"It is strange that bars and restaurants can open but churches are limited to just ten people", said Fr Pete Roe the Parish Administrator of St Francis of Assisi parish of Ohariu, Wellington.

Roe says the thriving parish normally has over 1,000 attendees and was already struggling with how to cater for congregations of what it thought would be one hundred.

"But now it's just ten, and it's the limit the Government has put on one table in a restaurant", Roe said.

He observed that Churches generally have more space than restaurants.

With no projection on when Churches might be allowed even one hundred Roe says that Churches are left in limbo.

"Do we have to wait for Level One?" he asked.

Roe is sensitive to those who at this point may feel uncomfortable about coming out of lockup straight back to church but says it is ultimately about people's choice.

He admits that some parish procedures will need to change. For example, contact tracing would be a little strange for parishioners but said that it is not an impossibility.

"We know it's not business as usual and there's an element of new wine and new wineskins in these times", Roe said, referring to Matthew 9:17.

Last evening the New Zealand Catholic Bishops also expressed surprise at Jacinda Ardern's decision.

"Many people will be disappointed in this news of more restricted gatherings than expected but others will be grateful for more time to prepare safely," the bishops commented on Facebook.

The bishops are inviting on the faithful to reflect on Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer".

They say they are looking at the details of the announcement with urgency.

Little churches

The decision to limit church congregations to ten means the Wellington Ohariu parish will further its investigation into a concept it is calling Little Churches.

"Normally Churches are the opposite of little; they are for all-comers, yet we're being limited to in effect minister to the few," said Roe.

Roe acknowledges that not everyone will be comfortable with the Little Churches concept.

Little churches is an alternative way of gathering for worship based on the practice of the early Christians as recorded in The Acts of Apostles.

As part of a parish survey, the leadership team in St Francis of Assisi parish of Ohariu, Wellington is asking for parishioners for feedback on a proposal to establish little churches.

The little churches concept is a limited assembly of up to 10 of parishioners gathering in a home for worship that includes prayer and possibly to receive the Eucharist.

In support of the idea the parish notes The Acts of Apostles records:

• "Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people". (Acts 2:46 -47).
• "Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah". (Acts 5:42)

"The model of Little Churches can be considered as being akin to a parish ecclesia (assembly) in which the gathering happens in many different rooms," the parish says in its newsletter.

The parish has identified several practical issues that need to be resolved, including:

• Identification of leaders
• Identification of participants
• Protocols around people meeting safely in homes
• Protocols around the safe distribution of the communion hosts
• Preparation of a worship outline that will give facilitators some direction and
  confidence in running such a group.

The St Francis of Assisi leaderships hopes that in facilitating the establishment of Little Churches, they will become like living cells, both nurturing and being sustained by the body as a whole.

The team say they realise that the implementation of the concept of Little Churches will need to develop.

They also acknowledge there are some whom it may pose too high a risk, and there will be some to whom the idea will not appeal.

Source

• Supplied; St Francis of Assisi Ohariu Parish
• Facebook
• Image: tuimotu.org

Catholic churches used to have a common look and feel, but post-COVID-19, the new normal will likely be less familiar, it may even seem a little strange, warns Wellington priest, Pete Roe.

Roe says he thinks that as parishes plan to reopen, the need to contact trace, keep to 100 person limit on gatherings and be socially distant while inside the church, will make the feel of going to Mass very different.

Some parishes are requiring people to book a seat for Mass.

One of those asking parishioners to book is the Palmerston North city-parish area.

Designed by the Diocese "the online booking system serves a dual purpose; government required contact tracking and a way to manage numbers attending each Mass", says the Palmerston parish priest Fr Joe Grayland.

We also encourage those who do not have internet access or need assistance to phone the parish office.

Roe's parish, St Francis of Assisi Ohariu is also requiring people to book a seat for Mass.

The parish normally offers three Masses on a Sunday, however, in its weekly newsletter, the parish says that with a regular Mass count of 1,000 it will not be possible for all parishioners to get to Mass.

"We don't want people standing around outside in the cold wondering if they are going to get a seat", Roe says.

Post-Covid, the Ohariu parish plans to offer two Masses and continue to promote its Little Churches initiative where a separate Mass is live-streamed and towards the end of Mass Holy Communion is delivered to each of the Little Churches by their Little Church representative who was present at Mass.

Trialled last week for the first time, the feedback was very positive.

Without the Eucharist for eight weeks, parishioners expressed delight at the opportunity to once again receive the Holy Communion, says Roe.

Originally restricted by government regulations to just 10 people at Mass, Little Churches 'maxed out' but now with the new limit of 100, the parish is in a position to expand the number of Little Churches.

St Francis Ohariu is also offering Holy Communion to parishioners who for health or other personal reasons are unable to attend Mass in the Church or join one of the Little Churches.

However, out of concern for the people, Roe, compassionately warns "that even for those who can get to Sunday Mass it is going to look and feel different."

For example.

• People will be spread out around the Church
• People may not be able to sit in their usual seat
• There may be ushers escorting people to their seats
• It will be unlikely that people can sit with their friends
• Health and safety requires no gatherings after Mass
• Throughout Mass, but particularly at Holy Communion, people will need to keep a social distance
• There will be no singing
• People should avoid shaking hands at the sign of peace
• Some people may be wearing masks
• Holy Communion will be distributed in the hand, not on the tongue nor from the chalice
• Holy water is to be removed from the vessels at the church door
• People are asked to keep a social distance entering and leaving the Church.

Roe acknowledges there seems to be a lot of "cant's and not's" in the list but says that it is important to follow the health and safety requirements.

"Throughout the pandemic, the bishops have expressed concern for the safety of people", Roe says.

"Let's also remember the positive, people are able to go to Mass," he said.

In its pastoral letter to Catholics, the New Zealand bishops acknowledge the wonderful work done in parishes during the lockdown and registers their delight with the creative ways parishes have gathered digitally and supported each other.

Larger churches remain shut

Ironically though, with more space to use, it seems the larger venues are the ones who are tested the most.

At Auckland's St Patrick's Cathedral, the only Mass being offered starts on 2 June and is only available on weekdays at 12:15pm. The priests at the Cathedral continue to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"We know that this will be a disappointment to all of you but we feel it is unfair at this stage to place a limit on who can and who cannot attend Mass on a Sunday", writes Pa Peter Tipene, Dean of the Cathedral, on the Cathedral's website.

Conscious of the impact of the Cathedral remaining closed, Tipene urges the Cathedral's 3,000 strong regular Mass-goers to not attend Mass at a smaller parish that may be open on Sunday, rather he urges people to continue to watch Mass on Shine TV (Channel 25 or Sky Channel 201), pray at home and listen to Cathedral music via its Spotify page.

In Wellington, the central city church, St Mary of the Angels remains completely closed. Parish Priest, Fr Kevin Mowbray SM wrote recently to parishioners registering his disappointment at the current Level 2 situation.

"The Parish Leadership Team has considered what is necessary for St Mary of the Angels to open for private prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation."

"The health and safety requirements required by the Ministry of Health are complex and challenging', says Mowbray.

"Some parishioners would need to be involved in ensuring compliance with cleaning and sanitisation, contact tracing, managing the restriction of no more than 100 people in the building and keeping people at a safe distance from one another."

"This would be a very significant undertaking and is not something that we should ask of parishioners."

"Therefore, St Mary of the Angels must remain closed."

Sources

• Cathedral, St Marys, Our Lady of Lourdes parish
• St Francis of Assisi Parish, Ohairu
• Ministry of Health
• St Patrick's Cathedral Auckland
• St Mary of the Angels Wellington
• Catholic Church NZ Media releases
• Image: Cathedral, St Marys, Our Lady of Lourdes parish

Organised religion normally involves congregations gathering, the word ‘church' is based on the word ‘assembly'.

The respiratory virus can spread with disastrous effects in a closely packed crowd and for very good reasons public gatherings were banned during the time of lockdown.

The ‘source and summit' of Catholic life and worship is the Eucharist.

The third of the Ten Commandments is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8) and Catholics interpret this as an obligation to attend mass on Sundays. In modern Catholic practice most of those attending mass receive Holy Communion.

In a Pastoral Letter, circulated in the Diocese of Auckland on 20 March 2020, Catholics were told by Bishop Patrick Dunn:

Having carefully and calmly reviewed the advice from the Ministry of Health, the New Zealand Catholic Bishop Conference have agreed to suspend all Masses including Sunday Mass until further notice. I formally give you dispensation from the obligation to participate at Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation (cc 87#1, 1247)

At 11.59 pm on Wednesday 25 March New Zealand went Alert Level 4 and the Bishops instructed all Catholic churches to close until further notice. Mass was not to be celebrated publicly. Priests were instructed:

You cannot dispense Holy Communion personally to individuals and, for those who have chapels in their presbyteries / religious houses, you cannot allow anyone in from outside but will have to act as a "closed community" until such time as the restrictions are lifted.

The Pastoral Letter sent to the Catholic people from the Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand on Saturday 28 March declared that "the sacraments of the church are unavailable to parishioners. This an especially great suffering for both priests and people, unprecedented in our lifetime."

That letter included the statement: "The sacraments, which are the primary communicators of the life of God within the Church, are not the origin of grace, nor do they have a monopoly on it. God is the origin of all grace and God freely chooses to reward virtue, good intentions and actions."

Bishop Dunn's letter of 20 March had a paragraph headed "Keeping the Lord's Day Holy."

Although Mass will not be available on Sunday in this time, people are encouraged to celebrate Sunday as domestic Church.

Gathering to pray in small groups, particularly whanau groups. This might include:

• reading and pondering the Scriptures for Sunday,
• giving thanks for all that we are blessed with,
• praying for the needs of individuals, families, New Zealand and the world.
• You will also be able to pray Sunday Mass individually or in small groups through the diocesan website www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz where Sunday Mass will be available on the front page of the website from 6.00 pm each Saturday.

Two months later we have now moved, as a nation, to Alert Level 2, public gatherings of ten persons are permitted and educational institutions can resume face-to-face classes.

In planning how the organisation should resume theological education the CEO of Te Kupenga, Areti Metuamate, proposed that the Catholic Theological College should try and facilitate reflection on our recent experience.

• What had happened?
• What had dioceses, parishes and families done?
• What was good, what was bad?
• What have we learnt?

The You Tube clip giving four short accounts of experience is intended as a conversation starter.

• Fr Merv Duffy SM - Dean of the Catholic Theological College. Te Kupenga the Catholic Leadership Institute in New Zealand has just been formed as the result of a merger between The Catholic Institute (TCI) and Good Shepherd College (GSC)