It’s time to re-open our churches again for prayer

I feel blessed under lockdown that within the allocated two kilometres from my home in Dublin are two beautiful churches which remain open for prayer despite this pandemic. As part of the permitted daily exercise, I always make a short visit to either Holy Cross in Dundrum or the Church of St John the Evangelist in Ballinteer.

Both are very different.

Holy Cross in Dundrum was dedicated in 1837 and while having recently re-opened after extensive renovations, it retains a distinctive 19th Century feel in the heart of the village.

St John’s was opened in the 1970s and is sited along a busy road surrounded by housing estates. It is a huge space designed to meet the needs of an expanding suburb.

What both churches share in common is that they are open and welcoming centres of prayer for vibrant Faith communities. As I visit each day, they are never empty. A handful of people gather separately for private prayer. I have a profound sense that though we are apart, our presence together in the church before the Blessed Sacrament unites us in a very real way.

Cautious

People are cautious and observe the norms around physical distancing. A gentle smile and a wave have replaced the few words or the handshake of greeting. Everyone keeps to themselves for the sake of the safety of all of us.

I have friends in other parts of the country who have to content themselves with staying at home as their local churches are closed. Of course, one can (and should) pray everywhere. But, as Catholics our places of worship are more than gathering spots or meeting houses. For Catholics, our churches are a porta Dei (gateway to God) and an ara coeli (altar of Heaven).

It is in our churches where we encounter Christ par excellence in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle – God’s abiding presence in good times and bad times.

I understand the concern that has motivated the suspension of public Masses. It is also easy to see how this concern can extend to closing churches in the parts of the country where this is the norm.

Health and safety is a valid concern – but it should not be allowed to become our sole master”

But I think it’s time to reconsider. I appreciate the health and safety concerns, and I know that in some areas the sacristan or priest may be cocooning and therefore unable to open the church.

Perhaps a parishioner who is under 70 could volunteer to open the church? Perhaps a rota could be put in place so that this is not burdensome to one individual?

When it comes to concerns around social distancing, people will be sensible as they are in the local churches I visit daily.

People are in the supermarkets and they are visiting off licences. Both of these interactions involve a certain amount of risk. An open church also involves a certain amount of risk, but it is – I would suggest – a risk that is worth it to allow people to pray where they are familiar. To permit people to worship God where they were married, had their children baptised and buried their loved ones from.

Health and safety is a valid concern – but it should not be allowed to become our sole master. Pope Francis has often said that he wants a church that is like a field hospital rather than a Church that is stingy with God’s mercy. It would be a pity if we were to run the risk with being stingy with allowing people to pray in their parish churches.

Observing all the necessary precautions, I think it’s time our churches were open for prayer.