The Catholic Weekly 5 April 2020

10 5, April, 2020 F rom the archbishop catholicweekly.com.au Ways we can go on for now Despite restrictions, there is much we can be doing ‘Catholic Community in Sydney c. 1818’ – this painting by Paul Newton depicts Catholics in the Colony of New SouthWales in 1818 adoring the Blessed Sacrament in a private home. IMAGE: PAUL NEWTON D ear brothers in ministry and broth- ers and sisters in Christ, All Australians are ex- periencing hardship at this time as we seek to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. Many people are being asked to make great sacrifices: our health professionals working long hours and risking their own health; those who have lost their jobs; businesses that have had to close; parents struggling to care for their children while ‘working from home’; and so on. As Catholics, our greatest sacrifice is being unable to gather to celebrate the sacra- ments or even to spend time praying in a church. We make this sacrifice in solidarity with all our fellow citizens. I’ve been asked about the implications of the lat- est “gatherings limited to two people” rule for our already very restricted ministries. Here are some thoughts for you. We’ve been here before In my homily on Sunday I talked about the five times that Mass has been forbid- den in Australian history: for 15 years from 1788 when the colonists arrived; from 1804 after a brief period in which convict priest Fr James Dix- on was permitted to celebrate Mass publicly; from 1818 after Fr Jeremiah O’Flynn had been briefly unimpeded in offering Mass in the colony; during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919; and now during the COVID19 pandemic. It is interesting to reflect upon how the Catholic community coped each time: We can learn from such past experience – and I think it gives us cause for hope. For inspiration at this time, I recommend Pope Francis’ blessing for the city and the world last Friday in which he prayed: “Lord, You are call- ing on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not the time of your judge- ment, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary fromwhat is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others.” Church closures etc. At this stage, the direc- tions in my pastoral letter of 23 March continue to apply regarding church closures, no public gatherings for Mass and other services, Sunday observance, annual duties, Baptisms, Anointing, pastoral visits and clergy availability. Live-streaming of Holy Week services So far the Cathedral and 10 parishes are live-stream- ing Masses. There was no sug- gestion in the Prime Minis- ter’s latest announcement or in the NSW application of this decision that this affects in- door live-streamed services. The PM and some other civ- ic leaders have previously praised religious groups for live-streaming in these cir- cumstances and acknowl- Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP