HAVE you ever accompanied your old parents or grandparents to church and had to stand throughout the Holy Mass since there are no more vacant seats?
Or having to line up a long queue in order to receive the Holy Communion?
It was exactly these situations that prompted Cebu City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. to write to Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma on the possibility of putting up dedicated special lanes for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Cebu churches.
“I have been a devoted Catholic since birth and have observed that during communion, our senior citizens and PWD brothers and sisters have to endure the long lines, albeit their age and medical conditions, causing inconvenience and fatigue jeopardizing their health,” said Alcover in his letter.
The letter was sent last week and received by the Archdiocese of Cebu last January 17.
Aside from a special communion lane, Alcover said he is also requesting the reservation of some rows of pews in churches for senior citizens and PWDs.
Because he could not formalize his request through a Council resolution, Alcover said he opted to just write a personal letter to Palma.
“I personally believe that being a senior citizen myself, this initiative would greatly contribute to the convenience and ease of access to these sectors of our society,” he added in his letter.
In an interview yesterday, Alcover told Cebu Daily News that in December last year, he was with his family and relatives including his 94-year-old mother to hear Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
But all seats were already taken so they had to stand up during the mass. Later on, though, he took a foldable chair from his car and gave it to his mother for her to sit on.
“Sa sinehan, sa grocery, bisag sa mga terminal, naa may special lane para sa senior citizens ug PWDs. Ang simbahan nuon kay wala. Luoy ang mga tiguwang ug PWD. Kinahanglan na gyud ni ron. Maayo unta og makasabot si Archbishop Palma,” he said.
(In movie houses, groceries and even terminals, there are special lanes for senior citizens and PWDs. But the church has none. It’s hard for the elderly and PWDs. This is really needed now. I hope Archbishop Palma will understand.)
Alcover said he posted a photo of his letter on his Facebook account and that he has gained a lot of support on his request.
He said as far as he knows, there are no churches in the country that have special lanes for the elderly and the differently abled.
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