Fr Yon and the Baptism of Winter McEwen

The people of Emerald continue to pray for our Nation and the world as our leaders manage the crisis of living with a pandemic. We are particularly grateful that Queensland seems relatively free of infections at the time of writing our message. We are saddened that our brothers and sisters in the Southern states are experiencing Coronavirus cases and we send our heartfelt prayers.

From closing our church in March to holding our first weekend mass in June, what has risen from this catastrophic crisis is that people still seek God in their lives. There is a noticeable change in those seeking weddings, baptisms and funeral services. Restrictions to numbers has brought forward the sacrament they seek and pushed back the commercial frills, that these days, have attached themselves as a priority in order that an event is successful. An example of comments: “Family matters”, “Just our family and people important to us”, “I just want to marry you, not the 150 guests who were invited”, “Please include a prayer for those affected by Covid”.

Our faith community has reacted quickly and with great patience. They now register to attend Mass, keep their distance and the endless sanitising of hands is the norm. As we slowly get back to pre-Covid Mass numbers, it is such a joy when a parishioner returns to service for the first time. It feels like your family reuniting.

It is a delight to see the return of school liturgies in the church. As the children sit 1.5m from each other, a comment from a teacher found a positive in Covid, “This is the best they’ve behaved.”

We are reminded, the diversity and generosity of our community embodies the loving example of Jesus in his ministry. Life moves forward, with patience, in Emerald.

The Emerald Team