THE ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE
The Most Reverend Mark
Coleridge
19
March 2020
Solemnity
of St Joseph
TO
THE PASTORS AND PEOPLE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE
These
are anxious times as we enter new and uncharted territory. The spread of the
coronavirus is alarming for a generation that has known nothing like it, and it
shows how fragile we are. How long it will last we do not know, but almost
certainly we are in for the long haul. For all of us, this is a challenge at
many levels.
In
the Archdiocese there is a daily meeting to address the most recent advice from
the Government and the health authorities and to consider its implications for
the Catholic community. As a result, we have already taken some decisions to
curb the spread of the virus. Now in the light of the latest advice from the
Government and Catholic Health Australia, the Archdiocese has come to further
decisions. Therefore, the provisions below will now apply and more are sure to
follow:
• The celebration of Mass on Sundays
(including the Saturday vigil) is suspended with immediate effect and until
further notice, and all the faithful are dispensed from the Sunday obligation.
• Priests will continue to celebrate Mass
(the Mass for the people) on Sundays without a congregation, with people
able to follow Masses live-streamed from the Cathedral at archbne.org/bzw on
Sundays and weekdays.
• For the time
being, weekday Masses may be celebrated as scheduled, with the current
restrictions and precautions to be observed.
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation should
in general be celebrated only by appointment with the priest, with the current
precautions to be observed.
• Any Church celebration or event where
more than 100 people are expected should be cancelled or postponed.
• All attending any Church celebration or
event should respect the requirements of physical distancing.
• All ministers of Holy Communion,
including the priest, should disinfect their hands before and after
distributing.
• In the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite,
the Body of Christ should be administered only in the hand and the chalice
should be received by the celebrant alone.
• The Sign of Peace should be limited to
saying “Peace be with you” with a nod or bow; no hand-shaking or hand-holding
should occur here or at the Our Father.
• Hymn books should not be used.
•
As far as possible, churches should remain open to allow private prayer; the
Blessed Sacrament might be exposed in the monstrance for this purpose (as long
as fewer than 100 are attending and with the usual provisions for reverence and
security of the Sacrament).
• Communion to the
sick should be taken by priests alone and in general be restricted to Viaticum
to the dying, with the current restrictions and precautions to be observed.
• Prayers of intercession for an end to
the pandemic and for the safety of all should be included in Masses, in the
Liturgy of the Hours and in private prayer; houses of consecrated religious are
asked to intensify their intercessory prayer also.
• Baptisms, weddings and funerals may be
celebrated, but restricted if necessary to immediate family; baptisms and
weddings can always be postponed.
• Preparation for and celebration of First
Penance, Confirmation and First Communion should be postponed until the
pandemic is over.
•
Priests should ensure that parishioners can contact them in emergencies.
It
is essential in a time such as this to strengthen and deepen our spiritual
life, precisely so that we do not “lose sight of Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). The
Archdiocese will do everything possible to assist you with this; and there is
an abundance of online resources – including Mass at home – to nourish your faith
through this time. As Pope Francis has said, pastors will have to show
creativity in ministering to their people; and there are many examples of this
around the world, with technology making it less difficult than in the past.
To
conclude I offer two prayers which you may wish to pray through this time. The
first is one I have written: its words are simple but they may help to guide
you in your prayer. May the God to whom we turn in this moment listen to the
pleading of our heart and answer as he has so often before, so that love may
come from fear, hope from despair and joy from sorrow:
Almighty
and all-merciful God,
lover
of the human race, healer of all our wounds,
in
whom there is no shadow of death,
save
us in this time of crisis;
grant
wisdom and courage to our leaders;
watch
over all medical people
as
they tend the sick and work for a cure;
stir
in us a sense of solidarity beyond all isolation;
if
our doors are closed, let our hearts be open.
By
the power of your love destroy the virus of fear,
that
hope may never die
and
the light of Easter, the triumph of life,
may
shine upon us and the whole world.
Through
Jesus Christ, the Lord risen from the dead,
who
lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
Holy
Mary, health of the sick, pray for us. St Joseph, guardian of us all, pray for
us.
The
second is an ecumenical prayer from the National Council of Churches, who have
invited all of us to pray this prayer at 7pm each day, but especially on Sunday
29 March which we will mark as a
National
Day of Prayer in this time of crisis:
Gracious
God,
We
give thanks anew for your providence and presence.
We
prayerfully seek your grace, amidst COVID-19 here and overseas.
We
pray for those in need of healing.
We
pray for your peace with those who are anxious or grieving.
We
pray you will continue to strengthen and sustain
all
those who are serving in response.
We
pray for your Holy Spirit’s discernment
amidst
the many choices and decisions
facing
our national, community and medical leaders.
We
pray we each might see quickly what more we can do
to
help those who are vulnerable.
This
prayer for our nation in the family of nations,
with
all that is on our hearts,
we
gather now and pray
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
With
the blessing of peace,
Archbishop
of Brisbane
THE ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE
The Most Reverend Mark
Coleridge
19
March 2020
Solemnity
of St Joseph
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