‘Patience is about creatively coping with self-isolation’
FR Andrew Carvill of Mallow Parish has called for parishioners to show ‘active patience’ as a way of coping with the burden of lockdown and social isolation. Like in so many other parishes, church services are continuing at morning and at evening time via webcam.
“A lot of people are tuning into it and our audience has increased tenfold. Thank God we set up this technology a few years ago as it’s really come into its own at this time,” Fr Andrew says.
He explains how messages from people thanking priests for giving them the opportunity to pray and watch Mass via social media has been very uplifting.
Fr Andrew also said with Holy Communion scheduled to take place in for the first weekend in May, it represents a difficult time for school children and their parents not knowing if and when it will take place.
“There is an awful lot of imponderables as people simply don’t know when the restrictions will be lifted. As priests, what we’re experiencing now is a rather uncanny feeling. A priest is such a public person and meeting people is a huge part of our job. But so too is praying for people and this still continues,” he says.
Fr Andrew believes the lockdown is making people focus on what the ‘essentials’ in life really are.
“Prior to all this we, as a country, were getting worked up about things that weren’t that important. As priests we’re very aware of the pressure that is on people and families. But we’re also aware that a time of close togetherness will be a time that families will remember,” Fr Andrew explains.
“We sometimes view patience as a very passive virtue, but I see patience as a very active virtue. It’s about creatively dealing with having to cope with self-isolation. Active patience is key, and deciding how we’re going to deal with the day in a positive way is important.”