The Reopening of Churches

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Like me, you will be delighted that from this Monday, 22nd June, our Churches can reopen for private prayer, Requiem Masses and Confession (though not in Confessionals). I rejoice that once more you will be able to spend quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament, that our bereaved can be present for Requiem Mass and that penitents can receive the Sacrament. I thank you for the sacrifices you have offered during the lockdown for the good of others. The Good Lord will not have left you unblessed. I also thank our priests for their continued spiritual and pastoral care of you, often in innovative ways. Not all Churches will be ready to reopen at the same time and local circumstances will have its part to play. I ask for your understanding.  I hope that the necessity for extra volunteers, especially younger people, will lead to a renewal of parish and diocesan life. The resumption of communal worship, including public Mass, will follow in Phase 3.

Of course, the virus has merely been supressed and not eradicated. It is our Christian duty to ensure that when our Churches reopen we do not spread the virus. To keep you and others safe the Bishop’s Conference, taking expert medical advice, has published robust Infection Control Guidelines. Our Diocese and every parish has a Covid-19 coordinator. When your Church reopens you will need to wear a face-covering and follow other protocols. To learn more please watch this short video from Motherwell Diocese as the same guidelines apply across the country.  Please click here for the video. They may initially seem strange, but they will give you confidence. Let us continue to pray for the sick, their carers, for a vaccine and for those in positions of authority.

Please remember me in your prayers as I remember you.

May God bless you and all your loved ones,

+Brian