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Catholic agencies and individuals around Aotearoa-New Zealand are busy working from home and still-open “essential services” supporting communities in need during the Level 4 COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown.
Work that is less visible nationally but very important locally is happening everywhere.
Foodbanks and soup kitchens are two very busy basic services working hard behind the scenes.
Some extraordinary ingenuity is being used in these extraordinary times when essential Catholic spiritual work such as, attending to the sick and dying, is severely restricted by Level 4 rules.
Dunedin
Two St Vincent de Paul staff have continued to work providing food parcels. Because the usual donations of food at parish Masses has not been available, food has been bought with donated money, including with a grant from the Tindall Foundation.
The Dunedin and Central Otago Catholic Social Services (CSS) counselling and social work teams are keeping in touch with people using Zoom and phone calls, providing support, counselling, information and helping people get food parcels, technology support and financial help when needed.
Mike Tonks, CSS Dunedin Director, says life for some people has been a little easier under lockdown, with some having less anxiety and reporting they are coping better.
Christchurch
Catholic Social Services Manager Jon Brian says team members are working from home to support parishioners via phone and video link. People are pleased to “unload” to a professional counsellor outside their “bubble,” he says.
“Almost all the people reached didn’t expect to be contacted or to be able to contact counsellors; they were pleasantly surprised and grateful for that,” Jon said.
Catholic hospital chaplains are continuing to work from home, connecting with patients and hospital staff by phone and other devices.
Wellington
Hospital chaplain Lizzie Wootton says chaplains are learning to adapt to new rhythms and routines, at a time when face to face contact is not possible.
But she is able to talk to and pray with people in hospital using their own and hospital phones.
“I try to be present to them because human presence in any form helps with mental health and healing,” Lizzie said.
The Compassion Soup Kitchen has doubled its meal production to more than 150 a day since the lockdown started.
The kitchen has closed its communal dining area, instead, they are distributing meals at the door.
Auckland
Catholic Social Services, Catholic Caring Foundation and St Vincent de Paul’s foodbank in Newton are working together to get food parcels out to the elderly.
Parishes are also responding to the crisis by setting up phone groups to call elderly parishioners to see who needs help.
One parish is forwarding fresh produce to Vinnies, while another is ensuring that protective gear is made available to the volunteers and staff at the foodbank. Another parish programme is being set up to help the elderly receive their flu vaccinations.
Source
Supplied: He Huinga o ngā Pīhopa Katorika o Aotearoa
New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference
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News category: New Zealand.
