In the past few weeks, confirmed Covid-19 cases have been on the rise. The neighbouring Diocese of Macau has closed all churches and suspended public Masses until further notice as the territory grapples with a new outbreak, the Catholic weekly, Jornal O’Clarim, reported in the last week of June.
Based on the current situation, the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health expects that the daily number of confirmed cases will increase continuously in mid-July and will likely go beyond 6,000. The public must be cautious and not slacken their guard against the pandemic.
The pandemic has gone on for more than two years and has impacted people’s emotional and mental well-being. At the height of the Omicron-driven fifth wave earlier this year—peaking at more than 79,800 cases and over 290 deaths in the early days of March—certain premises, including religious venues, were closed and activities suspended until April 21. Now that churches are re-opened, the faithful are encouraged to re-engage in their parishes’ spiritual and liturgical activities.
Following the government regulations, the diocese implemented the “Vaccine Pass” Scheme [3rd stage], requiring all persons aged 12 or above to have received the third or the second dose of vaccine for not more than six months to enter and remain in churches. Exemptions are granted to children under 12 and those with an “Exemption Certificate” [cf. Chancery Notice, 27 May 2022].
The public has adapted to the new “normal” and resumed social activities. Several parishes have held religious gatherings and talks while keeping the number of attendees to 85 per cent of the venue’s usual capacity. Some parishes also celebrated the feast days of their patron saints, as St. Benedict Church in Shatin Wai did on 10 July. It is gratifying that the faithful can gather again to worship and celebrate life in the community.
On the occasion of the feast of its patron, St. Benedict, the parish celebrated a thanksgiving Mass and organised a talk on pioneering missionaries of Sai Kung, reflecting on the hardships they experienced in spreading the Good News in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The talk introduced an ancient walking trail in Sai Kung, which encompasses the elements of religious and spiritual formation, pilgrimage, education and conservation, offering a new way of evangelisation through integration with nature. Benedictine spirituality is essentially one of reconnecting humans with nature. Ora et Labora [Pray and Work] is often given as the motto. The saint and his early monks found that working with one’s hands was necessary in order to be able to pray well. The life of St. Benedict challenges the modern man to stick to the basics of nature to combat the effects of the pandemic.
No one seems certain of when the pandemic will end. As it says in Psalm 91:5-6 and 9-10: “You shall not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon… Because you have the Lord for your refuge and have made the Most High your stronghold, no evil shall befall you; no affliction come near your tent” [NAB]. SE
