A Catholic response to COVID

These are abnormal times. We are here with you! A voice of reassurance during the time of this pandemic is important, especially when many people are burdened by the visible and the invisible signs associated with COVID-19. In this time of great fear and questioning, the Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica offers a voice of reassurance to the people of God. Drawing on the spiritual resources of the Church, we have offered novenas and prayer meetings for an end to the pandemic and for the graces that persons need to journey through this time of turbulence.

But prayer is not enough. In keeping with scripture as seen in James 2:17, “Faith without works is dead”. As a Church, we have made moves to care for the people who have been and are still adversely affected by COVID-19. According to Pope Francis in his general audience on September 09, 2020, “the Christian response to the pandemic and to the consequence of the socio-economic crisis is based on love”. In the realities of Jamaica, part of our love response is to offer spiritual and temporal assistance to those who are adversely affected as a consequence of the pandemic. Many have lost their jobs. The informal sector, on which many are dependent for their income, has slowed down. Those who “hustle” in the markets or on the street corners have seen a significant reduction in customers, thus affecting their income stream. Businesses are suffering since the curfew hours have led to a decrease in revenues because of less operational hours. All of this is married with an ever-increasing murder rate and a culture characterised with brutish behaviour of a people burdened by the stresses of daily life which have been made complex by COVID-19. This unhappy union of COVID and the hardships of life has caused many to become despondent.

The challenge the Roman Catholic Church faces is to offer a love response in this current context in Jamaica. The Church is more than the physical structure. If the Church is to be seen as ‘Love’, then it must be seen as caring also for persons who are not its members. Our love response is done in conjunction with all people of goodwill. This includes members of other faith communities and persons with no religious affiliation.

Educational institutions are an important part of the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica. Additionally, caring for the most marginalised and the poor has always been an important aspect of who we are as a Church. We stand up for the dignity of all God’s people, no matter who they may be. Many of our schools during the pandemic have embarked on food drives to cater to those most in need. One such institution, St George’s College, through the initiative of the old boys’ association and support from the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and other important stakeholders, distributed over 60 bags of food items on a bi-weekly basis. This has been done now for over a six-month period. Other Catholic schools embarked on similar food drives for distribution, including Immaculate Conception High and Campion College, and a number of our basic schools that are located in inner-city communities. In addition to food, many of these schools have provided tablets and offer Internet connectivity for many needy students. Many of our Roman Catholic churches went on tablet drives to assist students in the wider community; some churches have even gone as far as opening up their Wi-Fi network, so that students in the wider community would have access to online school.

aligning finances with priorities

It is not uncommon to hear people recite the common myth that “the Catholic Church has money”. The truth is the Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica is not wealthy. However, we are aware of the need to care for the marginalised and give a voice to those who lack the ability to speak for themselves. Hence, we direct the little resources we have to ensure that the dignity of the human person is protected. We have been intentional about aligning our finances with our priorities. This is very evident in our ongoing pandemic relief fund, ‘Love in Action’, which was able to generate funds to distribute more than 600 boxes of food to some of the neediest in Jamaica. Each box contains approximately $4,000 worth of food items. These distributions gave preference to the elderly and those persons in Shooter’s Hill, Harbour View and Bull Bay who were dislocated as a result of the recent flood rains in November.

COVID-19 has brought to light the need for us to live together as a community. In an individualistic world such as ours, where some people tend to think about their own well-being and have little or no concern about those who are living on the margins, COVID-19 challenges us how to live with each other. In the recent encyclical (2020), Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis, voiced similar sentiments when he said, “once more, we realised that no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together.” (#32)

COVID presents to us the opportunity to reignite that old-time Jamaican spirit of caring and loving our neighbour. This spirit has allowed many Jamaicans to stand up and take their place as they have had the support of the community. Pope Francis echoes a similar sentiment that, unless we recover the shared passion to create a community of belonging and solidarity worthy of our time, many will revert to an experience of anguish and emptiness. (Fratelli Tutti #36) This re-creation of community allows for true dialogue with the other.

In times past, it would not be uncommon to see neighbours standing by their fence speaking with each other or borrowing ingredients to finish cooking. COVID has created a possibility for a new ability and the will to care for our brothers and sisters in need. This is an opportunity to stand at our fence and engage our neighbours; to truly enter into dialogue with the other and get out of our ‘virtual realities’. May churches lead by example and play an active role in the creation of community.

The Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica operates out of an understanding of community and care for the other that is incompatible with a modern world of ‘individual’ and doctrine of prosperity for some. I pray that COVID will allow us to recapture our imagination of community and start to genuinely look out for the other. It is not about having resources; it is about being on a mission for Christ, a mission of love, rooted in community. So, as a Church, we shall continue to care for the poor and marginalised because it is the Christian way of life.

– Rev Fr Rohan Tulloch SJ