A conversation I’ve been part of several times recently involves lessons learned from the current pandemic – specifically how we are responding to it as individuals, as a community (however that’s defined), and as a Church.
The discussion goes something like this: future generations will look back on this time to see how we managed life during the pandemic. They’ll judge what we did, what we didn’t do, and what we learned.
They’ll assess our behaviour just as we do the actions of the early Church in Scripture – although in a much less inspired way. They’ll wonder why we made certain choices. And they’ll have the benefit of hindsight and historical knowledge not available to us today.
However, we have something our descendants and future followers won’t have. Proximity.
We are witnessing events while they’re unfolding and developing. We can observe why certain measures are being taken and others are not. Whether or not we agree with decisions being made in our community and around the world, we have the perspective that being on the ground affords.
In many respects we are on the front line and in a privileged position. We have an exclusive opportunity to observe, assess, share our experiences, and influence not only our own society but future generations as they are responding to their own trials.
This Pentecost Sunday, when we celebrate the inspiration and gifts the Holy Spirit brought to mankind, the Archdiocese of Vancouver is unveiling a new opportunity for members of Vancouver’s Catholic community to share with each other.
The new Behold website is the first step toward a new imagining of online community for Catholics in Vancouver. As the pandemic shakes us and separates us, intensifying the social isolation and loneliness that was already undermining society, the timing is perfect for helping Catholics connect and welcome others into community, helping them feel less alone in faith as we struggle through these turbulent times and beyond.
Behold is a major part of a restructuring of the archdiocese’s online presence. Our current website rcav.org has served Vancouver Catholics well since it was launched in Pentecost of 2009. The coronavirus has made an already popular site an essential resource, generating a record 288,000 page views in March, three times the normal monthly average.
But the world and society are changing, and so are we. The archdiocese corporate site will be restructured and continue providing the information you need, from our Mass Finder to statements from the archbishop. And the B.C. Catholic, print and online, will continue telling stories that reveal the heart of Jesus Christ and draw souls closer to him and his church.
Behold, however, will offer something new, helping people live their faith, grow in faith, and relate to common experiences as Catholics in Vancouver.
You’ll find content from contributors local and distant who have something to say, not only for the regular faithful in the pews each Sunday, but also for seekers who are curious about God, have questions about God or the Church, or feel like their faith has room to grow.
As Behold launches, here is your invitation to contribute and share your experience of the pandemic. COVID-19 has had an immense impact on every aspect of our lives — faith, politics, rights and freedoms, economics, and communications. What is your message of hope and lessons learned for others, now and in the future? How has your experience of the pandemic affected you, society, the Church?
Please send your thoughts by the end of Wednesday, June 3, to editor@rcav.org. The B.C. Catholic will publish responses in the next issue and on the Behold site to inspire more discussion about the momentous times we’re living in.
