Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
Winston Churchill, 1942, after Alamein.
Saturday morning, 13 March 2021, eighth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis, six residents of St. Raphael Hall, attended Morning Prayer with the monks in the abbey church after one year of being sequestered in the retirement center. 99.44% of the monks have been inoculated twice with the Moderna vaccine. Other restrictions are being adjusted gradually.
Nevertheless, Prior Brad suggests, “Wearing masks, physical distance, meeting outdoors when possible, good hand-washing, and limiting the number of people with whom you have close contact continue to be prudent practices to prevent the spread of COVID and keep the prevalence of the virus in the wider community heading downward.”
Update 15 March 2021: Monks who have been vaccinated for Covid-19 may visit residents in Saint Raphael Hall by signing up at the nurse’s station. The usual weekly nasal swab test for Covid-19 has been cancelled for this Wednesday.