By Eric Martin
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has yesterday Wednesday 25 March released a Pastoral Letter informing Perth’s Catholic community that all public Masses and other gatherings for prayer and worship are now temporarily suspended throughout the Archdiocese until further notice.
“We have no way of knowing how long this situation will last and I am very conscious of the distress this will cause to many of you,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“It had been my hope that, even with the suspension of public Masses, we might be able to keep the churches open for private prayer, but following directives issued by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday 22 March 2020, this option is no longer available.”
On Monday 23 March, Christopher Dawson (State Emergency Coordinator and Commissioner of Police), in accordance with Section 71 of the Emergency Management Act 2005 (WA), issued directions applicable to the state of Western Australia for the “Closure of Certain Places of Business, Worship and Entertainment”.
Under these directions:
- “Every owner, occupier or person apparently in charge of an affected place must close that place to the public for a period commencing at 12pm on 23 March 2020”.
- Under the relevant definitions, “a place of worship, other than for the purposes of a wedding or a funeral” is defined as an “affected place”, and is subject to Section 71 of the Emergency Management Act 2005 (WA).
“For that reason, and with great sadness, I directed the priests of the Archdiocese of Perth to close all public churches and chapels at noon on Monday 23 March 2020 until further notice,” the Perth Archbishop stated.
“Should the State Government of Western Australia make a different decision I will review the total closure of our churches, but for the time being, effective immediately, we will not be able to visit our churches and chapels for private prayer.
“I know that many of you will find this very difficult. I do ask you to be understanding and not to put unfair pressure on your priests.”
Unless a child (or other person) is seriously ill, baptisms are to be postponed until this health crisis is over and similarly, confirmation will not be administered in the Archdiocese of Perth, except in the case of emergencies, until the crisis has passed.
In the Archdiocese of Perth, the following is to be observed in relation to the celebration of weddings and funerals.
- Weddings:
- The celebration of each wedding must adhere to the government-issued restriction of no more than five (5) people in attendance.
- Attendees at weddings are to be restricted to the celebrant (1), the couple (2) and the witnesses (2).
- The rule of one (1) person per four (4) square metres applies.
- Funerals:
- The celebration of each funeral must adhere to the government-issued restriction of no more than ten (10) people in attendance.
- The rule of one (1) person per four (4) square metres applies.
For the time-being, Holy Communion can still be taken by the clergy or even by Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to the sick, elderly and house-bound if this is explicitly requested by the person or their family. This advice may change if the government imposes new restrictions.
“As we did last Sunday we will livestream Mass from the Archdiocese of Perth each Sunday morning at 11am. We are also exploring the possibilities for streaming other liturgical celebrations as well as short messages from me and others in the archdiocese to provide information and, hopefully, inspiration,” Archbishop Costelloe stated.
“When the disciples of Jesus were overwhelmed by a storm which had overtaken them, Jesus came to them in the midst of the storm, encouraging them not to be afraid because he was with them.
“He reached out to Peter as he was sinking and lifted him up (cf. Matthew 14:22-33). The Lord is with us in this present storm which is engulfing us and he is encouraging us, too, not to be afraid. He has not deserted us.
“I assure you of my continued prayers and practical support as together we as an Archdiocese seek to continue to witness and proclaim our Christ-centred hope within a global context that is collectively seeking to respond to the uncertainty and reality of COVID-19.”
Archbishop Costelloe’s Pastoral Letter was released on the back of an increase of 56 confirmed COVID-19 cases in WA, taking the total from 175 to 231 in just one day: the new cases include 18 males and 12 females, aged between 21 and 80.
There are now a total of 2799 confirmed cases in Australia as of today, 26 March 2020.
Next week, from Monday 30 March to Friday 3 April, the West Australian Government is asking parents to keep their children home if at all possible, while teachers are given the opportunity to prepare their schools for online learning. Children will still be able to attend school during this time if unable to stay home.
The following week, from Monday 6 April to Thursday 9 April, parents who cannot make alternative arrangements can still send their children to school, but teachers will only provide supervision rather than structured learning.