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LINK to our Mass Services:

St Macartan's Parish YouTube Channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8lyzEMe20DLyOpptks0Fw/videos

On this link to our Parish YouTube Channel you will now find our video Masses

COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS UPDATE: 9th July 2020

Dear parishioners of St Macartan’s,                                                            

As you are aware, Metropolitan Melbourne is going back under lockdown and unfortunately, we are included in this lockdown – so what does that mean?

As of 11.59pm Wednesday 08 July 2020 you must stay at home. People may leave their home for four reasons:

1. Shopping for food or other essential items

2. To provide care giving, for compassionate reasons or to seek medical treatment

3. For exercise (outdoor exercise only, with only one other person or members of your household)

4. Work or study, only if you cannot work or study from home

PLEASE NOTE: The Government has indicated that police patrols will be present in the Hot Zone Postcode areas to restrict travel to the four reasons listed above

Additional restrictions have also been put in place:

  • Weddings will be limited to 5 people (the couple, two witnesses and the celebrant).
  • Baptisms are to be postponed where possible, unless there is an urgent and grave pastoral need. (Can. 857; 860). In that instance, numbers will be limited to 5 people (the child, couple and godparents within the total of 5 limitations) + celebrant.
  • Funerals will be restricted to 10 people plus those required to conduct the funeral.
  • A wedding or funeral held in a private residence outside of a restricted postcode will be limited to five visitors, plus the celebrant.
  • Religious services and private worship will need to be streamed online as places of worship will be closed except to hold weddings, funerals or public services such as foodbanks.
  • For those liturgies permitted above, all density, number and hygiene regulations must be adhered to, including the recording of participant contact details (first name and phone number).

 Except for the exemptions noted above, all public Masses, Liturgies and communal devotions (whether indoors or outdoors) are temporarily suspended for 6 weeks or until further notice.

Also affected by this closure are church buildings, adoration chapels and other church buildings used for public prayer and religious services.

Priests may celebrate Mass privately in a closed church, including for the purposes of live streaming. In doing so all precautions such as physical distancing and hygiene measures must be modelled and met.

Masses in family homes or other such private or domestic locations are not permitted until further notice.

So, for us at St Macartan’s, the church will be closed (no private worship and no masses). I am, however, allowed to, and will continue to do, the video Mass for Sunday.

As a Priest, closing the church goes against everything I have come to believe and profess but these are extraordinary circumstances. Who would ever have thought we would see the day when not only our own church was closed but not long ago, we saw the Pope close St Peters and all the Churches in Italy, but they did eventually re-open and we will too.

So yes, we are living in extraordinary times. Regardless of this, we will overcome!

It is during extraordinary times when we are asked to become extraordinary people. To show extraordinary patience, resilience, and cooperation. It’s the time for ‘fortitude – endurance from within to survive suffering. To some extent, we are all suffering hardship, whether it be physical, emotional and/or spiritual. But it is now when our faith needs to kick in. It is not the time for any “blame game”, to point the finger or have unfair expectations of others. I am sure not one person, including myself, hasn’t relaxed their own guard in this pandemic and to some extent become a little complacent. So let us again stay committed to this struggle we have been asked to endure, we have travelled this road before, so we know the way and through our faith we will endure.

🕇

Blessings

Rev. Fr Geoffrey McIlroy

Parish Priest St Macartan's Mornington 3931