Day: March 12 2020

It seems that all Masses with congregations will be cancelled in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Archbishop Neary of Tuam has issued the following directive; “all Masses with congregations in parishes in the Archdiocese of Tuam should be cancelled.”

UPDATE – Irish Bishops
“In the current emergency situation, all are dispensed from the obligation to physically attend Sunday Mass.”
“Every Catholic is entitled to a dignified Christian burial.  Attendance at Funeral services and Masses should be limited to close relatives and must not exceed 100 attendees within the church building.
Similarly, Church weddings and baptisms may be celebrated on condition that the attendance in church does not exceed 100 people.”

Seamus Ahearne takes time out to reflect.
“all of us should stop finger-pointing and blaming and freshen up this Church where somehow God still speaks despite the mess we are often in. Our vocation is to reach out and touch the heavens and then to be a poet of faith.”

Chris McDonnell in the Catholic Times suggests that “We live in a time of immediate news and instant reaction. Sometimes a period of reflection allows a more considered opinion to form.” and he asks “The papal document is the response to the Synod’s theme “Amazon: new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology. So where do we stand?”