KUCHING: All Christmas masses that are scheduled after 1pm at Catholic churches here are to be cancelled.
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuching, Most Reverend Simon Poh said the Archdiocese has coordinated with churches throughout the city to having only one mass on Christmas morning (Dec 25) and it is to be held in English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia.
“For those who have already pre-registered for the cancelled masses, kindly go to your church’s website to make new registration once the mass slots are opened,” he said on Saturday (Dec 19).
He assured that that all of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be followed so that the churches are safe for worship on Christmas Day.
“With the anticipation of more than 30,000 online viewers, I would like to assure our Catholics that we will continue to make available the vigil mass and Christmas Sunday morning masses via live streaming in view that not all Catholics are able to go to church due to the reduced capacity of the venue and SOPs,” he said.
He urged the public to check the latest schedule at the Archdiocese of Kuching’s website or on its Facebook page.
“The Archdiocese of Kuching will not be holding any open house for Christmas this year. I understand that this is also the same decision made by the Anglican Bishop of Kuching. We thank you for your understanding,” he said.
Poh, who is also the chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS), said the churches are grateful to able to carry out Christmas vigil and Christmas Day services.
“With the new SOPs from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and Unit for Other Religions (Unifor), we understand that we have to respond as a country, especially when Christmas is celebrated by all Christians throughout Malaysia.
“Understood from the perspective of the previously celebrated festivals and cultural days of major religions and cultures in Malaysia, such as Deepavali, Gawai, Wesak, etc, in order to minimise points of contact and exposure to Covid-19 infection, one of the SOPs will be restricting the hours for visiting houses of worship by limiting it from 7am to 1pm on that particular day.
“The aim is to prevent large gatherings of people which will continue into the afternoon and evening. Seen this way, worships and prayers in churches on Christmas day are only allowed within the allocated time,” he said.
He therefore requested all Christians to follow the guidelines imposed by SDMC and Unifor by restricting Christmas day visits to less than 20 close family members, keeping strictly to the recommendation of maintaining personal hygiene and social distancing.
“I also encourage everyone to minimise unnecessary trips outside the house. Together we know we can celebrate Christmas meaningfully while ensuring that Covid-19 is contained.
“On behalf of the church leaders of ACS, I wish all Christians and all friends a Christmas filled with joy, peace and hope,” said Poh.
