23.3.2020 

ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Parishioners,
With great sadness. our parish church is unfortunately closed from midday 23 March 2020 and until further notice. 
This is following the directive of the Australian Government to stop all religious gatherings and close all places of worship as part of the measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. 
Priests are still available for pastoral care, confessions, and urgent sacraments. Priests will still be offering daily mass for the intention of the good health and wellbeing of our parishioners without the presence of a congregation. The parish office hours will continue to operate as normal, Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm & Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Please visit the Parish Facebook Page www.facebook.com/ourladyoflebanon or website www.olol.org.au to learn more about our online services and the live streaming of masses and services. For more information about the Church’s measures and decisions about COVID-19 measures, please visit the Eparchy website: maronite.org.au or on Facebook at Maronite Eparchy of Australia.

Until our Church doors open again, let us turn our homes into “domestic churches” where we renew our trust in God who is truly present amongst us. Let us unite in prayer for one another, and remember that we are people of hope and of the Resurrection, heeding the words of St Paul: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering and persevere in prayer.” (Rom 12:12)!

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19.3.2020

Temporary Measures Regarding COVID-19 Virus for Our Lady of  Lebanon Co-Cathedral Parish, Harris Park

Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

During this season of Great Lent and in times of hardship and challenge we always cast our gaze to the Cross of light and love, recognizing it as our key to heaven and our path of life. As you are aware, the Federal Government has issued directives banning any indoor events with more than 100 people and outdoor events with more than 500 people. These restrictions apply to Churches and all places of worship. It is our Christian and social responsibility to limit the spread of this virus which could have a deadly effect on vulnerable persons in our families. In the spirit of motherly love and compassion, our Mother Church takes these measures to protect her children in every way that is physically and spiritually possible, entrusting them to the healing power of the Eucharist. As such and in accordance with the directives issued by the Maronite Eparchy of Australia on 19 March 2020 and with the blessing of His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, the following temporary measures will be implemented at Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral, effective immediately and until further notice.

Saturday and Sunday Masses

The celebration of Sunday Mass will continue. Provided that the weather is good, all Saturday evening and Sunday Masses will be celebrated outside. Seats will be set up for each Mass and when the allowed 500-person limit has been reached, parishioners will be asked to come back at an alternative time. We have increased the number of Masses on Saturday and Sunday and for these extraordinary circumstances, the Bishop has granted that participation in any Saturday Mass will fulfill the Sunday obligation for that week. Mass times will be as follows: 
Saturday: 7:30am, 9:00am, 6.00pm and 7.30pm 
Sunday: 7.00am, 8.00am, 9.30am, 11.00am, 3.30pm, 5.00pm and 7.00pm

Live streaming of all Masses will be provided on Our Lady of Lebanon’s official Facebook and YouTube channels. Please note that if you are participating via live stream, you do so in a prayerful manner as if you were physically present in the church. We encourage you to light a candle and create a prayerful environment in your home.

It is important to note that if you or any family member is feeling sick or have any flu-like symptoms, please stay at home and participate through the live streaming.

If the weather does not allow the celebration of the Mass to take place outside, then it will need to be moved inside the Church where it will be restricted to 100 people in total (including, clergy, choir, servers, volunteers, etc).

Volunteers will be available to guide parishioners and direct them with regards to traffic control, parking and seating. We ask you to comply with the directions of these volunteers in a respectful and Christ-like manner. If you are asked to leave, please do not take this personally as the volunteers are complying with the Government and Church directives. We ask you to please leave the church premises immediately after the conclusion of the Mass.

Weekday Masses

Please note that Weekday Masses are not obligatory. Even though they are encouraged, in these extraordinary times, we ask that you try to stay at home and pray, read the scriptures or fulfil your daily devotion in an alternative way. Daily Masses will continue as the usual inside of the Church, however, they will be restricted to 100 people in total. We ask you to please leave the church premises immediately after the conclusion of the Mass.

Act of Spiritual Communion

There have been many times in the history of the Church where the celebration of the Eucharist and physically receiving our Lord was not possible. At these times, the faithful would make an Act of Spiritual Communion as a way of spiritually uniting themselves with our Lord through prayer. If or when we are participating in the liturgy via live stream or any other time we cannot physically receive the Eucharist, we can pray the following prayer:

“O my Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, I ask you to come spiritually into my heart. As though you have already come, I now embrace you and unite myself entirely to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen”

Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered outside of designated Mass times. Please contact our Priests directly to make time. Reconciliation will take place in a dedicated space where the priest and penitent can sit at a distance while adhering to the social distancing and safeguarding protocols and laws.

Christenings and Weddings

The celebration of these Sacraments will continue, however only up to 100 people will be allowed to attend, including clergy, choir, etc. We ask that you restrict these to immediate family members only in adherence with the attendance restrictions.

Funerals

The celebration of this rite will continue, however only up to 100 people will be allowed to attend, including clergy, choir, funeral directors, etc. We ask that you restrict these to immediate family members only in adherence with the attendance restrictions. No wakes/condolences or mercy meals will be held in the halls or grounds of the Co-Cathedral. We ask that you make alternative arrangements in your homes.

Adoration and Friday night Stations of the Cross/Evening Prayers

These para-liturgies will continue at the scheduled times and will also be live-streamed through Facebook and YouTube. They will be celebrated outside the Co-Cathedral if the weather permits and subject to the attendance restrictions. Like Sunday Masses, volunteers will be available to guide parishioners and direct them with regards to traffic control, parking, and seating. We ask you to comply with the directions of these volunteers in a respectful and Christ-like manner. Again, if you are asked to leave, please do not take this personally. These para-liturgies are not obligatory although encouraged during this blessed Season of Great Lent. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you stay at home and participate through live-streaming on Facebook and YouTube. Please also note that the prayer booklets for the Stations of the Cross and Evening Prayer are available for download via the parish website www.olol.org.au .

Parish Committee Activities

All Fersen, Teens, Come Alive, Arabic School, Bibles Studies (Arabic and English), Youth activities, Seniors and Sodality, Men and Women Faith Formation, Choir Rehearsals, Retreats and any other parish activities will be postponed until further notice.

First Holy Communion

The Holy Communion on Saturday 6th June 2020 and all lessons and activities leading up to this date will no longer be held. They will be postponed to a later date within the year. This date cannot be confirmed until we receive further instructions from the Department of Health and the Maronite Eparchy to continue our program.

Traffic and Crowd Control

We ask that you please follow all the instructions of the traffic controllers and volunteers who are working tirelessly to ensure we are able to provide these Liturgies and services for our spiritual nourishment.

We highly encourage that you car-pool due to the restricted number of parking spaces to accommodate the outdoor services.

Parish Office Hours

The parish office hours will continue to operate as normal. These are:
Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm
Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm

Conclusion

This is a time of silence, prayer, and reflection and it is no coincidence that we are walking this journey during the blessed Season of Great Lent. We need to walk with our Lord on this road of Golgotha and recognize it as an opportunity for blessing and grace as we await the glorious Resurrection of our Lord. 
In the coming days, we will also be communicating other initiatives that will help our faithful people to continue their Lenten journey in a spirit of faith, hope, and love. 
Please stay up to date with all our social media pages and via our committee members for the latest information regarding our celebrations. Please also note that these directives are subject to change based on the ongoing recommendations and regulations that the Government is proposing and enforcing. We gratefully appreciate your cooperation during these difficult times. Remember that we walk this journey united together as one people of God trusting in his healing love and mercy.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Tony Sarkis
Dean of OLOL Co-Cathedral

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