The Diocese of Kalookan in the Philippine capital has decreed the creation of a health care ministry in all its parishes to support not just the spiritual but also the physical well-being of church members.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan said the move is part of the local Church’s response to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
“I asked them to put up a health care ministry in every parish in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the bishop told Radio Veritas 846.
He asked parishes to organize volunteers and partners to help in the monitoring of people infected with the disease.
Bishop David said the diocese also provides patients small packages containing medicines and vitamins as well as rosaries and prayer cards.
“We want to make them feel that they are cared for, not just spiritually but also physically, psychologically, and emotionally,” he said.
The Diocese of Kalookan is composed of 31 parishes and 15 mission stations in the cities of Navotas, Malabon, and Caloocan.
Metro Manila and nearby provinces have been under lockdown since last month as hospitals in the capital struggle to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The government has also suspended all public religious services in churches across the national capital region and the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan.
