Dear Readers,
The Covid-19 pandemic is going on and it makes life difficult for many people, not only on an economic level, but also on a psychological, pedagogical, religious level. We already devoted one Bulletin to theis theme in March-April of last year, showing how missionary Congregations and Institutes were helping people to cope with basic needs. Here we present more in depth with some topics related to Mission.
The first article is from the hand of Fr. Piotr Adamek, SVD, who works at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. The pandemic has affected the students there in many ways. His contribution looks therefore at the situation at Fu Jen University and reports on current programs and initiatives to help students overcome difficulties related to their family ties, to progress in studies and start participating in the social responsibility they will assume thanks to their formation at Fu Jen.
The second article by Pietro Angelo Muroni reflects on what the prospects are for celebrating the Liturgy after the pandemic, the “post-vaccination” time. One of his interesting proposals is to revalidate the home-liturgy. There are many other aspects that can be learned from this pandemic, and the author believes that: “…we must listen carefully to what the Holy Father told us in his homily for Pentecost in 2020: ‘Worse than this crisis is only the drama of wasting it, closing in on ourselves. Come, Holy Spirit: You who are harmony, make us builders of unity; You who always give yourself, give us the courage to come out of ourselves, to love and help us, to become one family. Amen’.”
The article we selected from one of our Exchange Bulletins is the longer one by Eloy Bueno de la Fuente who reflects on the missionary dimension of what is happening, and the new models of universal mission that are arising due to the present crisis.
We end this reflection on the Pandemic in the context of mission and Church with the experience of the monks of the Abbey of Fleury in France. Their story is representative of what many religious groups are experiencing. A change of lifestyle and of the reception of guests, but beyond that faith lives on. They end on a positive note by saying that: “God hopes that the faithful will be able to continue walking after this pandemic with their gaze fixed on Christ, aware that ‘every creature has something to tell us about God the creator’ and is willed by God.”
To conclude this Bulletin on the Pandemic, we like to offer a prayer that can be used in this critical time within your religious Community or Church.
We wish you happy reading!
Gift from ORBIS BOOKS to SEDOS Library
