Solemnity of St. Joseph – 2020
Dear Father,
As I said in my letter of March 17, 2020 the cessation of the public celebration of the Eucharist and the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is a source of “spiritual heartache” for the Catholic Church in PEI. At this unprecedented moment we priests are given the opportunity to examine our efforts at accompanying the faithful on their Lenten journey.
Accompaniment by Offering Mass Privately
Our ministry should seek to soothe the broken hearted with encouragement, kindness and the assurance of prayer as we endure this dreaded affliction. This includes the explicit intention in your private masses, especially the “missa pro popolo” “mass for the people” in your parish. In the midst of the current health crisis the Eucharist continues to sustain the Church. It is our responsibility as “ambassadors for Christ”(2Cor. 5:20) and in persona Christi, as mediators between God and humankind (1Tm.2; 5-7) to offer Mass privately with the intention of strengthening the faith of our people, and alleviating the suffering of victims around the world.
Accompaniment to Enable Prayer and Devotion
We can communicate to our people the importance of our Lenten spiritual exercises of prayer, almsgiving and fasting through postings on our parish web and Church bulletin board and Church foyer. We should leave our Church doors open to encourage people to visit the Blessed Sacrament and spend some time in silent adoration. We may make available at the doors of the church copies of the Stations of the Cross. Given the dimensions of this crisis the Stations seem most relevant. (It is important that such devotions be done privately and not organized by groups as this is contrary to Health Department Guidelines.) Also do encourage people to watch Sunday Mass at 9am from Holy Redeemer on Eastlink Community TV or Fr. Frank Jay’s Sunday Mass which he live streams on Facebook. Finally, encourage people to reserve some silent time for contemplation, to pray the rosary and to read the Sacred Scriptures.
Our hope is in the Lord. By being active, spiritually strong and prayerful we do accompany and enable the faithful to persevere during this health crisis.
I conclude by sharing with you St. Paul’s message to his Pastoral Associate, Timothy:
“As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.” 2Tm. 4:5
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+Bishop Richard Grecco