Posted on 04/02/2020 5:52:43 PM PDT by marshmallow
BALTIMORE, Maryland, March 31, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – By order of Archbishop William Lori, priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore are forbidden from administering sacraments to the faithful unless “the individual is in danger of dying.” Funeral Masses have also been suspended. All churches of the archdiocese are now locked.
“The instruction comes just days before the Catholic Church celebrates the holiest days in the Church year, Holy Week and Easter, marking the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” the archdiocese’s announcement states, without a hint of irony.
“Every parish is now a virtual church and will continue to use technology and other resources to stay connected to parishioners and to enrich their faith lives as we approach Holy Week and Easter,” the archdiocese wrote in a Facebook post.
Archbishop Lori is the former chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
“Like Governor Hogan, I want to take every precaution and every step necessary to ensure the health of the people we serve,” said Lori. “While no bishop wants to ever close a church to one seeking closeness to God, I pray that in doing so we prevent further suffering, further death and will be closer to the day when we can reopen our church doors to the people we so deeply love and miss.”
Yesterday, Maryland’s Gov. Hogan ordered his constituents be confined to their homes except for limited reasons, such as purchasing food, and told them not to leave the state. Violating the order, which the government says is to stop the spread of the coronavirus, is punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifesitenews.com ...
So much for all that “religious freedom” nonsense. Another “shepherd” flees when the wolf arrives to scatter his sheep ... which means he wasn’t a shepherd after all. He was just a hired hand.
My church is live streaming Masses!
Never before, in the history of Christianity, have the Hierarchy essentially placed entire continents under the Interdict.
It is NOT normal for churches to lock their doors. It is NOT normal to deny the faithful the Sacraments, especially in times of plague when they need them more than ever. It is NOT normal to make these decisions on the basis of fear, be it fear of insurance liability, fear of civil authorities who are becoming increasingly uncivil, or fear of one’s own personal safety.
Jesus commanded Peter to “feed my sheep” and immediately warned him that in so doing, Peter would ultimately be carried off to a place where he did not wish to go.
If our shepherds are unwilling to walk the way of St. Gregory the Great who led a procession through the streets of Rome against the plague, much less to walk the way of Peter the Apostle, then perhaps they should be relegated to being “fishers of the deep”.
“Watch by live stream” has become the byword of the month.
Clergy are reporting that the Internet is buckling under the sudden surge of demand driven by those stuck at home.
“Watch by live stream” may not be an even partially satisfactory option.
And there are some of us who, although only three miles from an Interstate highway exit, are a half a mile from the end of the Comcast line, too deep into the valley for the Infrared signal, and too many miles from the dial tone for FIOS.
“Watch by live stream” does not exist for us.
It is easy for those in the infested cities (many of which are home to the Chancery offices) with broadband access and T-1 lines to say “watch the live stream”.
What I cannot understand, and at the moment cannot forgive is the absolute caving of the Hierarchy. They dishonor the legacy of Pope St. Gregory the Great who personally led a penitential procession through plague-ridden Rome, they betray the Mertyrs of Abilene who courageously told the Roman authorities “we cannot live without Sunday”.
I know I need to repent, in due time, of my disrespect; but mine is not the only repentance needed.
Amen.
1. This is where the Church can use YouTube to broadcast the entire Easter Tridium
2. The Eternal Word Television Network EWTN airs daily Mass three times a day.
Isn’t that one of the first things the Bolsheviks did when they gained control of Russia
Why not do it year round? Let's get used to it. Easier for everyone.
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