My Thoughts on 06/06/2020

Parishes of our diocese received a letter last night from Archbishop John setting out how we need to prepare for the reopening of churches for prayer. We are being asked to carry out a risk assessment that needs to be submitted before a church will be allowed to be opened.

I saw reported by the Union of Catholic Asian News that Catholics in China are upset about a directive from China’s communist government asking priests to “preach on patriotism” as a condition for reopening liturgical services, suspended five months ago because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bishop Mario Grech Administrator of Gozo and Pro-Secretary for Synod of Bishops wrote the following to the clergy of his diocese, “one would be committing suicide, if, after this pandemic, one were to return to the same pastoral models.”

We need to think about how this time of isolation and lockdown has changed us as individuals in our life of faith, and in the way we interact with others in the community. As a parish we need to continue to support one another in continuing the good work that God has initiated in us.