Bulletin - June 7, 2020 - Parishioner Protocols

Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church

Upper Uwchlan Township, PA

Parish Liturgical Practices during the “Yellow/Restricted Phase”

June 3, 2020

In keeping with the latest CDC directives for houses of worship and archdiocesan liturgical guidelines for the "yellow/restricted phase," there are a number of changes and adjustments in how we come together for Mass to ensure the safety and good health of all. These notes are being provided to help you know what to do when you come to church and what to expect during Mass. Please review these notes with attention and cooperate with one another for the well-being of all.

Introductory Note

With pastoral concern for those who may be medically vulnerable and for those who do not feel comfortable gathering in large settings before an effective vaccine is available, Archbishop Perez has extended the dispensation from the obligation to Sunday Mass until further notice.

If you are dealing with a chronic illness, if you are not feeling well on a given day, or if you are at higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19 (check this with your primary doctor), please stay home for your own safety and for the good of the community as a whole. And if you do attend Mass and are subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19, please inform the parish office immediately!

Practical Arrangements & Liturgical Practices for Parish Masses

• Everyone over two years of age is required to wear a face mask upon entering and during the entire time they are in the church building; those with a respiratory illness and those who are unable to remove a face covering without assistance are exempted from wearing a face mask at church, provided they show medical documentation upon entering the church (CDC Guidelines).

• Liturgical ministers will not wear a face mask while serving at the altar, but will do so when entering and exiting the church.

• All are expected to be mindful of social distancing (a minimum of six feet between persons of different households) throughout their time inside and outside the church.

• Everyone entering the church is required to use one of the hand sanitizers provided at all the church entrances. After using the hand sanitizer, please go directly into the church and find an open seat without congregating or socializing in the narthex before Mass.

• To guide the flow of people coming into church for Mass, you may only enter through the two front center doors and the chapel side doors; weather permitting, these doors will be left in the open position, to reduce hand contact. The courtyard doors will remain closed and may be used for exit only.

• To ensure proper social distancing, all sections of seating around the church will be accessible, with every other row of pews closed off in each section; signs are posted on the closed rows.

• Members of the same household may sit together as usual; when seated in the same pew with others, please keep six feet apart from those of a different household.

• The two public bathrooms will remain open, with the doors left open and signs posted on the doors to remind people to maintain social distancing and wash their hands before exiting the bathrooms. Parents are expected to accompany children under ten years old to and from the bathroom for their safety and cleanliness.

• All holy water fonts will remain empty until further notice; all the hymnals have been removed from the pews and will not be available in the church or chapel at this time.

• Liturgical music will be provided by an instrumentalist and cantor, without full choir groups.

• You are welcome to use a mobile device to follow the prayers and scripture readings of the Mass; these texts are available at http://usccb.org/calendar/.

• There will be no presentation of the gifts, no handshaking at the Sign of Peace, and no sharing of the Most Precious Blood (except for the celebrant and assisting deacon).

• At least initially, Holy Communion will be distributed only by our priests and deacons, with the ministers wearing a face shield or face mask (but not gloves) during the distribution.

• Communion ministers are required to wash their hands immediately before and immediately after Mass, and to use the hand sanitizer provided on the credence table before and after the distribution of Holy Communion.

• At Communion time, please remain in your pew until invited by an usher to move forward; to facilitate social distancing, ushers will direct the flow of people, beginning with the back rows of each section of pews and following the lines marked on the floor around the church. Those not receiving Holy Communion are asked to step completely out of the pew to allow others seated in the same pew to go up for Holy Communion.

• All communicants are expected to receive Holy Communion only in the hand, not on the tongue; communicants should accept, not take, the Sacred Host from the minister, step to one side, lower your mask to consume the Sacred Host, replace your mask and then return to your pew.

• Those needing a low gluten host and those seeking to receive Holy Communion on the tongue are asked to make individual arrangements with the pastor.

• There will not be an offertory collection during Mass; as you enter church, please drop your offering into one of the collection baskets located at the two church entrances. An usher (with face mask) will monitor each collection basket and carry the basket to the sacristy as the Alleluia verse is sung.

• After the ministers have left the altar area, all are expected to exit the church in an orderly fashion that maintains social distancing and without congregating in the narthex; socializing may be conducted outdoors in the parking area while respecting social distancing regulations.

• Please remove everything from the pew as you leave, out of courtesy and regard for those coming for the following Mass; trash receptacles are located directly outside the church exits.

• Parish bulletins, Auto-Giving cards and other materials will not be distributed by ushers or greeters; as you leave church, please pick up a parish bulletin from the tables at the church exits. You can also read the parish bulletin on the parish website!

• The Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) program is not being offered during the summer months; it will be reconsidered in the fall, pending the latest directives for group gatherings.

• Stars Rewards cards are not being sold on summer weekends. For information about online orders, please contact the parish business office.

Let us all keep our eyes fixed upon the Lord Jesus as we resume the public celebration of Mass together here in Saint Elizabeth Church!

Summer Schedule for Other Liturgical and Devotional Services

∙ Sacramental Confession: Individual confessions are being heard in the church on Saturday mornings at 9:00 AM. Please maintain social distancing while waiting in line for confession and use the hand sanitizer provided on the table in the front of the church before stepping forward for individual confession.

∙ Eucharistic Adoration: During the summer months (June 8-August 31), Exposition is being conducted in the church (not the chapel) on Mondays, beginning after the 7:30 AM daily Mass and closing at 7:00 PM.

∙ Marian Devotions & Rosary for Life: Beginning on Saturday, June 13, all are welcome to gather in church (always mindful of social distancing) for novena prayers to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at 7:50 AM, followed by a Rosary for Life at 8:00 AM.

Related Information about the Church & Other Parish Facilities

∙ While the maximum number for everyday social gatherings in the “yellow/restricted phase” is 25 persons, houses of worship (churches) are specifically included in the CDC and state governmental directives for essential businesses which allow for 50% capacity for gatherings while maintaining social distancing regulations and wearing face masks, etc. Given the size of our parish church, it is very unlikely that we will reach or exceed that capacity (± 600 people) at any one Mass on summer weekends.

∙ The entire church, narthex, entrances and public bathrooms are being cleaned and sanitized with an electrostatic sprayer on a regular basis during the week and on Saturday afternoons (but not in-between weekend Masses). A bacterial shield is also being applied to all surfaces on a scheduled basis to enhance the sanitation process.

∙ On weekends, the Good Shepherd Room (“cry room”) and its bathroom will ordinarily remain locked; all the children’s books and toys in the room have been placed in storage. The Holy Family Room (with the adult spirituality library) and the parlor will also be locked on weekends.

∙ The chapel will remain closed to public access during the week and on weekends; its use for weddings, funerals and Baptisms will be reconsidered later in the summer.

∙ The parish ministry center remains open on weekdays, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM, during the summer months for essential pastoral appointments, necessary business and mail deliveries, etc. For now, the parish office will not be open on Sunday mornings.

∙ In keeping with current government directives, all those coming to the parish office are required to wear a face mask in order to be admitted into the office, and to practice social distancing once inside the ministry center itself.

∙ During the “yellow phase” all onsite meetings of ministry groups and committees are suspended; committees may conduct their business through electronic means as their chairpersons see fit.

Thank you for your understanding, patience and active cooperation with our joint efforts to ensure the prayerful celebration of Mass while keeping you and all our parishioners and visitors safe and well.

All God’s blessings for the summer months!