You can listen to this interview in its entirety here:
Lori Walsh: If you're a frequent listener to In The Moment, you know we've been having conversations for a while now about the future of faith in South Dakota. Since the time we began the project, COVID-19 has challenged how South Dakotans worship. It's changed the role of faith leaders and it's kept congregants from congregating. Could some of the new adoptions last long into the future of faith? How will people use faith to get through the trying days ahead?
Donald DeGrood is the Bishop elect of the Catholic Diocese in Sioux Falls and he joins us now on the phone. Bishop elect DeGrood, welcome. Thanks for being here with us today.
Donald DeGrood: Oh, you're welcome. Happy to be a part of it.
Lori Walsh: I doubt that this scenario was something that you had planned for as you made this transition, but tell me a little bit about how long it's kind of been on your radar and then the Catholic church's radar as far as what kind of adjustments might need to be made.
Donald DeGrood: Yeah, great question. You know, it certainly came on the radar when the things especially started to come out, data, information about the virus and its potential impact, its potential spread, and then seeing it progress as rapidly as it has, not only in the states but also, of course, in Europe and other places.
So it certainly was on the radar, but then it became a matter of, okay, well let's gather data, let's seek counsel from health professionals, including the local government and of course the government of the United States, and what kind of recommendations are they coming out. And us, trying to then take that and really process what's best to keep everybody safe, have that be a priority. Because God can provide spiritual ways, so very, very different than being at mass, for example, together as a community, but these are unprecedented times and it requires unprecedented decisions by leaders, not only in the governments and health departments, but even in the faith-based congregants on how do we best care for those who are most vulnerable.
Lori Walsh: Before we get to how some of those changes and how you're taking care of people and what your recommendations are, I want to talk about how this matters to people. Because for people who aren't, you know, churchgoers, who are nonbelievers, they might have a hard time understanding about why it's difficult for people to just stay home and not go to worship. Talk to me a little bit about some of the things in your experience that are so essential to people's spiritual wellbeing.
Donald DeGrood: Fantastic question you're placing there. You know, really, it's a matter of trying to be as objective as we can. And what I find as Bishop is I will get people, and have, communicating on both sides of the issue. You know, people will say we should be closing everything down and of course we just moved recently this past week to suspend masses, public masses, and so it's only private masses, so the priest and maybe a few [inaudible 00:03:13] ministers just to really contain that.
So this weekend was our first full weekend, but already encouraging people, I lifted the obligation for Sunday mass for Catholics the week prior as things were beginning to evolve and it seemed to be the very prudent thing to do. And as I prayed about it, I had confirmation.
For those that may not be faith-based and looking at it from perspective, yeah, I can see where they would say, "Well, why is this so important?" What I find in the hearts of the faithful and my own experience as both a priest and as a Bishop now, is that when we have that beautiful relationship with God celebrating as a community, so Sunday mass, it's more than just our connection with God, if we believe in God, but it's also that community of faith and that we're in this together and we all gather as a community. It's like a family, you know, that wants to pull together, be together, try to do great things for the church and the world, particularly for those in greatest need.
So there's a lot of hardship on a lot of levels. You know, even the social services we're able to provide, with needing to restrict some of that because of the spread of the virus. So it creates hardship on many levels.
Lori Walsh: What kind of guidance are you hearing from Pope Francis, from the Vatican for Catholics worldwide? Because this is something that doesn't just hit home in South Dakota, it hits home in places across the world, which Catholics are very connected to.
Donald DeGrood: Yeah, well said. You know, we're continuing to receive communication, sometimes even on a daily basis or even more frequently, from representatives, so either United States Bishops or through that from our Holy Father Pope Francis. You know, it's one of these things like decisions he has to make, certainly wanting us all to be very, very prudent and look at things objectively and for us to make prudent decisions as local leaders. So certainly his care for the wellbeing, and certainly if we look at Italy alone, just the severe outbreaks that they're experiencing, he would have a very acute knowledge and experience of that, and even the measures that the government, the Italian government is taking. So I expect we'll continue to receive guidance along the way.
Lori Walsh: I was looking on a social media yesterday and my daughter pointed it out to me. There was a Catholic priest, and I don't remember the community he was in, it was not South Dakota, but was coming up with a creative way to have confessional in an open air parking lot for people to, you know, maintain anonymity. And I'm wondering, and it was just such a joyful and thoughtful and very heartbreaking, you know, conversation about the lengths that people will go to to help people in need. And I'm wondering what sort of ways that, you know, your diocese has, at this point, to reach out to people who are in need of spiritual support right now.
Donald DeGrood: Yeah. So the example you gave, I also had a priest, a couple priests in our diocese reach out with similar sort of things. "Hey, could we do this? Could we do that?" And one priest just shared how beautiful his experience was where people would come through the parking lot. He required them to remain at least six feet back. They could still maintain the confidentiality, and, you know, this was in a smaller community and he said there was about 45 minutes of people coming for confessions so to be able to keep that healthy social distancing, but caring for the spiritual care of the soul.
I encouraged our clergy in my communications in the last two weeks to look for creative ways that they can communicate with their flocks. For example, social media becomes a tremendous tool in times like these. I've sent a little video clips to both the folks in the diocese. It's accessible to anybody on our webpage. We've televised our mass, which has been a consistent thing here. We're blessed to have that. On Saturdays, it gets recorded and then it's available on the website.
Our departments here at the Chancery or at the office that serve the diocese, they'd come up with creative ways within their own department. So like, for example, with how to work with families and kids, how to pray, how to spend time together and be a support to each other. So I'm so grateful for the work, creative thinking of staff and our clergy and parishes to try to find ways to keep serving, and even, you know, some trying to record their own masses, and so people can participate in that way. So there's been some wonderful creativity and some wonderful outreach, which I'm grateful for.
Lori Walsh: What are you hearing from people about... You know, they have questions, and sometimes they bring those really big questions to their faith leaders. "Where's God in all of this?: How do you answer some of those questions?
Donald DeGrood: Yeah, that's a great one. You know, what I find is my focus has been really trying to get people to turn to the Lord and to realize if we look back, for example, in scripture, we see so many times where there were plagues or other sorts of great difficulties and trials, and when people really stepped into faith and really turned to God and became reliant upon him, God was with them through the struggle, through the suffering, even through loss. But it's ultimately having that sense of, the things that we can't control, god is in control of.
And so, we can find great interior peace and joy and freedom by turning to God and having him help us see how he can bring good, even out of something this tragic and difficult and all the loss that's happening, not just with loss of lives, but you know, people's livelihoods because of employment and those sorts of things. So the encouragement is for people to really be able to look at scripture, to see the God in the past has always been faithful. Not that it won't be difficult, but if we turn to him and we ask for his help and we pray, he wants to help us through this. And that's my hope, that people will really be able to step into that in new ways.
Lori Walsh: Do you believe, I mean, clearly you said in the beginning of our conversations that, you know, taking an objective look, you believe in the science of this and then taking the measures that need to be taken, looking at the data. But tell me what you believe about the power of prayer. I know the President of the United States recently called for a national day of prayer, and for some people, that's a almost an insult. "Well clearly that's not going to solve the problem." Other people that has meaning. Tell me a little bit about what you think the role of prayer is in this. If it doesn't help scientifically, you know, to bend the curve or to flatten the curve, how does it help?
Donald DeGrood: I love that question. So first of all, we got to remember that every conscience, every person, has the right to their own opinion, if you will, their own experience, and they need to follow that and we need to respect that of course. But I'd say for those whose minds and hearts are opened to a possibility beyond what science alone can offer us, that's where we can see great spiritual things happening. Again, if we look to scriptures, we see so many times where God was able to do great things that were extraordinary, far beyond what actual science and would be normal, if you will, by science alone, was able to do, and he did.
And so, God can do that again, but it really requires the faith of the people to live that, embrace that, and as a community, gather together and really try to ask the Lord, "Surprise us, Lord." Right? So kind of take it to the Lord and ask for the help, even if that's something that maybe we, you know, are just not sure of, whether that would even work or whether we really believe, but it's that willing heart to turn and to say, "Lord, come into my life. God help me and help us at this time," and let's see what God will do with it.
Lori Walsh: When you look at some of the creative ways that people are responding and reaching out to each other, you sound encouraged by what people are doing for one another in this time. And the days will get more difficult here in South Dakota, not easier, it sounds like, for a while. Do you see, are you seeing glimmers of things that you think are worth keeping, innovations and creativity that you say, "I hope when we're through this on the other side and things return to whatever this new normal will look like, I hope we keep that part of this. I hope we keep that response and this kind of helping behavior in this kind of faithfulness." Where do you see glimmers of hope for the future?
Donald DeGrood: Yeah, I think I see glimmer of hopes certainly in several ways, just in people that have shared, from their own experience, how they've grown through this and how things are... You know, they're really looking at life I think in a deeper way and saying, "Well really, what are our greatest priorities? What is most important?" So everybody sees some of that in the comments that people have shared with me.
But I think if we use the example just even of technology, we can see how, for example, the educational institutions are looking for creative ways to do things online, wherever the students are, whether it's college, high schools or even grade schools, it's that kind of thing to see the potential that if we use technology alone, I think there's great potential there. For example, senior citizens who maybe haven't been familiar with mass on TV and now all of a sudden finding resources that can help them spiritually on our website or other resources that parishes can provide.
So I see it as ways of ongoing communication and strengthening through technology as just one simple example, particularly for those who, you know, can't get out and yet still want to feel connected to their community. I think some of these creative things enable us to, if you will, kind of think outside the box and use maybe means we've never used before.
Lori Walsh: Donald DeGrood is Bishop elect of the Catholic Diocese in Sioux Falls. All right. Surprise us, Lord. That's one of our prayers for the day. Bishop, thank you so much for being here with us. We appreciate your time.
Donald DeGrood: Oh, I enjoyed it. Anytime.
You can access all of SDPB's COVID-19 coverage at www.sdpb.org/covid