The Catholic Weekly 3 October 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 3 3, October, 2021 SYDNEY ARCHDIOCESAN Vicar General Fr Gerry Glee- son announced a roadmap to Catholic church openings fol- lowing announcements by NSW Premier Gladys Berejik- lian this week. Fr Gleeson said the re-open- ing of places of worship will be staged in line with the NSW Government Roadmap an- nounced on 27 September, but churches will not open only to vaccinated people when they are permitted to do so during the first stage. In allowing churches to open their doors in October, Premier Berejiklian acknowl- edged that for people of faith worship is more like an essen- tial service than a recreation. Sydney plan to reopen churches for all Stage One of the Govern- ment roadmap begins when 70 per cent of the state’s eligible population is fully vaccinated. That is expected to occur on 11 October, when churches will be permitted to open for the vaccinated. However, Archbishop An- thony Fisher OP has decided to wait a further twoweeks before re-opening churches in the archdiocese and conducting public Masses, Fr Gleeson ad- vised in a statement. Last month Archbishop Fisher said he was committed to ensuring a safe return to worship for everyone and that one’s vaccination status must not be a barrier to communion with Jesus Christ. for a second Spring MORE THAN 20,000 care and cleaning packages are being sent to those in need in rural NSW who have been affected by COVID. Answering a plea from indig- enous communities in the Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese, staff and suppliers of Sydney’s St Vincent’s Private Hospital have come together to help. Disinfectants, cleaning products, hand sanitisers and toiletries are in huge demand by families who have contracted the virus and need to sterilise their homes to stop the spread. Mission Manager at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Fr Darryl Mackie, said towns in- cluding Lightning Ridge, Bre- warrina and Goodooga would be receiving the packages, coinciding with the patron of the hospital’s feast day. He said that due to the close proximity many indigenous people live, they are at high risk of not only catching but spreading the virus. “In my role at the hospital as well as Chaplain to Aborig- inal Catholic Ministry, I was touched by the stories of people affected by COVID in western NSW,” he said. “Having family living out west and knowing that Aboriginal communities live closely together, I knew the impact of COVID would be great. “A call out came from the areas of Lightning Ridge and Goodooga who desperately were in need of cleaning sup- plies to do deep cleaning in homes affected by COVID. “Then a call came in from Brewarrina that residents were in desperate need of toiletries, and as the hospital has an existing relationship with suppliers of these sorts of products knew we had to help. “St Vincent de Paul was a social reformer of his day…he saw the structures that caused poverty and indifference, and wanted a society where all could be treated equally and know they are loved by God. “I believe, it is through the eyes of the poor and vulnerable that God sees us. If I canmake someone’s life better today, it’s been an awesome day! “In the spirit of our patron and our founders, the Sisters of Charity, St Vincent’s Private Hospital Sydney continues its mission to serve the sick and vulnerable in the community.” these positions ... There are pressures from powerful ele- ments in society that unless people and institutions con- form they will be subject to charges of professional mis- conduct and other sanctions” he said. Yet his latest book also re- flects seeds of hope for the fu- ture that he has identified. One engaging chapter is on the Catholic family as the concrete heart of the “domes- tic Church” and of “intention- al” living. He reflected on his own work promoting retreats for those preparing for mar- riage and in promoting family involvement in such move- ments as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Tasmania. “The really concrete pro- motion of the family as the domestic Church - with a more intentional assistance for parents and children to undertake catechesis in the home and to find places and spaces for prayer - is so im- portant,” he said. “We cannot presume that most Catholic families – even if good willed - know how to go about these things. They need inspiration, resources and support.” One fascinating chapter is titled: ‘A Renewal in Cat- echesis.’ “I have been inclined to concentrate on the practice of catechesis rather than the more generic “formation” – because in a way it is more precise and best describes what is needed in the Church,” he told The Catholic Weekly . “There are so many of the baptisedwho have been effec- tively converted to the beliefs of the culture around them - both spiritually and intellec- tually. “They have never come to encounter the deep spiritual mystery of God’s salvation at a personal level. “They have never under- stood the need for conversion or to understand the signif- icance of the Gospel for an encounter with the reality of Jesus Christ.” He said the Archdiocese of Hobart has been working on a training program for parish catechists and at the moment have 45 people at the Verbum Domini Institute which has been established by the Arch- diocese. “The idea is that catechists will be formed and then com- missioned to work directly in the parishes – and that by their teaching and by their example of living in Christ will create a new force at the grass roots of the parish community.” “These people will be for- mally commissioned into the “ministry for catechists” by me as the Archbishop.” Among the signs of hope for the future for Archbishop Porteous are the young. He writes of his encounters with “the heartfelt desire” that the young express in ways that may surprise the older and more disaffected generations. They are, he says, drawn to reverence in the Sacred litur- gy: “They want to encounter the Transcendent One every time they go to Mass.” “They love the saints,” he said, they have “an orientation to per- sonal holiness” and they are drawn to prayer. Writing about youth in Foundations , he says he has found young people are not simply drawn to prayer in passing or as an afterthought: “Here they do not mean oc- casional short prayers but deep and devoted prayer, specifically, silent prayer be- fore the Blessed Sacrament … they firmly believe that it is prayer that will reinvigorate the Church and empower its mission.” In the end, whether the Ple- nary is ultimately a watershed or a wash-out in terms of the structures and edifice of the Catholic Church in Australia- it will be holiness and faith (or its loss) that will distinguish the Catholics of the future. Echoing the well-known “mustard seed” themes in the thought of Pope Emeri- tus Benedict XVI, Archbishop Porteous writes: “The Church may indeed become smaller. It may not have the prominence in soci- ety it once enjoyed. However, what is left will be purer, hum- bler and a more faithful group of believers.” PLENARY SIGNS FOR THE SYNOD P14 Foundations: preparing the Church in Australia for the Plenary Council and be- yond , is published by Connor Court Press. PLENARY COUNCIL FACT BOX A Plenary Council is the highest form of gathering of local church and has legislative and governance authority. The decisions that are made at the Council become binding for the Catholic Church in Australia. This is the fifth Plenary Council of Australia. The last was held in 1937. On February 2021, Continuing the Journey: Working Document (Instrumentum Laboris) was released. On June 2021, the Agenda for the Plenary Council was released, and formation sessions for the 278 members commenced. Phase I Listening and Dialogue More than 222,000 people participated, contributing 17,457 submissions from around the country. Phase II: Listening and Discernment The National Themes for Discernment were pro- duced based on analyses of submissions. Catholics all over Australia participated in Writing and Discernment sessions towards making the agenda for the first assembly. Assembly 1 This will be held in a multi-modal form online on October 3-9 and Assembly 2 will be held in Sydney on July 4-9, 2022. More information: plenarycouncil.catholic. org.au There are so many of the baptised who have been effectively converted to the beliefs of the culture around them - both spiritually and intellectually. They have never come to encounter the deep per- sonal mystery of God’s salvation ...” Archbishop Julian Porteous Archbishop Porteous’s new book, Foundations. He also said he had been in discussions with the NSW Government and NSW Health, joining other religious leaders in insisting that worship is an essential service. Stage Two, estimated to be- gin on 25 October with 80 per cent of eligible people fully vaccinated, is when the arch- diocese will open churches under the 4 square metre rule to everyone, whether fully vac- cinated, partially vaccinated or unvaccinated. Masks must be worn in- doors and churches will not be required to check people’s vac- cination status. “We continue to urge every- one tobe vaccinated, and so re- duce their risk of serious illness NSW Vinnies reachout toWilcannia St Vincent’s Hospital Mission Manager Fr Darryl Mackie stands with goods ready to head toWilcannia-Forbes. ¾ Debbie Cramsie or evendeath,” Fr Gleeson said. “We will do all that is rea- sonably possible to keep safe everyone who comes to church: there will be good ven- tilation, social distancing, hand sanitising, no congregational singing, etc. “People who are especially vulnerable, who are vaccinated but anxious about mixing with the unvaccinated, or who are unvaccinated and do not want to risk contact with others, are free to remain at home and live-streaming of Masses from the cathedral and some parish- es will continue.” Stage Three when 90 per cent vaccination is reached, around 1 December, will see churches move to a 2 square metre rule with no limits at outdoor Masses, and dancing permitted at weddings. Covid Safe plans will be re- quired for outdoor events with more than 1,000 people, but masks will not be required in- side a church. At State Three the archdio- cese will continue to encour- age the faithful to be vacci- nated, “to provide them with good information, and to of- fer them particular care since they (and certain vulnerable others) will be most at risk,” Fr Gerry said. “We will also offer particu- lar care to those faithful who, though fully vaccinated, are anxious about congregating at this time.” NEWS