KUCHING – Church services, including daily and weekend masses in Kuching, Miri, and Sibu have been suspended starting from tomorrow until the end of the month.
Archbishop of Kuching Simon Poh, Miri bishop Richard Ng, and Sibu bishop Joseph Hii made the decision in their respective dioceses.
Other suspended services are weddings, funerals, catechism classes, baptisms, Sunday school, RCIA sessions, seminars, and meetings.
For funeral services, Poh told The Vibes that the cortège must proceed from the house or funeral parlour to the cemetery or crematorium with a maximum of only 20 people while observing the guidelines for bereavement prayers and ceremonies.
“For other emergencies and anointing of the sick, Catholics are to call the parish office or the parish priest.”
He said these measures are taken in line with the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) in Sibu and conditional MCO in all other parts of the state starting tomorrow.
Considering the recent increase in local Covid-19 transmissions, Poh also urged Catholics and Christians of other denominations to adhere to the guidelines suggested by the authorities and the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) in the chief minister’s office.
“These measures must be adhered to in order to contain this new wave of coronavirus in the state and everybody’s cooperation is very important.”
Poh, who is also the chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS), has called on all to respect the MCO and CMCO inter-district travel restrictions and comply with standard operating procedures approved by the State Disaster Management Committee.
He urged Sarawakians to avoid unnecessary travelling and cautioned against social gatherings.
He also called on all to wear face masks in public areas and maintain social distancing.
He said Catholics can opt to join church services online via Facebook. – The Vibes, January 17, 2021
