PANAJI
Caritas Goa Director Fr Maverick Fernandes has appealed for the formation of Covid Care Teams (CCT) at parishes in the archdiocese.
In an appeal to the clergy, religious and lay faithful on Friday, Fr Fernandes said the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 has been uncommonly severe and lethal.
“To begin with, we wish to appreciate the painstaking efforts you have all made, along with your teams, during the first wave of the pandemic, to effectively provide religious and outreach services to those most affected.”
“We are now in the midst of the second wave, which is causing loss of life in alarming proportions. Perhaps more than before, we need to organise ourselves collectively and provide assistance to our people who are generally in a state of fear and panic,” he said.
Fr Fernandes has offered suggestions to help parishes organise some assistance so that the Church can bring some solace to people in these trying circumstances of their life.
He has suggested the formation of a Covid Care Team (CCT) of volunteers in parishes/chapels, comprising selected members from the Parish Pastoral Council, Youth, other lay associations as well as men and women religious. He said the Diocesan Team can guide them on setting up the CCTs.
“The CCT could run an Information Desk, in collaboration with the village panchayat/ municipality. Wherever possible, the CCT could also help in providing isolation/quarantine space for individuals or families in our institutions, with organised assistance.”
Fr Fernandes appealed to the Catholic community to be proactive in searching for those in need, instead of waiting to be approached for help.
“These are moments of anguish and pain which can best be faced holding hands together in a spirit of genuine collaboration and wholehearted support for one another,” said Fr Fernandes.
He also stated that financial resources for these initiatives could be accessed, to the extent possible, from the Good Samaritan Fund of the Parish or from the various Church Bodies (Fabricas, Cofres, Confrarias, etc.) or even from the Good Samaritan Fund of the Diocese.
In this connection, the Diocesan Team consists of Caritas Goa Director Fr Maverick Fernandes (Ph: 9423888255), Fr Jorge Fernandes (Ph: 9764683953), Fr Savio Fernandes (Ph: 9326428375), Amancio Fernandes (Ph: 7083232184), Lily Pereira (Ph: 9822362562), Sr Monica Kujur (Ph: 7448071108); Dr Amit Dias of St Luke’s Medical Guild (Ph: 9822382842) and Clevy D’Souza (Ph: 8698641554).
Suggestions to Covid Care Teams in Parishes:
* Procure and distribute groceries and other essentials
* Procure and deliver medicines and home isolation kits from PHCs at the doorstep
* Arrange cooked food for individuals, families
* Accompany persons living alone for vaccinations
* Monitor vital levels (oxygen saturation, temperature, symptoms, etc) of persons living alone
* Admit positive cases in hospitals, whenever required
* Offer emotional support, counselling to the lonely and the distressed
* Help families to complete burial/cremation formalities, etc.
