HONG KONG (SE): Victoria Yeung Yuk-lin, director of the Diocesan Catechetical Centre, said that catechists and their godparents should strengthen their communications with catechumens and offer more encouragement before their baptism, which is now postponed from Easter to the Pentecost on May 31 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yeung told the Kung Kao Po that candidates normally need to go through the rite of Election, the Scrutinies, Anointment, a retreat and an interview with a priest before baptism. However, under circumstances of the pandemic, most retreats have been cancelled, while the interview will also be postponed. They are also supposed to take part in parish activities, such as Masses and other community activities to get used to parish life.
“Now as all the activities are suspended, it will really affect the preparation of the candidates,” Yeung said.
Some catechumen classes are being held online. But there is less interaction and sharing. If the curriculum of the class cannot be finished by the end of May, the candidates may still need to make up missed classes after baptism.
Yeung said godparents should show more concern and act as the bridge between the parish community and the catechumens.
Meanwhile, catechists can send related Church formation material, which are available on the Internet, and encourage candidates for the Sacraments of Christian Initiation to participate in the Liturgy when it is streamed online.
Father Joseph Chan Wing-chiu, parish priest of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Tsing Yi, encouraged candidates to seek more formation resources apart from those of the parishes. His parish has 79 catechumens preparing to be baptised this year.
Father Chan said the suspension of Church activities may affect not only the progress of classes this year, but may even affect the next batch as well.
However, he believes the catechumenate is only one stage of a person’s spiritual life and people should seek their own sources of formation material sooner or later. He also believes the present pandemic provides a good opportunity for everyone to look at life through the eyes of faith.
He encouraged the catechumen classes to form groups on social media and encourage each other amid the difficulties they encounter during the pandemic.
He hopes the outbreak can be brought under control as soon as possible so that classes can resume and that, by then, the diocese can organise a welcoming party for the newly-baptised.
