Good Shepherd parish

June 9th / 2020 

Dear Parishioners,
 
We were all very excited yesterday to hear the good news from Premier Ford that places of worship will be re-opening soon at a 30% capacity. The ability to re-open has been made possible by much hard work, dialogue and initiative on behalf of the Ontario Bishops, other religious leaders, and openness from the Provincial Government to respond to our needs. We are all very grateful.
 
But along with every gift comes great responsibility. We need to ensure that our churches are safe, sanitized and organized for a 30% seating capacity. As you can imagine this kind of work doesn’t happen overnight. Bishop Fabbro and a diocesan committee are currently in dialogue with the local health units to prepare directives that will ensure safety for all and to avoid any spread of the virus. We do not want to have to close our churches again, so we want to take our time and prepare well for the re-opening. Public Mass will not resume this coming weekend, we will keep you posted as to when our official date for re-opening will be, and what steps need to be taken for all of us to prepare well.
 
Four things to consider as we enter this phase of re-opening:

• Collaboration is key: The health and safety of our parishioners is a priority. Sanitization instructions that will be given later need to be adhered to by all to make this work; your 100% cooperation with our future directives will be important. We need to work together as God’s family even during the re-opening phase.

• Patience is an act of charity: Not everyone is going to be able to attend the Mass they would like, nor be able to attend as often as they might like to, since only 30% of our churches can be filled. Please be patient with us, your parish team, and with one another in order to allow other people/families to participate in the Eucharist, who may not have had the opportunity to do so.

• Unity is an essential service: Let us as a parish family commit to not judging other people who may stay at home longer due to their health conditions, or other reasons, at this time. We are all still dispensed from our Sunday obligation to attend Mass in person for the duration of this pandemic. Let us commit to supporting our Bishop and diocesan committee who are preparing the directives, and to supporting our parish team as they implement these directives for us. For us to be united, ‘to be one’, as the body of Christ the Church, was the greatest desire in Jesus’ prayer to His Father the night of the Last Supper. It should be our desire as well.

• Online ministry is here to stay: our online ministry has been one of the tremendous blessings of our time of closure. It is here to stay, even though it is not the same as being together in person. Even if you cannot attend the Masses as part of the 30%, we will continue to live-stream regularly and offer online faith experiences consistently. The content of the online ministry may change as we go, but our online presence is here to stay – and this is good news, many conversions have happened and people have encountered the living Jesus with our online ministry during the pandemic.

 
Finally, be assured that I will remain completely devoted, along with the parish teams at Ste. Anne’s and Good Shepherd, to updating you regularly in regard to the re-opening and to continue to allow your faith to be nourished in these times. With my prayers,

Fr. Patrick Bénéteau

June 18th / 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Warm greetings to you, the faithful of the Diocese of London.

Today, I am very pleased to bring you the good news that the churches of our diocese are now able to open for the public celebration of Mass. I know how painful the closure of our churches over the past three months has been for all of us, both our people and our priests. The news that we can now return to them is truly an occasion of great joy.

Some of our churches have already opened. Some will be opening for Sunday Mass this coming weekend, June 20 and 21. The rest will be opening the last weekend of June or the first weekend of July.

In all cases, our churches are putting in place strict safety measures to protect our people. These measures have been developed by the bishops of Ontario with the input of public health officials. We all share in the responsibility to follow these measures, so that our churches will be safe places and remain open for worship.

Please contact your parish for the times of Masses and read the guidelines and safety measures that will be followed when you go to one of our churches.

Many of our people, who are elderly and have health issues, will not feel comfortable returning to church at this time. I want to assure them that the dispensation from the obligation of Sunday Mass will remain in effect. A number of our churches will continue to livestream their Masses.

Over these past few months, it has been inspiring to hear of countless acts of charity and generosity. I have been encouraged as well by your efforts to stay connected with your parishes through the livestreaming of Masses, phone calls and many creative ways that have enriched your spiritual lives. I thank you, our people, and our priests and pastoral teams.

Yesterday, I spoke with one of our pastors who had already opened his church for Mass. He was well prepared to welcome parishioners. Everything went smoothly. He told me that a woman came up to receive Holy Communion with tears in her eyes. It was like the experience we have of embracing the one we love after a long absence. Her tears were a moving testimony of what the Eucharist means to us Catholics.

Now that our churches are opening, I join you in thanking God for the blessings he pours out on us. I thank you for your faithfulness and patience during this difficult time and assure you that I am remembering you in my prayers. Our Blessed Mother Mary cares for us. Through her intercession, may God protect us from all harm and fill us with his merciful love.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Ronald P. Fabbro, C.S.B.
Bishop of London