In the pastor’s letter from the July 26 church bulletin from St. Jerome Roman Catholic Parish in Phoenix, the Rev. Gary Regula wrote on the topic of mask-wearing and the sad fact that it has become a divisive topic.

However, Regula wrote, there is always division in the world and there always will be. 

“People are choosing churches not because of the song selection, nor even the quality of homilies,” Regula wrote. “The faithful are not choosing a church because it is close to their homes or because it is the place that they have worshipped in for years. Rather, there are those who choose a church because they are not requiring people to wear a mask.”

Rather than seeking to make the lines and divisions more pronounced, Regula continued, the followers of Christ should be seeking unity in the mission of bringing love and the peace of our Lord to everyone.