THE coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines has posted 18,000 cases and nearly 1,000 deaths as of May 31. Worldwide, the toll now stands at 6.15 million cases and 372,000 deaths.
With a vaccine or drug that would prevent or cure the dreaded disease still far in the horizon, what is clear is that it will not be business as usual for humanity from now on.
The so-called “new normal” will not only mean that we’re required to wear face masks and practice social distancing and hygienic habits as part and parcel of everyday life, but also to adapt to a new situation.
For the Catholic Church in the Philippines, COVID-19 has meant drastic changes in the way it delivers services to the faithful.
Constant, of course, is charitable work among the poor and disadvantaged sectors in society. Since the start of the lockdown in practically the entire country in mid-March, the Church has extended a helping hand by giving food to the hungry, temporary shelter for the homeless and modest cash assistance to those thrown out of work.
But change—through innovation, adaptation, and sheer perseverance—is well in evidence in the way the Church has dealt with the public health crisis.
LiCAS.News contributors have chronicled some of these changes in recent weeks.
There’s the story about a small parish in the Philippines inspiring Filipinos to make the best out of the lockdown from COVID-19 by starting an organic farm.
Father Rex Ramos of St. Vincent Ferrer parish in Camarines Sur province recently started a small backyard farm beside the rectory to get people to plant during lockdown. He planted various vegetable varieties, and after a few weeks started to literally reap the harvest.
With the harvest, the priest was able to help his poor parishioners, who also started their own backyard gardens with the help of the local government and the Catholic Church’s social action arm, Caritas.
“It helps me a lot in my ministry. The garden is my avenue for prayer and reflection, and it’s very therapeutic,” said Father Ramos.
With the coronavirus outbreak showing no signs of easing up, the Church is considering online formation of future priests.
Seminary training will not be done fully online, however, since “the other pillar of priestly formation requires personal accompaniment in the context of community,” according to Archbishop Socrates Villegas, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Seminaries of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Life in formation will be quite different for future members of the clergy when seminaries open in August. They will have limited free time outside seminary premises, they will have no personal contact with visitors, and their interaction with seminary staff will be restricted.
Adaptation to the current situation is also what a parish in central Philippines is doing to make the sacrament of penance, or confession, readily available to the faithful.
The Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the city of Tacloban in Leyte province launched a “parish mobile confessional” last month to bring the sacraments to people’s doorsteps.
According to Monsignor Benedicto Catilogo, the project aims to reach out mostly to the elderly, which comprises majority of churchgoers in city’s biggest and oldest village. At least 80 households have been visited by the mobile confessional a few hours after it rolled out.
The priest said while there are still many difficulties and challenges ahead for the Church, he believes these can be addressed “with a bit of imagination.”
Then there’s the move by religious congregations to distance themselves from “dirty energy projects” in the spirit of Laudato si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
“We declare our recognition that divestment from destructive industries, especially coal, is part and parcel of our duties as stewards of Creation and of the assets of the Catholic faithful,” they said in a manifesto.
“We believe that coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels and the single biggest contributor to the climate emergency, goes against everything that the Church stands for — most especially the preservation of life and dignity of the human person and the care for God’s Creation,” they added.
Among the religious congregations that signed the manifesto are the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban, the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, the Religious of the Virgin Mary, and the Daughters of St. Joseph.
But for sheer perseverance amid great odds, there’s Father Ramon Garcia of the Nuestra Señora de Salambao Mission Parish in the province of Bulacan who holds Mass in waist-deep waters in Taliptip village.
For almost a year now, he has been celebrating Mass with the faithful congregating inside the flooded chapel in boats. Father Garcia said the community has inspired and strengthened his 15-year-old ministry. “They keep the faith and the morale is high because they see me not abandoning them,” he said.
Ernesto M. Hilario writes on political and social justice issues for various publications in the Philippines. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of LiCAS.news.
