Circular: Guidelines and ‘Oratio” on 2019 Novel Corona Virus

Circular No. 20-05
January 29, 2020

TO ALL THE BISHOPS AND THE DIOCESAN ADMINISTRATORS
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies and Reverend Administrators,

Re:   Guidelines and ‘Oratio” On 2019 Novel Corona Virus

As the world watches with anxiety and vigilance the spread of 2019 Novel Corona Virus (2019-N CoV), we turn to our Loving Father in heaven for protection and guidance. Acting upon the instruction of Abp. Romulo G. Valles, CBCP President, we are issuing these guidelines and Oratio Imperata on 2019-N CoV so that we can, as a Church and a nation, bring our supplication through prayer.

We exhort all our parishes to pray this “Oratio” in all of our weekdays and Sunday Masses, after Holy Communion, kneeling down, starting on February 2 (Sunday), Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In praying we invite ourselves with all our brothers and sisters suffering with the disease brought by this virus, bring up to God our longing for them to be restored to full health and humbly pray that we may be spared from infection of this virus.

Let it also be our pastoral duty to remind our faithful to heed the health recommendations of medical experts and officials so that we prevent the acquisition and spread of the disease. You will find attached the official communications from DOH.  The advisory about what the public can do to prevent the spread of 2019-nCoV is in #9 of the FAQs on Novel CoronaVirus (2019-nCoV) at (https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov/FAQs), and also in their updated press releases, the latest is January 28 on their official website (https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCoV).

We exhort all parishes, churches and chapels dedicated to St. Raphael the Archangel and St. Roch (Roche or Roque), to make special prayers and penitential processions. St. Raphael the Archangel and St. Roch are patrons in times of pestilence and experience of incurable illnesses.

In this moment of uncertainty about the illness caused by this virus, and upon the health recommendations of our medical experts, we strongly recommend the following:

1. The COMMUNION IN THE HAND be practiced ordinarily to help prevent further fear from people who are reasonably cautious about this matter;
2. Check and change regularly the Holy Water from Holy Water Fonts;
3. Provide/Install protective cloth in on the grills of confessionals;
4. Discourage our faithful from holding hands during the singing/praying of the “Our Father” and shaking of hands during the Sign of Peace.

Praying for the safety and protection of all the faithful, I remain

Sincerely yours,

Rev. Fr. MARVIN S. MEJIA
Secretary-General

ORATIO IMPERATA

God our Father,
We come to you in our need
To ask your protection against the 2019 N-Corona Virus,
That has claimed lives
And has affected many.

We pray for your grace
For the people tasked with studying the nature and cause
Of this virus and its disease
And of stemming the tide of its transmission.
Guide the hands and minds of medical experts
That they may minister to the sick
With competence and compassion,
And of those governments and private agencies
That must find cure and solution to this epidemic.

We pray for those afflicted
May they be restored to health soon.

Grant us the grace
To work for the good of all
And to help those in need.

Grant this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever. Amen.

Mary Help of all Christians, pray for us.
St. Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.
St. Rock, pray for us.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.
St. Pedro Calungsod, pray for us.