+ Thurs 4th June – 70th blog, easing back blog posts, some criticism, full schedule of church opening
Dear friends –
Welcome to the 70th Parish Blog post on the day we also welcomed people to morning Mass – It’s only by chance that this big round number is also the blog post to say that we’ll begin reducing the blog frequency. It’s been five posts each midweek plus one or two posts on weekends during the COVID shut down – and I sincerely hope it’s played some role towards keeping the community connected and moving along in life and faith.
With two of the morning Masses back on (Thursday 8.15am and Friday 7.15am) for up to fifty people each – plus one morning Mass reserved, for now, for parish school outreach on Wednesday – and two of the weekend Masses back on (pre-bookings for 50) we’ll take the step to cut the blog posts back to Monday, Wednesday and Weekend. ALSO the Parish Bulletin will appear on this same website, but in the bulletin section, each Friday afternoon. See the full current schedule of church opening times for Prayer/Adoration, Masses, Communion Services reprinted at the end of this Parish Blog post.
SO, REGARDING BLOG POSTS FROM NOW:
Monday – Parish Blog post
Wednesday – Parish Blog post
Friday afternoon – Parish Bulletin post
Weekend – Parish Blog post with one of the weekend Mass streamings
SOME CRITICISM – PHYSICAL DISTANCING CRUCIAL
The Western Weekender newspaper did a small very positive piece the other day on Our Lady of Way church opening back up. BUT immediately it attracted criticism on social media that this will cause the second spike of COVID-19. We can either feel upset and self-conscious about such suggestions – as I initially did – or we can take an understanding view that people will respond in different ways … and really ensure that we operate with super respectful and careful processes. Be assured that we did not open up without a COVID plan in place. And sincere thanks from the whole parish to the dozen parishioners who responded to the call the other week and volunteered to be part of the church and prayer times hospitality team. With all that in place, you will also understand – and now in light also of the immediate criticism that occurred – that we will be following maximum measures for physical distancing and hygiene whenever the church is open.
POWERFUL ARTICLE ABOUT THE UNITED STATES TROUBLE – AND OTHER APPLICATIONS TOO
In this blog post today I’ve chosen to reprint below what is a quite powerful and challenging faith article written by Blaise Cupich, the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago. The article originally in Chicago Catholic, then in our diocese’s Catholic Outlook. It really helped me reflect on some key aspects of the protests that have been occurring in the U.S. in recent days since the death of George Floyd. And I also highly commend it to you as I suggest it contains some really valuable principles for the way we think through and respond to various issues as people of faith. You may or may not already be familiar with this Catholic leader from Chicago. I find him a very significant and quite profound leader in our world and Church today.
When news came that this past Memorial Day weekend was Chicago’s bloodiest in five years, most of the violence affecting communities of color, we had no idea how much worse the week would get. Eight hundred miles east, a white woman walking her dog though Central Park was asked by a bird-watcher to leash the pet, as required by posted signs. The man happened to be black. She responded by promising to call the police and say that an “African-American man is threatening my life,” treating 911 as a customer-service line. Twelve hours later and 400 miles northwest of Chicago, a Minneapolis man was arrested for allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. He also happened to be black, but his encounter with a white person on Memorial Day, a police officer, ended differently. He died, after the officer knelt on his neck for about 9 minutes — despite the man’s desperate cries for air, and, heart-breakingly, for his late mother. The man’s name was George Floyd. We must never forget it.
READ: Cardinal Cupich’s May 31 statement.
“We.” It is a difficult word for white Americans to use in these days when searing anguish, simmering anger and existential sorrow explode into protest, some of which descends into violence. White people must never pretend that our place is to narrate the experience of non-white Americans, let alone feel justified in simply condemning the violence against black people, or the violence that has sparked from that justifiable outrage. No one should allow themselves to dismiss the aims of peaceful protestors because some among them exploited the anger by engaging in criminal acts. Nor should we dismiss the legitimate work of first responders and law enforcement, despite the dangerous overreactions of some against protesters and journalists reporting on these demonstrations.
The responsibility of any neighbor, any citizen, especially those of us who profess belief in Jesus Christ, is to do the work of accompanying their brothers and sisters who carry this pain every day of their lives.
That work begins by understanding that when such feelings erupt they do not come from nowhere. They are the consequence of centuries of national racial injustice that began with the inhuman practice of slavery, was re-institutionalized during the Jim Crow era, and continues today with the myriad ways people of color are treated as less-than, or worse. People of color suffer discrimination and indignities not only from racist individuals, but from the very structures erected by our society that were meant to protect the vulnerable.
Americans must realize that beneath the outrage is the same aspiration all people have to freely pursue a life of meaning and flourishing. The death of George Floyd was not the sole driver of the civil unrest our nation is witnessing today. It just ignited the frustration of a people being told repeatedly in our society: “You don’t matter”; “You have no place at the table of life” — and this painful frustration has been building since the first slave ships docked on this continent.
This is where our conversation about healing should begin, not with simple condemnations, but with facing facts. We need to ask ourselves and our elected officials: Why are black and brown people incarcerated at higher rates than whites for the same offenses? Why are people of color suffering disproportionately from the effects of the novel coronavirus? Why is our educational system failing to prepare children of color for a life in which they can flourish? Why are we still asking these questions and not moving heaven and earth to answer them, not with words, but with the systemic change it will take to finally right these wrongs?
These questions should be particularly troubling to people of faith. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops put it in its recent statement on the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests, “We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.” Citing a recent document on racism, the USCCB went on to say, “As bishops, we unequivocally state that racism is a life issue.” Indeed, racism and its death-dealing consequences are not just offenses against our brothers and sisters as fellow human beings. They are offenses against God, the father of us all.
And how do people of faith respond when they realize they have offended God? They confess. They acknowledge their sin, express remorse and commit to doing better. But when it comes to slavery, our nation’s original sin, and racism, which continues to enslave in our time, have we done that as Americans? Have we done it as a church? Or have we more often sought comfort in the “over-there-ness” of racist acts and crimes? Have we averted our gaze by pretending that “gang-related violence” and the conditions that make it possible are not really “our problem”?
Other societies have experienced unfathomable offenses against humanity and found ways to engage the history, to admit the crimes, to hold accountable those who committed them and to move toward something resembling reconciliation: the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime, the Rwandan genocide, the crimes of South African apartheid. We Americans can do this too. We are well past overdue for such a national reconciliation and the need to account for the history of violence against people of color in this country.
Tragedy does not eradicate hope. If there is anything we Christians take from our faith, it is that even the darkest deeds can be redeemed by love. And love is what is called for now. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Not the love of transactional friendships and cheap associations made by the click of a mouse button or an easy retweet. Signpost solidarity will not do. Only the hard work of familial love will set us on the path toward justice. The love we read about in Scripture. The love God has for his children, every one of us, even when we fail — especially when we fail. Because God knows what his children are capable of, not only how we can fail in our humanity, but even more how we can build it up. And it is up to us to show God, to show all our brothers and sisters, the neighbors we know and the ones we will never meet, how deeply we can love.
With thanks to Cardinal Cupich and the Archdiocese of Chicago. This article originally appeared in Chicago Catholic. Republished with permission by Catholic Outlook.
FULL SCHEDULE OF CHURCH TIMES AND ACTIVITIES – PRE-BOOKING DETAILS etc
In the big red band high up in this parish website (when you first access catholicparishemuplains.org.au) you’ll see details about Weekend Masses and the pre-booking process – and as it says also, go to the 2nd June blog post to review all the details of church opening times for Prayer/Adoration, Masses, Communion Services. THAT FULL SCHEDULE IS REPRINTED BELOW along with weekend pre-booking details
See you in the next blog post – which as it says above will now be the weekend – but the Parish Bulletin will be posted by Friday afternoon. Just click Bulletin in the menu and you’ll see it.
With friendship in God’s mission,
fr Paul
RE-PRINT OF FULL SCHEDULE
MIDWEEK CHURCH OPENINGS AND MASS
Wednesday:
MASS is temporarily reserved for parish school
Church OPEN for Adoration/Prayer 9.45-10.45am
Brief Holy Communion service 10.15am
All Welcome
Thursday:
MASS 8.15am – arrive early for sign in – 50 maximum
Entry for Mass not possible after 8.15am (due to sign in, sanitising and seating processes)
Church OPEN for Adoration/Prayer 8.45-10.45am
Brief Holy Communion service 10.15am
All welcome
Friday:
MASS 7.15am – arrive early for sign in – 50 maximum
Entry for Mass not possible after 7.15am (due to sign in, sanitising and seating processes)
All welcome
FOR NOW – TWO WEEKEND MASSES AT OLOW – PRE BOOKING ESSENTIAL
50 Attendees Each – AND – Live Stream
***BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL BY FRIDAY 2pm***
–> SEND TEXT BY 2pm Friday with attendees’ names AND Mass time to Parish Office Mobile: 0422 397467
–> OR SPEAK TO Chrissy in Parish Office by Friday 2pm – 4735 1041
-Saturday 6pm (arrive by 5.50pm) – for those pre-booked AND is also LIVE STREAMED
-Sunday 9.30am (arrive by 9.20am) – for those pre-booked AND is also LIVE STREAMED
Kindly understand that actual confirmation of your booking is essential. Also kindly understand that due to entry procedures, sanitising, live streaming etc that entry to Mass will not be possible after the designated starting time.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
For now, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in the church on Sunday from 10.30am to 11am. Physical distancing applies but sound privacy assured using a music barrier
