Bishop calls for prayer and fasting every Friday in ongoing response to COVID-19 pandemic

Bishop Mark Hagemoen wrote to the diocese April 14 about reduced numbers permitted to gather for worship. (Photo by Tim Yaworski - Catholic Saskatoon News)

Posted By: Kiply Lukan Yaworski April 28, 2020

By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

Bishop Mark Hagemoen is calling for special moments of prayer and fasting every Friday in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

In an update to parishes and the faithful April 24, 2020, the bishop called for the day of prayer.

“Given the inspiration and suggestion of many of our priests and dioceses, I am inviting the people of our diocese to share on Fridays a day of prayer and fasting to the Sacred Heart of Jesus during the Easter season and perhaps beyond, to pray for healing and for the end of the pandemic,” Bishop Hagemoen described in his homily during celebration of the Eucharist on the Third Sunday of Easter, live-streamed from the Cathedral of the Holy Family April 26 in Saskatoon.

“But there is also another reason to implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” he said – namely to connect the Sacred Heart to those living out the compassion of Christ in the world.

“We have depended on – and will continue to depend on – that heart, expressed through many health care givers, many service providers, and many others who are caring for the sick and taking care of us as we deal with these extraordinary times. These people imitate the heart of Jesus Christ. And there are all sorts of stories of how that heart of Jesus is made especially manifest in many heroic ways – in our seniors’ homes for example.”

Therefore, in addition to prayers for healing and an end to the pandemic, a focus on the Sacred Heart of Jesus will also involve expressing thanksgiving to all those who are demonstrating the loving heart of Jesus in their service, compassion, diligence and sacrifice during the crisis, he said.

‘Thank You For Having the Heart of Jesus” is the theme of the initiative, which includes the use of materials shared by the Diocese of Calgary, which recently launched the campaign under the leadership of Bishop William McGrattan.

Announcement and resources for “Heart of Jesus” initiative

The initiative includes a prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, asking for healing and protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

O SACRED HEART OF JESUS, Fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a furnace of love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary. O my adorable and loving Saviour, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Heart bring healing for the world of the COVID 19 pandemic. May your Heart especially bring healing to the sick and protection and care of the many health-care workers and service providers in our communities. May Your will be the rule of all my desires and actions.  AMEN

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon • rcdos.ca (With thanks to the Diocese of Calgary • www.calgarydiocese.ca)

The Friday time of prayer was launched April 24 at both the Cathedral of the Holy Family and at St. Paul’s Co-Cathedral in Saskatoon. It is envisioned that parishes across the diocese will undertake special prayers as best fits their circumstances under the COVID-19 emergency measures, which continue to restrict the size of gatherings, and the need for physical distancing.

Consecration to Mary, Mother of the Church

Saskatoon’s Bishop Mark Hagemoen will also join other bishops across Canada and the United States in consecrating their dioceses — and both countries —  to “Mary, the Mother of the Church,” seeking the Blessed Mother’s prayers and protection during the coronavirus crisis.

In Saskatoon, the consecration to Mary will be held at 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 1 live-streamed on both the diocesan website at rcdos.ca and at saskatoonmass.com with Bishop Hagemoen presiding.

Related article: Bishops in Canada and USA call for consecration of countries to Blessed Virgin Mary

LINK: Prayer to Mary for Month of May 2020 from Pope Francis

Resources for Marian Consecration:

Further updates regarding COVID-19  forthcoming

In his update to the diocese, Bishop Hagemoen also addressed the gradual lessening of COVID-19 restrictions in the province of Saskatchewan recently announced by Premier Scott Moe. “While nothing explicitly has been announced regarding religious organizations and gatherings, I will be meeting with the Liturgy Commission next week to explore how we can as a diocese apply the criteria that we have to date to our liturgical and sacramental practices in the diocese, and a proposed timeline to implement changes. I hope to report back about this in the near future,” stated the bishop in his letter to the faithful.
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Bishop Hagemoen said that the diocese welcomes the plan to gradually reduce some restrictions, in full accordance with recommendations by the health authorities. That announcement indicated that large gatherings such as the public celebration of Mass will be in the final phase of the plan, with no projected date at this time as to when that will be permitted.
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“In the meantime, the diocese and our parishes continue to connect with the faithful and to pray together in other ways, including live-streaming of Mass and devotions, electronic communication, social media, websites, mail-outs, phone calls and offering such things as the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a way that fully abides by the limit on gathering size and the required physical distancing,” said the bishop in a statement to Catholic media.
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“The restrictions implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19 have certainly been extremely difficult for the faithful, especially with the suspension of public celebration of the Eucharist, and we very much look forward to the time when we can again gather. We are also profoundly grateful to all those who are making sacrifices during this time of COVID-19 to protect the lives and the health of others, especially the elderly. We also pray that God will grant healing to all those who are ill and eternal rest to those who have died, and we ask our Lord to bless our medical professionals and civic authorities, who continue to strive with enormous effort and expertise to keep all of us safe.”
During COVID-19, your Parish Offertory can be given online at dscf.ca/parish-offertory

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