DIRECTIVES, GENERAL ORIENTATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
FOR PASTORS, PASTORAL TEAMS AND RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS
 
MARCH 26, 2020
 
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, ministers of the Good News! 
 
In light of requests for clarification regarding the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church within the current context, here is some relevant information – some in the form of specific directives, others offered as “suggestions/invitations,” which, despite everything, will help to ensure that we, as Church, respond to the material and spiritual needs of its neighbours. 
 

1. Celebration of the sacraments

 

1. All church funerals and Liturgies of the Word in funeral homes are postponed indefinitely.  If necessary, where there is need to arrange a burial in a Catholic cemetery, please leave a voice-mail message on your answering machine giving details of the person to be contacted for this purpose. As this service is deemed "essential", an individual can go to the office, by appointment, to complete the necessary documents.
2. To postpone or to cancel upcoming weddings, see the attached Chancellery- Weddings - 26 March 2020.pdf letter from Msgr. François Sarrazin, chancellor.

3. Adult baptism: as already reported, adult baptisms and confirmations, usually celebrated at the Easter Vigil or during the Easter Season, are postponed, as are the scrutinies and other preparatory rites relating to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

4. The Sacrament of Reconciliation: The question of its availability is frequently raised during these times of confinement. Since it is not possible for priests to be on the move or for penitents to come to the church or the presbytery to confess, is it possible to receive absolution by telephone or Skype? The Church gives a definitive answer: No.  One cannot receive a sacrament from a distance, by telephone or via the Internet. An explanation of this fact is set out in the document published by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications: The Church and the Internet (see in particular no. 9).http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_church-internet_en.html

       One can ask forgiveness from God as long as one sincerely                 repents and makes a commitment to receive the Sacrament of              Reconciliation when it is possible to do so again.
 
  

2. Spiritual support: via the parish or through a dedicated telephone line                                                                                                  
   1. We understand that many parishes are already experiencing financial difficulties; in addition, government restrictions now require that all “non-essential” workplaces close, this includes parish offices. Even though many regular activities cannot take place, because we cannot gather or even visit one another, yet, one of them can and must continue: listening. Where possible, we encourage our pastoral staff to continue to dialogue with people by telephone, e-mail or different forms of video-chat. Why not take the initiative to contact isolated parishioners?  

 

2. If not already done, the voice message of the parish answering machine/service must state whom to contact in case of emergency, whether for a material or spiritual need. This message can also be posted on the doors of the church and the parish office, inviting those without a phone to leave a message in the mailbox. It is important to check our messages and mailbox daily.

 

3. If it is impossible to have someone present to answer telephone calls, please mention 1-888-305-0994, or refer people to the diocesan website for various initiatives that offer a form of presence and a listening ear. Please let people know, including those in your network of contacts, that this service, dedicated to providing spiritual support, exists; it was established specifically to address needs stemming from this pandemic.

 

4. Some people who have accessed the various diocesan support initiatives in place have specifically asked to speak to a priest for advice and guidance. Priests willing to make themselves available for such a need, should contact André Dupré at[email protected]   or at 514-272-4441.

3. Serving the poor

1. Many of your parishes support – in the presbytery, in a room or in the basement of the church – various initiatives to serve and stand in solidarity with those in need: food pantries, flea markets, soup kitchens (Saint-Vincent-de-Paul groups or other services), even homeless shelters. These represent an important safety net for some of the most fragile and vulnerable members of our society. While respecting the current public-health directives, please try to find creative ways of continuing these good works. The episcopal vicars are there to help support and guide you. 

   

2. Here are some resources you might find helpful:

• The telephone number “211” and the website – www.211.qc.ca– for the Greater Montreal Area offers information and social services. “An easy-to-remember three-digit telephone number (2-1-1), allows anyone in need to find free or low-cost services that can help them”.  This is information we need to share.  If your solidarity initiatives are not already listed on this site, now is a good time to do so.
• Volunteer coordination resources: see www.jebenvole.ca or Catholic Action (www.catholicaction.ca). A government portal is being set up. 
• Be creative: twin young people in your parish with the elderly – to run errands, to pick up groceries, or just to offer an attentive ear.
• Other resources recommended by our social action office:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DxQGtUzzJTpl00VQNf8ovKRS8vIUodo5pYlULxtlbs0/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR0-PTGYIFsL_WnQVShTbzIbu5bmtrIaJHyPcm-8D_iv4oCEQq19BagzLas

4. Information on upcoming celebrations:

1. According to a decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship, dated March 25,2020, the date of Easter is fixed and cannot be moved.
2. Palm Sunday. According to the same decree, the Commemoration of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem will be celebrated in parish churches and in other places using the simple form (third form) of the entrance rite for Palm Sunday provided in the Roman Missal, to the degree that this is possible: it begins with the singing of the Introit, which retells the story of the entry into Jerusalem, and includes two verses of Psalm 24. This exceptional form excludes the blessing of the palms.

I remind everyone that, according to the public-health restrictions, liturgical celebrations must take place with a strict minimum of participants present, only two or three people including the presider. 
Many parishes have already received their palms. Keep them in their sealed bags and store in a cool place for eventual use at a later date, when it should be possible to celebrate, as a community, the victory of the Risen One. You will receive guidelines and suggestions at the proper time.

3. Other guidelines for Holy Week will be issued next week.

 

5. Ringing the bells

The Archbishop wishes to send a message of hope to as many people as possible and requests that  Catholic churches ring their bells  for 10 minutes, starting at 12 noon, beginning Sunday, March 29 through every Sunday until Easter. Therefore, in those churches where it is possible, the Archbishop would like pastors to ensure that it happens. Here, in addition, is a message that explains the meaning of this initiative to help you share this news with those with whom you’re in touch.
 

Ringing of bells   Although church doors remain closed in response to preventive measures for COVID-19, the Archbishop of Montreal suggests that we offer a symbolic gesture of support: to ring the bells of all churches, every Sunday at noon for ten minutes, starting Sunday, March 29 until Easter, as long as the measures regarding physical distancing remain in force.   During this time of Lent, it is a way of demonstrating our solidarity and fraternity with individuals, families, especially the most vulnerable, the sick and their loved ones, and of recognizing the dedication of the health-care personnel and all those ensuring the security and wellbeing of our city.   This "Crescendo of the Bells" is a sign of hope and of solidarity, signalling that the Church stands with the people and the city once known as "The City of a Hundred Bell Towers".   May the ringing of the bells remind us that God loves us, that Christ is alive and wants us to be ALIVE!

 

6. Pastoral letters available on diocesan website

1. I remind you that our Archbishop, Most Rev. Christian Lépine, shares his vision of hope on the current situation regularly through video spots and pastoral letters. If you have not received a copy of his 4th pastoral letter, Time to awaken the soul, please contact the communications department (communications@diocesemontreal.org ). The letter is also available on the diocesan website.

  

2. To keep abreast of the news from our diocese, particularly the latest initiatives, available resources, messages and directives related to the COVID-19 emergency, visit the special WEB page of the diocesan website on a regular basis:www.diocesemontreal.org/en/covid-19

 

Finally, I would like to thank all of you for the many good ideas received, for the comments and questions posed, which help us to reflect and to support our communities in their mission to announce, in season and out, the Good News of God’s all-embracing love.

In Jesus the Saviour, our only hope,

+ Alain Faubert, V.G.
Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal