CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND Bishop’s Office – Te Taumata o te Pihopa Katorika 3 April 2020 BISHOP’S BULLETIN #5 – COVID-19 My Dear Brother Priests, As we journey towards the Easter Triduum, below are some items of liturgical significance for you: Attached is the Decree on Special Intention to be added to the Solemn Intercessions during the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord for the year 2020 only, as issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS). Attached also is the Decree on the Mass in Time of Pandemic, as issued by CDWDS. And a Pastoral Easter Message from the New Zealand bishops is also included with this Bulletin. Please distribute this to your people as you feel best. Easter Services – a reminder that the following will be available on the Diocesan website: o Thursday 9 April: Mass of the Lord’s Supper with Bishop Pat from 7.00 pm o Friday 10 April: Good Friday Liturgy Service at 8.30 am (also on Shine TV at 8.30 am) Nationwide Reflection on the Passion at 3.00 pm o Saturday 11 April: We watch and wait - no Mass (and no Vigil) o Sunday 12 April: Mass of the Resurrection from the Cathedral from 7.00 am Easter Message from Bishop Pat at 1.00 pm Easter Service (Cathedral 30 minutes) on Shine TV at 1.35 pm Bishop Michael’s Facebook launch gained a following of 700 people on the first day and the Holy Week retreat initiative is being well received. I wish you every joy for the great feast of Easter and think of you in your bubbles celebrating the beautiful Triduum liturgies as best you can. May this Easter be a time of unexpected blessings for you all. Patrick Dunn Bishop of Auckland Mobile: (027) 448 6250 ENGLISH Prot. N. 155/20 DECREE on the special intention to be added to the Solemn Intercessions during the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord for the year 2020 only The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday this year has a particular significance because of the terrible pandemic that has stricken the whole world. Indeed, on the day on which we celebrate the redeeming passion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, who like a slain lamb has taken upon himself the suffering and sin of the world, the Church raises her voice in prayer to God the Father Almighty for all humanity, ffid in particular for those who suffer mosq while she awaits in faith the joy of the resurrection of her Spouse. Therefore this Congrcgation, in virtue of the faculties granted to it by the Supreme PontiffFRANCIS, availing itself of a possibility already granted in the Roman Missal to the Diocesan Bishop in a situation of grave public need, proposes an intention to be added to the Solernn Intercessions of the above mentioned celebration, so that the prayers of those who invoke him in their tibulation might reach God the Father and so that, even in their adversity, all can experience the joy of his mercy. The text of the invitation and the prayer is attached to this Dccree. All things to the contrary notvuithstanding. From the Congregation for Divine Sforship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 30 March 2020. Robert Card. Saratr Prefect x Arthur Roche Archbishop Seuetary ENGLISH FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD The Solemn Intercessions IX b. For the afflicted in time of pandemic Let us pray also for all those who suffer the consequences of the current pandemic, that God the Father may grant health to the sick, strength to those who care for them, comfort to families and salvation to all the victims who have died. Prayer in silence. Then the Priest says: Almighty ever-living God, only support of our human weakness, look with compassion upon the sorrowful condition of your children who suffer because of this pandemic; relieve the pain of the sick, give strength to those who care for them, welcome into your peace those who have died and, throughout this time of tribulation, grant that we may all find comfort in your merciful love. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. 4 ENGLISH Prot. N. 156/20 DECREE on the Mass in Time of Pandemic The plague that provtls in the darlqtess you will not fear (cf. Ps 90, 5-O. These words of the psahnist are an invitation to have great faith in the steadfast love of God who never abandons his people in time of frial. In these days, during which the whole world has been gravely stricken by the Covid-I9 virus, many requests have come to this Dicastery to be able to celebrate a specific Mass to implore God to bring an end to this pandemic. Therefore this Congregation, in virtue of the faculties granted to it by the Supreme Pontiff FRAIICIS, gives permission to celebrate the Mass in Time of Pandemic, on any day except Solemnities, the Sundays of Advent, Len! and Easter, days within the Octave of Easter, the Commemoration of All the Faittrfirl Departed (All Souls' Day), Ash Wednesday and the days of Holy Week (cf. General Instntction of the Roman Missal,n. 374), for the duration of the pandemic. The text of the Mass formulary is attached to this Decree. All things to the contrary notwithstanding. From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,30 March 2020, Robert Card. Sarah Prefect a Arthur Roohe Archbishop Seuetary ENGLISH IN TIME OF PANDEMIC This Mass can be celebrated, according to the rubrics given for Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, on any day except Solemnities, the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, days within the Octave of Easter, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), Ash Wednesday and the days of Holy Week. Entrance Antiphon Is 53:4 Truly the Lord has borne our infirmities, and he has carried our sorrows. Collect Almighty and eternal God, our refuge in every danger, to whom we turn in our distress; in faith we pray look with compassion on the afflicted, grant eternal rest to the dead, comfort to mourners, healing to the sick, peace to the dying, strength to healthcare workers, wisdom to our leaders and the courage to reach out to all in love, so that together we may give glory to your holy name. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Prayer over the Offerings Accept, O Lord, the gifts we offer in this time of peril. May they become for us, by your power, a source of healing and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Communion Antiphon Mt 11:28 Come to me, all who labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you, says the Lord. Prayer after Communion O God, from whose hand we have received the medicine of eternal life, grant that through this sacrament we may glory in the fullness of heavenly healing. Through Christ our Lord. 8 Prayer over the People O God, protector of all who hope in you, bless your people, keep them safe, defend them, prepare them, that, free from sin and safe from the enemy, they may persevere always in your love. Through Christ our Lord. 9 12 April 2020 Easter Pastoral Letter Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Kia tau te rangimārie kia koutou – Peace be with you It was in the evening of the first Easter day, while the disciples were locked down in fear, that suddenly the risen Christ stood before them in the closed room and said, “Peace be with you” and showed them his hands and his side. His greeting of peace is what we share with you on this Easter day knowing that Jesus has triumphed over the lockdown of the tomb and as the risen Christ stands among us, in lockdown, offering us his peace. Our Easter, lived and celebrated in lockdown, has been one like we have never experienced before. We have felt the pain of not being able to celebrate together the Easter liturgies in our local churches. Some of you were looking forward to being baptised or received into the Church at Easter and this is yet to happen. The future, for many, appears uncertain or even dire. In the meantime, we are continuing to have the tomb experience of being locked down at home and we know, for many families, that this situation is becoming difficult and stressful. Despite these trials, many of you have connected with the events of the Easter days in new ways and gained new insights. We have been delighted to see how families and communities have been so innovative in praying at home and connecting to others through the phone or social media. Your living and sharing your faith in this time has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to many other people. In the midst of this lockdown we, as a nation, have realised that we have been seduced by busyness, the pursuit of trivial things and of taking for granted the important things of life. People have enjoyed this slowing time. People have noticed families doing things together. The world has become quieter and we have noticed the beauty of nature. This time has proved to be a reflective time enabling us to refocus or revision ourselves and how we live. This Easter, with Jesus, we have been offered the opportunity to die to self, and rise again to a new beginning.