ST. JOHN'S (CANADA)
VOCM [St. John's NL, Canada]
April 17, 2022
This could be the very last Easter Sunday service in some Roman Catholic churches in Newfoundland, but a local priest is putting this Easter in perspective.
Father Paul Lundrigan of Holy Trinity in Torbay says some parishes, including his, are grappling with the legal obligations to the victims of abuse at Mount Cashel orphanage, while trying to find a way forward in the practice of their faith.
He says it is a time of great reflection, but as COVID and other world events have taught them, there are strengths within the Church family, and the faith can survive without buildings as history has already proven.
The early Christians were ostracized and practiced their faith in homes and other places.
Lundrigan says the faith survived like that for a long time, which sends the message that it’s the gathering that matters, not where it happens.
Lundrigan also draws inspiration from the strength and resilience displayed by the people of Ukraine in the face of some horrific and overwhelming circumstances.
He says what’s happening to the local Catholic community in terms of the loss of property and buildings is nothing compared to what has been lost by the people of Ukraine and other parts of the world.
Lundrigan says “we’re only giving up buildings – and it’s for a good cause.”