PASTORAL LETTERS AND DIRECTIONS
Come Home to Mass!
On returning to the Eucharist following easing of COVIDSafe restrictions,
Third Sunday of Advent, 13 December 2020
“The COVID-19 pandemic and public health orders have hit the faiths hard. Churches were closed for a time, then reopened with only a third to half our normal congregations. Many joined Mass by live-streaming and some donated online. But others fell away and collections fell dramatically. Now it is time to return to normal. But it will be a new normal. There may be further outbreaks and so we must continue to be vigilant and to pray for an end to the pandemic”
– Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP
PREVIOUS PASTORAL LETTERS
Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and Faithful of the Archdiocese of Sydney regarding the latest restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
23 March 2020
“It is with heavy heart that I announce that following the new commonwealth and state restrictions on public places, all public Masses and other communal devotions, whether inside churches or outdoors, are suspended in the Archdiocese from Sydney … From now on our focus must be on helping people find ways to pray and nurture their faith from home.”
– Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP
Pastoral Letter to the Pastors and People of the Archdiocese of Sydney in a Time of Pandemic
18 March 2020
“Our enforced retreat from the world can be an opportunity to grow closer to God and more prayerful. People were greatly edified by recent images of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage on foot through the empty streets of Rome to the image of Our Lady of Health. Let’s join him, then, in prayer and fasting for those who have died or are suffering from COVID-19, those at risk or anxious, those treating the sick or seeking a cure, as well as those who are leading us.”
– Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP
