RC worshippers fear for safety

SAFETY CONCERNS are keeping Roman Catholics away from the traditional Easter Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Port-of-Spain. Faced with rapidly dwindling attendance at the service, which is the highpoint of Holy Week observances in the RC community, Cathedral officials are hoping to woo parishioners back into the pews by shifting the Mass to an earlier time, at 9 pm. According to Vicar General Monsi-gnor Christian Perreira, traditional midnight worship will still continue at churches in other parts of the country. In Arima, he expects some 3,000 worshippers for a service at the Arima Park, and a large turn out is also anticipated in San Fernando.

However, other Holy Week services are going ahead as planned at the RC Cathedral. On Monday evening there was a large turn out of priests and congregation for the annual Chrism Mass. The Mass got its name from the chrism oil, which is usually consecrated by the Archbishop. Priests gather for the Mass to renew their vows and the Archbishop blesses the oils which priests take back to their parishes to use for the different sacraments. Monsignor Perreira described the service as “virtually the gathering of the whole church” which is observed all around the world, although in most other countries and at the Vatican, the Mass is done on Holy Thursday.

“At one time it was also done here on Holy Thursday, back in the days of Count Finbar Ryan but priests had a lot of difficulty getting back to their parishes, so in an effort to get around that problem, the Chrism Mass has since been fixed for the Monday of every Holy Week. “It always takes place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Concep-tion,” he explained. In a message to mark the occasion, Pope John Paul II focussed on the priesthood as a vocation. He said: “The number of priests is never sufficient to meet the constantly increasing demands of evangelisation and the pastoral care of the faithful.

“In some places of the world the shortage of priests is all the more urgently felt since today the number of priests is dwindling without sufficient replacements from the younger generation. The Lenten period officially ends today, clearing the way for the Easter Triduum will be observed from tomorrow with the Holy Thursday service. Other services in the Triduum will take place on Good Friday and Glorious Saturday.