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Covid-19 Mandate Reminders

May 21, 2021

From the Office of the Chancellor

With the Easter Season ending after Pentecost Sunday, Bishop Larry extends the following guidelines into Ordinary Time, until further notice:

• Masks must be worn by all who attend Mass or other liturgical services.
• Social distancing and no-touch greetings and Sign of Peace remain the norms.
• Holy Communion is to be given only under the species of Bread.
• The use of a small choir is permitted. If the parish is using a choir, choir members need to continue following the rules for indoor singing as directed by the state [“Any person(s) singing shall maintain physical distancing of at least ten (10) feet from any other person(s) while singing. Members of the same performing group singing may be closer than ten (10) feet together while performing, provided the group consists of less than ten (10) persons. To the extent reasonable and practicable, a physical barrier (e.g., plexiglass) of sufficient size to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 shall separate any person(s) singing from any other person(s), but not including members of the same performing group.]

• A distance of 10 feet between the cantor and the congregation needs to be observed as much as possible.
• In addition to the Entrance, Offertory, Communion and Leavetaking hymns – the Kyrie, Gloria, Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and the rest of the Mass part responses could be sung, observing the proper precautions.

• Sanitization is to continue between Masses.
• Social gatherings after Mass should not take place.
• We encourage parish priests to start/continue live-streaming their liturgies to their parishioners via social media platforms and to communicate to them the times of these services and log-in information for their parish’s Facebook and/or website.