Bishop Richard Pates came out of retirement in December to fill in as head of the Diocese of Joliet and could have had no idea what he was getting into.

Pates is leading the diocese through the COVID-19 pandemic, which put him in the unique position of telling pastors and Catholics on March 13 that they could not have Mass on Sundays.

In normal times, a Catholic who does not go to Mass is committing a sin.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, it just made sense, Pates said, who shrugs off the apparent weight of the job that pulled him away from his retirement.

The suspension of Mass may have been a week before the governor’s stay-at-home order. But Pates noted the archdiocese of Chicago had already done the same thing before he called off Mass indefinitely.

“It became obvious it was going to be a pandemic,” Pates said. “Unfortunately, our church service is a very ideal environment for the contagion to spread.”

Pates was among Illinois bishops who announced a plan for returning to church services, including weddings and funerals in groups of 10 or fewer, as soon as May 23. Churches will begin to open up for limited private prayer services May 30. There still is no timetable for a return to Sunday Mass, but preparations are in progress.

“Things haven’t slowed down,” Pates said of his role as head of the diocese at a time when so many services have been suspended. “You still have the same meetings. They’re all virtual.”

The charitable work of the church also goes on, Pates said.

“We have a good number of our parishes that have food pantries,” he said. “They also have centers where people give blood. And young people at parishes have been bringing meals to the elderly.”

And there has been the task of preparing for the return to services during a pandemic, a task for which Pates said he has much help from the Diocesan Pastoral Council.

“We’re getting ready at this time to open our doors at all of our churches as soon as it’s safely possible,” he said. “Some people want it immediately. But the vast, vast majority want it when it’s safe.”

Pates’ official title is apostolic administrator, although he notes the decisions he has made in the past few months show he has the “full authority” of a bishop.

He was bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines for more than 11 years before retiring last July. Before that, he was auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of St. Paul for seven years.

He’s commonly referred to as Bishop Pates in the diocese even though he will leave as soon as a new bishop is installed, a point that Pates expects is still several months away.

Pates, 77, came to the Diocese of Joliet in December when Bishop Daniel Conlon went on medical leave. Conlon resigned this month, a decision Pates said was expected because of his health issues.

Pates plans to return to retirement in Mendota Heights, a suburb outside St. Paul, where he remains active as a priest, helping with Masses, and serving on committees.

In the meantime, he reminds Catholics eager to return to Mass that there are other ways to serve God, even for those who wait at home to avoid spreading COVID-19.

“Jesus asks us to have patience, and patience means suffering for the sake of love,” he said. “We’re doing it for the love of our brothers and sisters.”