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Our faith is not virtual and is not something to be moved online, writes Bishop Tom Deenihan
The current restrictions on public worship are both understandable and necessary and also enjoy public support. The escalation of Covid-19 during the past few months has been a source of fear and huge concern. However, I must also admit that I am a little uncomfortable with the general principal of a government, any government in any country, stating that worship cannot be in public and must move online. That is a significant step. The former Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said that such restrictions can be warranted but they should only be in place for the shortest period of time. I agree with that. The Church is sacramental and sacramental is not virtual. While many parishes have responded magnificently to the current pandemic and the current restrictions, people genuinely miss not being able to gather in church, to pray together, to receive the sacraments and to worship as a community. Christianity and Catholicism are not individualistic pursuits, we are a community of believers who pray together.
I have spoken to local politicians who are supportive of the role of the Church, public worship and faith communities. Indeed, those public representatives have told me that they have received many representations from constituents in relation to public worship. I also have sympathy for those in Government as there is, no doubt, a fear that if one allows one sector to reopen, others will put more pressure on and feel aggrieved. However, prayer and worship is something different and the bishops have suspended the obligation, mindful that there are those who cannot and should not risk attending. Politicians are also mindful of the fact that our churches are safe. While there have been outbreaks linked to funerals and gatherings in cemeteries and wake-houses, I believe that what has happened in our churches has been safe, well sanitised and well stewarded.
Forward
As we move forward, I think that it is very important that churches are open for Holy Week and Easter. It is important to note that public worship was suspended on March 12 last and did not resume until June 30. It was suspended again in early October and resumed in the first half of December. Public worship was suspended again on December 26 and still remains so. By next month, churches will have been closed for public worship for eight of the previous twelve months. There was no public worship in our churches last Easter. Ceremonies were broadcast on RTÉ from the cathedral in Mullingar. Certainly, my postbag during the following days illustrated the pain that people felt in not being able to attend church at Easter. Priests and parishioners are now quite concerned that we will not be allowed to celebrate the Easter ceremonies this year either. As numbers decline and as vaccines are rolled out, particularly amongst those who are most vulnerable, that would be difficult to justify.
I do not subscribe to the view that it is only older people who attend Mass. This view may well be why some people mistakenly feel that churches should not be allowed to open. However, the majority of people who write to me are younger and, in many cases, have young families. In fact, I have forwarded some of that correspondence to local Dáil Deputies. However, the fact that the bishops have suspended the obligation means that those who are vulnerable and those who are fearful need not attend. Our churches are probably safer than shopping malls and supermarkets – there is less movement and more social distance! I think that it would be difficult to justify closing churches for Easter and quite unpopular.
Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ and the conquering of death is the reason for our faith. I think that all Christians and even those who do not share our faith are looking forward to Easter this year, not just because it is the end of winter and a season of new life, but because I think it is almost a metaphor for what we have come through during the past 12 months. People need a sense of joy, of hope, of resurrection and of celebration. People need a spiritual if not religious sensibility. Easter is about the conquering of death and new life in Christ. The families and friends of the 3,700 who have died of Covid-19 so far, and we have all known coronavirus victims now, need that sense of resurrection and hope that Easter offers.
Comfort
Faith is important at this time and has been a source of comfort and strength for so many. Any parish will tell you that there has been an increase in the number of candles that are being burnt in churches. That tells you something. I have seen people of all age groups coming into the Cathedral in Mullingar, kneeling for a prayer, lighting a candle, going to the statue of St Anthony or the Pietà. People need the ‘consolation of faith’. Older people too, particularly the daily Massgoers, miss the routine, they miss daily Communion and they miss the contact with other parishioners. While the churches were open for Mass, that may have been no more than a socially distant wave but it was some human contact. Now, that constituency sees no one. We are social beings and isolation is never good, psychologically or spiritually.
Priests too have found the lockdowns hard. I think that priests in particular define themselves by what they do. Catholic priests define themselves in terms of the sacraments and the celebration of Mass. That has been taken from them. In addition, many priests are over 70 and found the concept of ‘cocooning’ hard. Priests from neighbouring parishes covered and responded heroically and generously to their own and neighbouring parishes. Many people were struck by the generosity of priests who visited nursing homes and hospitals to minister to those who were dying. Priests insisted on giving those who died of Covid-19 proper funerals and affording them what we would call the dignity of a Christian burial. Priests kept offering the sacraments of marriage and Baptism when restrictions allowed and put themselves at risk. I think that this pandemic has, in some cases, brought people closer to their priests and created a greater appreciation for what priests do. Many priests have told me of parishioners dropping a contribution into the sacristy mindful that there are no Sunday collections. That is, in itself, a sign of appreciation and acknowledgement.
Covid-19 has been particularly hard on retired communities of sisters and priests. This week, stories are emerging of large numbers of deaths of missionary priests in their own retirement homes since Christmas. The same is true of religious sisters. I have been at the funerals of five sisters from different congregations who died of coronavirus in this diocese, including one this week, in addition to other funerals of religious which took place in severe restrictions. Shocking stories are emerging of communities of sisters and priests that have been struck with multiple deaths within days. Like any family, those deaths create an impact and leave a void. Like many families too, I have felt it particularly hard that their passing and their contribution was not marked as we would like it to be. It is the same for every family. I remember the funeral of one sister who made a huge contribution to healthcare both in terms of tutoring and nursing in a college and in several hospitals during more than 60 years of profession. There were just four others sisters present. It should not be like that. That has an impact on everyone. May they rest in peace. Both Church and society must mark those deaths when this passes.
Priests
It is also worth mentioning that priests willingly moved to online platforms when it was not possible to have a physical congregation. However, that is a temporary arrangement! It is worth noting that Pope Francis turned off the live-streaming of his Mass from the Domus Sanctae Marthae each morning when public Mass resumed in Italy. Our faith is not virtual and is not something to be ‘moved online’. I have heard of people surfing the internet for the ‘fastest’ Mass! That sense of parish, of community and belonging is important too. That is why it is so important that our churches are open for Easter to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ. I think this Easter that sense of resurrection will be needed and embraced by all of us as we continue to make progress in our mortal combat with Covid. Let us hope and pray that we can gather to celebrate Easter and worship together.
