The Catholic Weekly 29 March 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 3 29, March, 2020 Be met on arrival at Melbourne Airport or Southern Cross Station. Personal and caring service. Pre-book before you leave. Baby seat available. English-speaking driver greets you on arrival. » Meet and greet service » Female-friendly and safe » Wheelchair or walking frame-friendly BOOKINGS 1300 139 740 or email [email protected] MELBOURNE? Coming to Your safety is our No.1 priority! PERSONALIZED CABS Helping build a brighter future for children and families in crisis. Dunlea Centre 35A Waratah Road Engadine NSW 2233 Phone 02 8508 3900 AUSTRALIA'S ORIGINAL BOYS' TOWN A place for change... www.dunleacentre.org.au ‘Catholic clarity for complex times’ Listen to our Podcast every Thursday Ordinary Catholics having a relaxed, informal and searching conversation To subscribe go to thiscatholiclife.com.au Nothing can happen outside of the Lord’s plan, and that’s really a convic- iton for me that the Lord still wants us to serve ...” Jemille West, Ryde parish FROM PAGE 1 He urged people of faith to turn to their God saying “I can assure you, my prayer knees are getting a workout”. Rita Chee, 67, said she had rushed to attend the Mass when she saw a notification on her phone that it would be the last one. “I was saying my prayers and trying not to go onto my phone, but it said last Mass at 11 o’clock and I’m so glad I came, it was beautiful but I’m also very sad,” she said. “I try to come at least three times during the week but now I will spend more time praying, saying the Rosary, and we have a School of Word here which offers scripture re- flections that I will receive on email.” Jelica Borovjak also attends Mass several days a week, and wiped tears away as she thought about the fact she would not apprently be re- turning any time soon. “I am very sad, very sad,” she said, adding that she ex- pects also to spend more time praying at home. The Ryde-Gladesville par- ish youth co-ordinator Jemille West said she found the un- precedented loss of public Masses “really hard”. “It’s going to make us real- ly want Mass more and miss it, miss being in community with people and physically seeing Jesus [in the Eucharist] in front of us as well. “But I also have a kind of joy, as Father Greg said this morning: nothing can happen outside of the Lord’s plan and that’s really a conviction for me that the Lord still wants us to serve no matter the sit- uation.” The parish has an email newsletter and blog on its website and while Fr Morgan is not planning to live stream Masses himself, he will pro- Despite their church’s closure, parishioners ready and sustained by their faith St Charles sadness A warm smile masks a deeper sadness: Jelica Borovnjak with the rosary she will use to pray her private prayers each day in her own home while her parish church of St Charles in Ryde is closed. PHOTO:ALPHONSUS FOK mote others such as Archbish- op Anthony Fisher OP’s and US Bishop Robert Barron’s. There will also be a bud- dy system where younger, healthy volunteers buy gro- ceries or run chores for the elderly or sick shut in their homes, or simply offer to call on the phone every few days for social support. Fr Morgan told The Catho- lic Weekly that he felt deeply for people who are “living in anguish” during this time. “There’s talk in the news- papers about the problems of mental health issues wors- ening and I think one of the greatest things we can do is bolster people’s faith, by showing them that in the midst of all this that God is there,” he said. “Maybe we need to find creative ways to bring Jesus to people. “We’re aware that it’s pre- cisely at this moment that we need to be community. “And perhaps now more than ever we have amission to go beyond the borders of our parish to others.” In brief Pope prays for health workers WITH THE number of priests and religious dy- ing from coronavirus-re- lated illnesses rising, Pope Francis offered his prayers for those who died after being infect- ed helping COVID-19 pa- tients and their commu- nities. At least 50 priests, four nuns and at least 24 doc- tors have lost their lives and 5,000 health care workers in Italy were known to be infected as of 24 March because of the pandemic. At the start of hismorn- ing Mass that day, the pope said he was aware of the growing number of doctors, nurses and priests who have died after becoming infected while being “at the service of the sick. Let us pray for them and their families. “I thank God for the heroic example that they have given us in their care for the sick,” he said. Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin told his priests in a letter they are called to a ministry in some ways similar to that of doctors, nurses and psychologists. “The people turn to you with trust and hope, seeking help or even just a word of support, of ac- companiment,” he wrote. Pope Francis gives his hom- ily at Mass on 24 March. Fr Greg Morgan gives his last public homily until St Charles is re- opened at an unknown date. PHOTOS:ALPHONSUS FOK CORONAVIRUS