‘Never again,’ Fr. Altman says of church lockdowns 

“Faithful Catholics everywhere better send a note to their shepherd reminding them that the supreme law of the church is the salvation of souls, reminding them we have one job to do: save eternal souls. And then say in boldly-printed words: never again,” he said. 

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Fr. James Altman of La Crosse, Wisconsin, said Catholics should tell “their shepherds” that they will “never again” submit to church closures.

“We were chosen to live in this time and place, loaded with tons of opportunities to serve him as a servant is supposed to do — to become saints and martyrs,” Altman said in a homily last weekend.

“The thing is, we do that best by and through being fully attached to the vine, by being fully immersed in the holy sacrifice of the mass, fully immersed in the reception of the sacraments, especially reconciliation, and daily practice of devotions. Which is why, some don’t like to hear this, which is why it was such a godless proposition to lock the churches and deny people access to the raw materials they need — the holy sacrifice of the mass, the sacraments,” he continued.

In other homilies, Altman has said he has heard from many Catholics who “felt abandoned” by the spring lockdowns.

“Faithful Catholics everywhere better send a note to their shepherd reminding them that the supreme law of the church is the salvation of souls, reminding them we have one job to do: save eternal souls. And then say in boldly-printed words: never again,” he said.

“Never again will you lock me out of the church. Never again will you deny me the holy sacrifice of the mass. Never again will you deny me the grace of the sacraments. Never again will you deny me all the grace that comes through our devotional life in the parish. Never again, because those things, dear family, are the raw materials we need to become saints and to become martyrs,” Altman concluded.

States across the country are tightening their restrictions on churches by ordering them closed or limiting capacity amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

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Alpha News Staff