EXCLUSIVE: Our brother’s keeper: a Catholic response to Covid-19
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has today Thursday 19 March released a Pastoral Letter in which he addresses a heartfelt appeal to Catholics, to prayerfully and respectfully adhere to the decisions of the Church regarding COVID-19 health precautions, made for the good of the community. Photo: Ron Tan.
By Eric Martin
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has today Thursday 19 March released a Pastoral Letter in which he addresses a heartfelt appeal to Catholics, to prayerfully and respectfully adhere to the decisions of the Church regarding COVID-19 health precautions, made for the good of the community.
“The decision I have taken, reluctantly and deeply conscious of its gravity, to temporarily suspend all public Masses in the Archdiocese of Perth, is based on my deep conviction that as a Christian community we must act in the best interests of all the members of our society,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“We have a duty to remain responsive to the advice and directives of our government and our public health officials. As both Catholics and citizens we wish to be responsible and cooperative members within our society.
“While the decision to temporarily suspend all public Masses goes beyond the strict requirements of the government as they presently stand, I have judged that, in order to fully respect the intention of the government in issuing these directives, we as a Catholic community can best express our commitment to the well-being of everyone in our community by taking the action that I have.”
He explained that these measures are designed to slow down the transmission of COVID‑19.
“I know that this decision will cause great distress to some, and perhaps many of you. I want to assure you that I did not make this decision lightly,” Archbishop Costelloe shared.
“The Mass is at the heart of our lives as Catholics: it is our way of gathering as a community of faith to draw strength from each other; it is our way of listening to the Word of God in faith; it is our way of offering our lives, our needs, our hopes and our loved ones to God; it is our way of allowing the Lord to unite us to himself in Holy Communion and for us to be deprived of the Mass is a great sacrifice and a great suffering.
“But the Lord himself calls us to this - because we are our brother’s keeper,” he explained.
“The Mass is at the heart of our lives as Catholics: it is our way of gathering as a community of faith to draw strength from each other; it is our way of listening to the Word of God in faith; it is our way of offering our lives, our needs, our hopes and our loved ones to God; it is our way of allowing the Lord to unite us to himself in Holy Communion and for us to be deprived of the Mass is a great sacrifice and a great suffering.” Photo: Ron Tan
“We make this sacrifice now for the well-being of our community because, as Jesus himself tells us, “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples - that you love one another as I have loved you” (cf. John 13:35).”
“The Eucharist is the greatest gift we have.
“With this in mind I have asked our priests to keep our churches open for private prayer where possible, and to organise times of Eucharistic Adoration: as long as only small groups gather, and maintain a safe distance from each other, this will be an ongoing possibility for us and a source of strength and comfort for many.
“Let us allow this temporary deprivation of the Eucharist to sharpen our hunger for Jesus, the Bread of Life.”
Although public Masses are suspended for the time being, priests are still ready and willing to serve.
“In cases of emergency, especially as regards to the Sacrament of the Sick for those in danger of death, please do not hesitate to contact your local parish where you will also be able to enquire about opportunities for the Sacrament of Penance. And you can be sure that our priests will continue to celebrate Mass in private for all their people.”
Archbishop Costelloe went on to explain that the normal “Sunday Obligation” to attend Mass on either Saturday evening or Sunday does not apply to anyone at this time, with the exception of priests.
“The present decisions I have announced will be reviewed within two weeks and will be confirmed, modified or cancelled at that time. However, we must prepare ourselves for the very real possibility that we will not be able to celebrate the beautiful liturgies of Holy Week and Easter in the Cathedral and in our parish churches this year,” His Grace said.
“We are a people of faith and of hope and we know the Lord is with us: let us draw strength from this faith and support each other when worry or fear threaten to overwhelm us. And most of all let us keep praying for each other, for those who have died, and for those who are selflessly putting themselves at the service of our community at this challenging time.”