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Blessed Sacrament Congregation Newsletter ministering at
St Francis’ Church
Melbourne
St Peter Julian’s Church
Sydney
June 2020 Volume 5
Faith and the Spirit in Pandemic Time by Tony McSweeney, SSS
“Absence,” chimes the ancient adage, “makes the heart grow fonder.” Surely many of us have felt this during these months of physical separation from persons dear to us, whether family, friends or others whose enriching presence we miss. Absence from places of worship too has been for many an especially deeply-felt deprivation. Easter has passed and now Pentecost, without our being able to gather to celebrate Eucharist as communities or visit and spend time in our preferred places of prayer. Many would agree, I think, that absence has indeed brought home what these treasured realities mean for them. The impact of the pandemic lockdown, of course, has been much more wide-ranging and multi-faceted than these two examples alone would suggest. While some have lost loved ones, others experience loneliness, and many face multiple losses with busi-ness closures, loss of work and concern about how they are going to cope – subjecting younger people especially to severe pressures. Worries about eco-nomic survival or anxiety about paying bills and look-ing after children have exacerbated relational ten-sions in some families, triggering an increase in do-mestic violence. Our individual and collective resources for dealing with these complex challenges are being tested se-verely, as the bizarre case of panic buying of toilet-paper illustrates. When reserves of mental resilience fail, we find mental health conditions like depression multiplying and increased recourse to alcohol, for ex-ample, or pornography (and in its most evil forms, like child abuse accessed on the dark web). Driven by a need to vent frustration and anger by blaming some-one, others have abused Asian people, Jews (by painting swastikas in a golf course) or even – astonish-ingly! – medical staff. There is, of course, a good side too, especially in the case of dedicated medical and relief workers and of people engaged in helping and charitable organisa-tions as well as many ordinary folk who offer support in simple ways to those in need of it.
As we enter this new phase of progressive easing of restrictions, many are asking whether life will simply pick up again as before. Not, I suspect, at least for some time. What will surely count in the long run is whether society has learnt from this weird and testing time. Think, for example, of matters of social inequality, of homelessness and poverty; or of pollu-tion and climate change.
What is the Lord asking of us in particular, as persons of faith and believers in a crucified and glorious Christ?
How we respond to the challenges of this present moment depends upon honest, prayerful reflection, attentive to the gifts of the Holy Spirit; and here ac-cess is not hindered by locked doors! As the great Feast of Pentecost reminds us, Jesus sent his Spirit to be “another Paraclete,” another guide to accompany, enlighten and strengthen us in living his message au-thentically and prophetically in this moment of histo-ry.
For those gifts to be effective, prayerful reflection, enlightened by the Word of God and shared with those close to us, is called for. Virtual participation in the Eucharist can become a powerful stimulus to re-flect more deeply on the Sacrament and its influence on our everyday lives.
In its own modest way, the Blessed Sacrament com-munity here has been working to strengthen our brotherhood while exploring together in what ways the Lord is calling us to better serve his people, once St Francis’ is re-opened.
Let us pray that this painful and deeply unsettling pan-demic experience might give rise to fresh insights into life and faith, enhanced com-passion, a deepened wis-dom and greater resilience of spirit for us all.
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@ St Francis’
During these times of physical distance, we invite you to
pray for a group of 16 people who after just beginning
their faith journey with us at St Francis, needed to stop
meeting. As they continue to seek God in their lives and
in our world, we pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen
and support them. And may their desire to become part
of our Catholic family continue to be nourished with our
prayerful support.
St Francis’ Church
326 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 2495 Fax: (03) 9663 2817
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.stfrancismelbourne.com
Broadcast of Liturgies
from St Francis’ Masses are being recorded and made available for viewing at
11.00am each Sunday. You can find links to these videos and an
Order of Service at www.stfrancismelbourne.com
St Francis’ Pastoral Centre The Pastoral Centre phone is staffed from Monday to Friday. Calls come in from the
elderly who want to chat, people wanting to get information on Mass times
and with general inquiries on donation for masses etc.
Volunteers are looking forward to serving coffee and tea again.
All the volunteers are well.
Monday Prayer group - We meet at the same time through skype and continue with
prayer for the current situation around the world, and personal needs.
For more information please call the Pastoral Centre on 9663 2495.
Art at
St Francis’
For information about future
exhibitions please contact
Brigitte Remmen on
A Message from Ben Ho, SSS
I recently re-Tweeted a quote that is worth sharing in this month’s newsletter.
“Churches are essential; we already knew that. Think of others, especially those in the frontline, when we next leave our homes. Our highest and holy calling is to BE the church, not hurry back to church.”
While I know this quote may not sit well with many people, it is worth exploring what do we understand by being followers of Christ. At the last supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and said, “do this in memory of me.” Perhaps, as the Church, we are can continue to wash each other’s feet with-out rushing to church.
On 31st May, we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost – the same spirit continues to dwell within us as Christ’s disciples in the 21st century. Listen to that Spirit within us and set our-selves a new challenge each week – what new ways can we BE the church through washing each other’s feet, so that we can do it in memory of the One whom we follow.
Online training for Liturgical Ministries @ St Francis'
Online training will soon be commencing for those interested
in taking part in liturgical roles at St Francis’:
- Lectors (Readers) - Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist (Communion Ministers)
- Acolytes (Servers in the Sanctuary)
Should you be interested in being a Volunteer Liturgical Minister please email your expression of interest to our
Sacristan Mr Saophorn Chea e: [email protected] (A valid Working With Children check is required.)
