastor felt about it. He felt that parishioners were trying to be heroic about their fidelity but were not considering that they were putting other people at risk far more than themselves.
Illnesses that cause a fever are nothing to mess with when it comes to people in frail health, and they do deserve to be able to come to Mass when they are not ill but have a generally weakened immune system.

Again: remember we are talking about an illness that includes chills and probably a fever. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill runny nose we’re talking about, but something that would normally cause a person in good health to miss work.
 
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paperwight said:
How so? T me, it sums up the situation perfectly.
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One circumstance does not necessitate the other.

You posit that anyone that is sick places all around them at risk. This is not necessarily true. The sick can take measures to prevent the spread of their illness.
 
vz71 said:
You posit that anyone that is sick places all around them at risk. This is not necessarily true. The sick can take measures to prevent the spread of their illness.
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Quarantine has a proven track record. Kind of like total abstinence as a way to prevent pregnancy.

When you have a disease that frail people REALLY REALLY should not be exposed to, STAY HOME, but especially STAY HOME FROM CHURCH. It is not uncommon that if a frail person only has the energy and capacity to get out once a week, it will be for Sunday Mass.

For lesser illnesses, yes, use measures like frequent hand-washing, keeping your hands away from your nose and mouth, keeping a distance from others and avoiding direct contact as much as you can. That is a charitable thing to do, and no one expects you to stay home from Mass when you have a less-serious illness, even one that makes you look kind of terrible. (Just because someone looks awful does not mean they have a particularly serious illness.)
 
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This a thousand times. Parents of very young kids, and people who are undergoing chemo who have compromised immune systems would thank you greatly to stay home if you’re infectious. Jesus understands, I’m sure. 🙂
 
Yes, they are.

If fact, the best thing to do is to stay away from people that are sick.

That would be much easier if sick people would stay home from Mass.
 
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