One Michigan priest had to get creative when social distancing rules wouldn’t allow him to administer holy water to his parishioners.
They say that the lord works in mysterious ways, but I don’t think that included squirting people with holy water out of a squirt gun.
Father Tim Pelc of St. Ambrose Parish in Detroit first popped up on the internet’s radar back in April when parishioner Larry Peplin shared photos of the squirt-gun service on Facebook.
Now, Pelc is an internet sensation for his unique approach to administering holy water while abiding by social distancing rules. This really should just be a thing that continues to happen after social distancing rules are abolished.
“The original idea was to do something for the kids of the parish,” Pelc told BuzzFeed News. “They were about ready to have an Easter unlike any of their past, so I thought, What can we still do that would observe all the protocols of social distancing?”
Once he came up with the idea, he then had to confirm he wouldn’t be doing more harm than good. Pelc conferred with a friend, a local emergency room doctor, who gave him the go-ahead along with a major personal endorsement. “He said, ‘Not only is this safe, this is fun,’ and he came with his kids,” Pelc shared. “He provided me with all the personal protection stuff I needed. The sun was out. We had a nice turnout. It was a way of continuing an ancient custom, and people seemed to enjoy it.”
The Church most certainly has received a ton of attention and they issues this statement regarding the squirt gun wielding priest.
“A few people have asked why FR. Tim did not opt to sue an aspergillum in order to administer the holy water. By using one, he would have had to drunk the aspergillum into an open container of water, which would not have guaranteed the water’s safety,” they pointed out, adding, “By using a squirt gun it would only need to be filled once, with untouched, sterile, purified water, which he then blessed. To further reassure you, Franc conferred with a doctor to ensure all safety protocols.”