Letters: ‘my spiritual life has blossomed’ during pandemic

I look forward to attending Mass in my local church, St. Peter’s in New Westminster, when it reopens for Masses on Sept. 8. However, since the pandemic, my spiritual life has blossomed.

The Archdiocese of Vancouver has organized Zoom video talks that I’ve watched, and I appreciate all the programming and daily Masses online that you have organized.

I now regularly watch the hour-long Mass on EWTN and pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet on EWTN. I watch programs on that network and on Salt & Light. I have lots of spiritual books to read and am part of the Augustine Institute’s Mission Circle.

I have recently retired and feel blessed that I am a Catholic. If this pandemic had not forced me to stay home, I don’t think I would have started to build such a regular spiritual life, which I now appreciate and want to continue.

I will be happy when we can start back to celebrating Masses in our local parishes, but for now I am glad we are focusing on keeping people safe.

Sandra Reed
New Westminster

Re “Attending Mass no riskier than shopping for groceries” (B.C. Catholic, Aug. 31):

I agree 100 per cent, although, granted, I may go shopping more often than once a week, usually spending less than half an hour shopping for groceries.

But is it necessary to sing every verse in the hymns? Perhaps shorter, to-the-point homilies would also help. And when at Mass during a pandemic, is it necessary to have “announcements”?  Couldn’t these be online to reduce time spent at Mass?

Marvin Hounsell
Surrey

Re “Proposed class-action lawsuit claims systemic negligence by archdiocese,” (B.C. Catholic website):

We need to encourage others to come forward so we can all heal. The Archdiocese of Vancouver needs to take the lead and insist that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops establishes a comprehensive list of priests and deacons who have had allegations of sexual abuse made against them.

Randy Castellarin
Vancouver