We Are Essential

Father John Paul’s Story

These days, everyone is trying to keep the fabric of society from unraveling, and many of our friends in the Oklahoma City community have agreed to talk about it. Their views expressed here do not reflect the views of their employers, nor the views of my employer. We are just working together to convey their experiences. 

Our feature today is a super nerd. Here he is with a cake one of his parishioners made him for his 30th birthday:

The guy in black with the collar is Father John Paul Lewis. He is a board game enthusiast, has a frankly unnecessary number of dice of all sizes and shapes, has a nose for good Scotch, and is a priest in the Roman Catholic rite. 

Fr. John Paul is a priest in the panhandle of Oklahoma, and he misses his parishioners a lot, not just because sometimes they make him cake. 

“Jesus pities the crowd because they are like sheep without a shepherd, but he never says anything about a shepherd without sheep.”

Out in the panhandle, the county that holds two of the parishes where Fr John Paul works had their first positive COVID-19 test on Saturday, March 28th. This means that Governor Stitt’s earlier executive order closing all non-essential businesses now applies in Texas County. Though churches are considered non-essential businesses, Fr. John Paul says he is not heading out for a month on the slopes or at the beach.

“We are not taking a break. We are here, working for the people, trying to do the best we can to provide for their spiritual growth. Although we are not considered essential, we, along with many, many people who work for the church, are working from home to do what we can for you.”

A lot of what any priest, and any minister, does is face-to-face counseling, including the ancient Catholic rite of in-person confessions, which Fr. John Paul insists cannot be done via text message and he wishes certain auto shop bloggers would stop asking about that. 

Another vital service provided by priests is the anointing of the sick, sometimes called last rites, which is when a priest visits a critically ill person and anoints them with holy oil, a process requiring close physical contact.

“As an industry that isn’t on the ‘essential businesses’ list, we are closed for business right now, which means my contact with people is at a minimum right now, but we’ll see.  If a parishioner needs to be anointed, I have to be prepared and willing to go visit them, pray with them, and give them the Sacraments. We are also still hearing Confessions (at safe distances and behind a screen), so there is always a chance that I become infected.”

Like many who live their lives on a spiritual plane, Fr. John Paul says he is not too concerned about catching coronavirus.  

“I never worry about the idea of me getting it. If I am infected, I will deal as best as I can and leave it in God’s hands. I will embrace it as a sharing in the Cross, and let God’s will be done. The thing that worries me the most is the thought of me unknowingly infecting someone else. I became a priest to care for people, and the thought of me infecting them with a deadly disease is not one that brings me great comfort.”

How We Can Help John Paul

Obviously, we are not all called to do what Fr. John Paul does. (If you do feel that calling, talk to Fr. Buettner, the vocations director for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City - Fr. JP is featured on the landing page for their website!) Fr. John Paul and his colleagues are used to ministering to people all the time - they orient their entire lives around it. 

Fr. John Paul knew he wanted to be a priest when he was four years old, and spent nine (NINE) years after high school in study, preparation, and discernment. Now looking out for the best good of his parishioners looks a lot different than it used to, for Fr. John Paul and for his brother priests. He has some tips on how to support the people who support many of us at our best and worst moments. 

“Pray. Reach out to your priests/pastors. We are used to being around people, and we miss you when you’re not around. Also important is to let us know what you need. We are here to provide spiritual support and care, and right now we just have to kind of guess as to what that needs to look like for people. If people could tell us what they miss, we can do our best to provide for it in some way.”

What John Paul Wants You To Know About Priests

“Our spiritual care of our people looks much different than it did a month ago, and it’s time like these when it is very difficult to be a priest sometimes. Our whole life is meant to be lived with and for the people, which is extremely difficult when the people aren’t around. I commented on social media the other day that Jesus pities the crowd because they are like sheep without a shepherd, but he never says anything about a shepherd without sheep. We are doing what we can by live streaming and praying with people, as well as calling people to check in with them and see what we can do to help them.”

What This Introvert Looks Forward To Most, After All This

Even as an introvert, Fr. John Paul is anxiously anticipating the return to traditional community gatherings, when this whole thing is over. 

“The first Mass back when people can be there is going to be a huge party. By then, we will have been without public Mass for over a month (maybe more), and it will be such a beautiful and happy day to come together in praise of God.”

I’m sure the coffee and donuts after Mass will be wild, too. 

We thank Father John Paul for being willing to share his experience with us. He is a wonderful spiritual advisor and we hope his churches are full again soon. 

If you or someone you know would make a great feature, please email [email protected]. We will be featuring members of the Oklahoma City community daily for as long as we can.  Take care of each other, wash your hands, and shop local.