Dear St. Pius X Church,
Last week I wrote to you about the coronavirus and offered some suggestions on how we can all respond to the situation the virus has caused. Now that there are confirmed cases of the virus in our area, we are adopting the following changes to our worship upon the recommendation of the Archdiocese:
We have removed Holy Water from the small fonts located at our church doors
Everyone is asked to refrain from holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer
We will no longer shake hands during the Sign of Peace (a bow, a nod, a wave or verbal gesture is recommended)
At communion time, I strongly urge everyone to only receive the host in their hands instead of on the tongue (this will reduce the possibility of transmission through saliva)
We will temporarily discontinue offering the Precious Blood at communion time (Christ is fully present under both species of the Blessed Sacrament)
All those who distribute Holy Communion will practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands before Mass and using hand sanitizer before and after the distribution of Holy Communion
I want to assure you that our parish staff is monitoring the situation closely. We have asked our maintenance team to step up their cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces throughout our facilities - pews, doors, restrooms, child care and SLAM rooms.
Further, the Archdiocese wants it known that those who are ill or suspect they may be ill, should refrain from participation in public activities, including Mass. If a person refrains from Sunday Mass due to illness, they are dispensed from the Sunday obligation. Health experts encourage people to cough or sneeze into a handkerchief or tissue or into one’s elbow; never into one’s hands.
Should other changes be needed, we will let you know as soon as possible. For more information on the coronavirus, you can visit the website of the Archdiocese:
adw.org/coronavirus. Please join me in praying for all those who are affected by this situation, especially those who have died.
Sincerely,
Fr. Mike Jones