Ref: CCBI/I-F-5/2020-88
27 March 2020
Your Eminence / Your Grace / Your Excellency / Rev. Monsignor,
In the first place, I would like to wish you a truly prayerful and grace-filled Season of Lent.
In the light of the recent directives received from the Holy See in the wake of the present unprecedented crisis caused by Covid-19, I am sending herewith some recommendations for the celebration of the Holy Week in our dioceses. After consultation, particularly with our Commission for Liturgy, we have made some efforts to adapt these directives to the situation in our country. I am aware that there is a great diversity of socio-cultural situations prevailing in the different regions of the Church in India. It would therefore be left to each Diocesan Ordinary to further adapt these recommendations to their concrete and specific context.
Given the volatile nature of the present crisis, it goes without saying that all of us will have to be alert to further ongoing directives that may come from the Holy See as well as from our civil authorities, in which case each one of us will have to decide how to implement them with due prudence.
Though we may be physically away from one another, let us remain fraternally united in spirit and in prayer as we live and celebrate the great mysteries of our redemption.
I take this opportunity to wish you, your Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful a joyous Easter, filled with abundant blessings of the Risen Lord.
Yours fraternally in JESUS,
( + Filipe Neri Ferrão )
President, C.C.B.I.
Recommendations for the Celebration of the Holy Week (2020)
in the light of the recent Directives of the Holy See
TO ALL THE DIOCESAN BISHOPS AND THE DIOCESAN ADMINISTRATORS
Introduction
“The greatest mysteries of the redemption are celebrated yearly by the Church beginning with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and ending with Vespers of Easter Sunday. This time is called ‘the triduum of the crucified, buried and risen;’ it is also called the ‘Easter Triduum’ because, during it, is celebrated the Paschal Mystery, that is, the passing of the Lord from this world to his Father. The Church, by the celebration of this mystery through liturgical signs and sacramentals, is united to Christ, her Spouse, in intimate communion (Paschale Solemnitatis, no. 38).
The annual celebration of the Paschal Triduum is the heart and apex of the whole liturgical year. This is greatly manifested in the way we celebrate the Holy Week in our parishes as a people full of faith, life and zeal for the Gospel. Our very lives are truly influenced by the Easter Triduum and should indeed be so. Easter is at the heart of the entire liturgical year and is not simply one feast among others.
Unfortunately, at this time of a complete lockdown in our country, due to the fear of the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, almost everything and everyone is affected and normal life has come nearly to a standstill. Our social, economic and religious lives are painfully hit by what is now known as “social distancing,” which is indispensable to curtail the transmission of the virus.
In the context of this extraordinary situation, the Holy See has offered directives to the Universal Church for the celebration of the Holy Week. (cf. Prot. N. 153/20, dated 19.03.2020 and Prot N. 154/20, dated 25.03.2020 of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments). We are offering the same to our dioceses, by adapting them, to some extent, to our situation. These are liturgico-pastoral recommendations to keep a balance between the centrality of the various celebrations during the Holy Week and the measures to be taken to stem the transmission of the virus.
Recommendations
I. As per the above-mentioned Decrees of the Holy See, the Easter Triduum is celebrated over the arc of three days, which is preceded by Lent and crowned by Pentecost and, therefore, cannot be transferred to another time. Please remind your priests that we will continue to celebrate the mysteries of our salvation during the Holy Week, even in the absence of a liturgical assembly. The manner in which these celebrations will be held will be simpler this year, because of the physical absence of our faithful, but every effort must be made to keep the dignity of these celebrations, by following the liturgical forms the Church has prescribed with regard to them.
II. Given the prevailing critical situation, we would like to reiterate that the prescribed social distancing, hygiene protocols and sanitation of the spaces for the liturgical celebrations should be strictly adhered to.
III. It is beneficial for the people to follow the live-streaming of the celebrations through the electronic media at their disposal. Every diocese is encouraged to live-stream their celebrations. The online celebrations should also aim at fostering a sense of belonging of the faithful to the local Church. The importance of the domestic Church stands out during this time. Like in the early Church, our families should be exhorted to come together to celebrate the great mysteries of our faith, uniting themselves with the local Church through the celebrations transmitted via the internet, television or radio. Above all, we must ensure that an adequate time is dedicated to prayer, giving particular importance to the Liturgia Horarum (Liturgy of the Hours).
While participating in the liturgical celebrations and other devotional acts through the media, it is highly desirable that the faithful come together as a family in their proper home, dress appropriately, switch off other gadgets that could disturb them, recite the prayers / responses and join in the singing of hymns.
IV. Acts of popular piety which enrich the days of the Holy Week, like the procession on Good Friday and the pious devotions of Our Lady of Sorrows, could be transferred, if possible, to other suitable days in the year, for example, the 14th and 15th of September.
V. Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion:
The Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem is to be celebrated within sacred buildings; the second form given in the Roman Missal is to be adopted in Cathedral churches, while the third form is to be used in parish churches and in other places.
VI. Holy Thursday
A. Chrism Mass
1. Each Local Ordinary needs to discern on the day and the place of the Chrism Mass. The decision must be taken considering the directives given by the civil and health authorities from time to time. Since the Chrism Mass is not formally part of the Triduum, the Bishop can decide to postpone its celebration.
2. If it is decided to hold the Chrism Mass during the lockdown period, the same should take place without the presence of the faithful and following the prevailing directives regarding social distancing and hygiene.
3. The clergy and the laity in the diocese should be made aware of the time and the place of this celebration, so that, wherever possible, they can follow it through the available means of communication.
B. Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
1. The washing of the feet, which is already optional, is to be omitted.
2. At the end of the Mass, the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the place of Repose is to be omitted and the Blessed Sacrament is to be kept in the tabernacle.
3. On this day priests are granted the exceptional faculty to celebrate Mass in a suitable place, without the presence of the people.
4. Priests who are unable to celebrate Mass should instead pray Vespers of the day (cf. Liturgia Horarum).
VII. Good Friday — The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
1. In the liturgical celebration of the Passion of the Lord, during the Universal Prayer, Bishops will ensure that a special intention is made for those who find themselves in distress, the sick and the dead (cf. Missale Romanum).
2. The Adoration of the Holy Cross, by kissing it, shall be limited solely to the Celebrant. The Holy Cross could then be held elevated higher for a brief time for adoration by others.
3. Reflections on the entire celebration could be offered to help the faithful to participate prayerfully through the means of communication.
VIII. Easter Sunday
1. The liturgy of the Easter Vigil is to be celebrated only in the Cathedral and in parish churches.
2. For the Lucernarium, the Paschal Candle is lit without the blessing of the fire and the procession, after which the Exsultet (Easter Proclamation) is sung.
3. The number of readings may be reduced, as prescribed in the Missale Romanum.
4. For the Baptismal Liturgy, only the “Renewal of Baptismal Promises” is done (cf. Missale Romanum).
5. The liturgy of the Eucharist then follows.
6. Although, in the present circumstances, the Easter Vigil will be celebrated without a congregation, efforts should be made to help our faithful, through the means of social communication, to celebrate this Vigil as the Mother of all Vigils, leading them to have greater hope in the victory of the Risen Lord, who conquered sin and death. In the midst of this pandemic we should experience the Resurrection of the Lord as the certainty of our victory.
IX. Decisions regarding the services during the Holy Week in seminaries, monasteries and religious communities shall be made by the Diocesan Ordinary.
X. Plenary Indulgence
We give here below excerpts from the Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary given to the faithful in the current pandemic and issued on 19th March, 2020:
1. Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful suffering from Coronavirus, who are subject to quarantine by order of the health authority in hospitals or in their own homes if, with a spirit detached from any sin, they unite spiritually through the media to the celebration of Holy Mass, the recitation of the Holy Rosary, to the pious practice of the Way of the Cross or other forms of devotion, or if at least they will recite the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters, with the will to fulfil the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Holy Father’s intentions), as soon as possible.
2. Health care workers, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Coronavirus according to the words of the divine Redeemer: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15: 13), will obtain the same gift of the Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions.
3. This Apostolic Penitentiary also willingly grants a Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions on the occasion of the current world epidemic, also to those faithful who offer a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, or Eucharistic adoration, or reading the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour, or the recitation of the Holy Rosary, or the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, or the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself.
4. The Church prays for those who find themselves unable to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and of the Viaticum, entrusting each and every one to divine Mercy by virtue of the communion of saints and granting the faithful a Plenary Indulgence on the point of death, provided that they are duly disposed and have recited a few prayers during their lifetime (in this case the Church makes up for the three usual conditions required). For the attainment of this indulgence the use of the crucifix or the cross is recommended (cf. Enchiridion indulgentiarum, no.12).
XI. Sacrament of Reconciliation
We reproduce below the relevant instructions contained in the Note from the Apostolic Penitentiary on the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the current pandemic, issued on 19th March, 2020:
1. Individual confession is the ordinary way of celebrating this sacrament (cf. can. 960 CIC), while collective absolution, without prior individual confession, cannot be imparted except where there is an imminent danger of death, since there is not enough time to hear the confessions of individual penitents (cf. can. 961, § 1 CIC), or a grave necessity (cf. can. 961, § 1 & 2 CIC), the consideration of which is the responsibility of the Diocesan Bishop, taking into account the criteria agreed upon with the other members of the Episcopal Conference (cf. can. 455, § 2 CIC) and without prejudice to the necessity, for valid absolution, of votum sacramenti on the part of the individual penitent, that is to say, the purpose of confessing serious sins in due time, which at the time could not be confessed (cf. can. 962, § 1 CIC).
2. This Apostolic Penitentiary believes that, especially in the places most affected by the pandemic contagion and until the phenomenon recedes, the cases of serious need, mentioned in can. 961, § 2 CIC, will occur.
3. Any further specification is delegated by law to Diocesan Bishops, always taking into account the supreme good of the salvation of souls (cf. can. 1752 CIC).
4. Should there arise a sudden need to impart sacramental absolution to several faithful together, the priest is obliged to inform the Diocesan Bishop as far as possible or, if he cannot, to inform him as soon as possible (cf. Ordo Paenitentiae, n. 32).
5. In the present pandemic emergency, it is therefore up to the Diocesan Bishop to indicate to priests and penitents the prudent attention to be adopted in the individual celebration of sacramental reconciliation, such as the celebration in a ventilated place outside the confessional, the adoption of a suitable distance, the use of protective masks, without prejudice to absolute attention to the safeguarding of the sacramental seal and the necessary discretion.
6. Furthermore, it is always up to the Diocesan Bishop to determine, in the territory of his own ecclesiastical circumscription and with regard to the level of pandemic contagion, the cases of grave necessity in which it is lawful to impart collective absolution: for example, at the entrance to hospital wards, where the infected faithful in danger of death are hospitalised, using as far as possible and with the appropriate precautions the means of amplifying the voice so that absolution may be heard.
7. Consideration should be given to the need and advisability of setting up, where necessary, in agreement with the health authorities, groups of “extraordinary hospital chaplains”, also on a voluntary basis and in compliance with the norms of protection from contagion, to guarantee the necessary spiritual assistance to the sick and dying.
8. Where the individual faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving sacramental absolution, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love of God, beloved above all things, expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness (that which the penitent is at present able to express) and accompanied by votum confessionis, that is, by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones (cf. CCC, no. 1452).
XII. Spiritual Communion
For a long time it has been a tradition in the Catholic Church that, when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, one makes an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in Sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive Sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.
XIII. Time of Prayer
Prayer is an essential tool for healing and an excellent source of comfort, courage and strength for those who are suffering. In this period of uncertainty, prayer is the one pillar we can hold on to. We should encourage our faithful to pray fervently and ask our Lord to bring healing to those who are afflicted with this illness as well as to provide strength and protection to the medical personnel who are struggling in the frontline and to bless the hordes of officials and volunteers worldwide who are involved in various forms of selfless service.
We could urge our faithful to show their solidarity with the suffering through prayer and charity. The faithful could pray the Rosary and intercede through the mediation of our Blessed Mother for the speedy recovery of the people affected and for an end to this pandemic.
XIV. Care of those affected by COVID-19, especially of the Poor
The celebration of the Holy Week should result into effective and lasting action in favour of the poor and the marginalized. The journey of Lent that culminates with Easter forms in us a new person in the Risen Lord. He strengthens us to live like Him, giving ourselves in loving service to others, especially the poor and the needy. There are many brothers and sisters of ours who are affected financially by the long quarantine. They all, without any discrimination, need our generous help.
While engaging in this charitable outreach, let us have before us the spirit of fellowship of the early Christians (cf. Acts.2: 42 – 45). In this difficult situation confronting us all, we have to lead from the front. You will certainly agree that, at this moment, we should make the people feel that the Church is always with them, caring for them as a provident mother.
CCBI Secretariat, Bangalore, 27 March, 2020.
ANNEXURE
Some prayers that could be recited during this period
I. Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
II. Pope Francis’ Prayer to Mary, Our Blessed Mother (COVID-19)
O Mary, you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.
O dear Mother, you know what we need, and we are sure you will provide it to us, so that, as in Cana of Galilee, we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows, to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.
Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of us who are in trial, but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
III. Prayer of Solidarity (COVID-19)
Almighty and merciful God, who show your love to all creation everywhere, hear graciously the prayers we make for all those affected by the Corona Virus in various parts of the world.
We come before you asking for a quick control of the outbreak, for a healing of those affected, for the victims and their families.
We pray for the doctors who are doing research that an effective vaccine to combat the sickness be speedily found.
We pray for the Government and health authorities that they take appropriate steps for the good of the people.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.