Holy Week Update from Bishop

                  
 
OFFICE OF THE BISHOP / BUREAU DE L’ÉVÊQUE
                                                      P.O. BOX 907 / C.P. 907
                                                      CHARLOTTETOWN, PE
                                                                        C1A 7L9
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dear People of the Diocese of Charlottetown,
 
 
We are living in trying times.  We have never experienced a crisis of 
global proportion, a pandemic.  We have altered drastically our daily lives, our work habits, our social activities including our Sunday services, to promote public health and to protect our loved ones and our community.
 
The Parish Churches of the Diocese of Charlottetown continue offering daily Mass for you so that collectively we remain strong and determined to support each other throughout these many difficult days.  Despite the absence of parishioners at Mass the priests know that many parishioners join them through their own personal prayers and family devotions.  Many of the Parish Priests in Prince Edward Island have the technical savvy to live-stream daily and Sunday Masses. People in all three Counties can follow these live-streamed Masses; in Summerside, St. Paul’s Church; in Wellington, Immaculate Conception; in Bloomfield, St. Anthony; in Tignish St. Simon and Jude, in Morell, St. Teresa, and in Charlottetown, St. Pius X.  Currently there are four more parishes preparing to live-stream the Mass.  
                                     
As well, in Charlottetown you can find Sunday Mass on your cable TV.   Sunday mass at Holy Redeemeris televised at 9AM on Eastlink Community TV.   On behalf of the Diocese of Charlottetown a very special thanks to the management and people at Eastlink Community TV for making their services available during this difficult time. 
                                    
                                    
 
 
 
In addition to social media outreach, mentioned above, the Diocese encourages the following:
 
 

• On Good Friday at 9:00 a.m.  Eastlink Community TV will televise the Scriptural Way of the Cross. Parishes that live stream likely will offer Good Friday service as well.

 

• The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is available for individuals at Parish Churches /Pastoral Unit.  Again this encounter shall adhere to proper social distancing as requested by public health.

 

• On Easter Sunday at 12 o’clock noon, I am asking all Catholic Parishes in PEI to ring the Church bells for sixty seconds or more to celebrate the glory of Jesus’ Resurrection and His invitation to us to follow Him.  When the bells are ringing, I invite all the faithful across PEI to pray the Lord’s Prayer. In Solidarity may our united, prayerful voices help us rise above this crisis and one day rise with Christ to eternal life. 

 
 
These days have given us the time to steel our will to overcome the difficulties we face. Easter Sunday celebrates a promise full of hope.   We rely, as always, on God’s grace for the strength and hope that will get us through this crisis together.    
 
Sincerely,
 
Bishop Richard Grecco
Diocese of Charlottetown