St. Catherine of Siena

Particular Guidelines
 
1) All Catholics continue to be dispensed from the obligation to participate in Sunday and Holy Day Masses until further notice.
 
2) Those who are particularly vulnerable to the virus due to age and those with pre-existing conditions are strongly encouraged to continue following Mass at home via St. Catherine’s YouTube channel.   One Sunday Mass will be accessible on YouTube on Sunday morning at 11:30am.  Daily Mass (Monday-Saturday) will not be available online.  
 
3 )A person who is currently ill in any way, should stay at home to protect the health of all. 
 
** It is vitally important that prudent decisions will be made by all regarding the above three guidelines.
 
4) When we gather for liturgical celebrations, we will be limited to 150 persons.  That is 25% of the seating capacity between the main body of the church and the gym. 
 
5) The church will be open for private visits daily between the hours of 6am and 6pm seven days a week.  These hours are subject to change.
 
6 )Commonly touched surfaces will be cleaned after each gathering.
 
7) All people will enter and exit through the front doors of the church.  Hand sanitizer will be available at the doors.  Ushers will be present to assist in the flow of people.  
 
8) All persons over the age of two (2) must wear face masks when inside the church and throughout the duration of the liturgy until one returns to his or her vehicle.   Each individual is to supply his or her own mask.  
 
9)Inside the main body of the church, every other pew will be free to use.  Three people per pew is the maximum.  Each pew is marked with an X to highlight appropriate distancing.  Members of the same household do not have to follow social distancing guidelines and may sit together in a pew while maintaining 6 feet apart from others.
 
10) Holy water fonts have been emptied, hymnals removed, and devotional candles unplugged. 
 
11) Holy Communion will be distributed by the priests only.  You will remain in your pews.  The priests will walk through the empty pews to distribute communion.  As the priest approaches you may kneel or stand.  Communion is to be received in the hand to avoid any unnecessary contact.
 
12) The Sign of Peace will be done without contact.  
 
13) Some people have developed a tradition of holding hands during the Our Father.  This too will not occur.  
 
14) Only one person will serve as Reader.  There will be no Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and no altar servers.  We will have limited music ministers.  We will have a Processional hymn, Offertory hymn, Communion hymn, and Recessional hymn.  All other parts that we typically sing will be recited.  Although there will be a hymn, there will be no physical procession or recession. The priest will begin from and end in the sacristy.
 
15) As you enter church, a basket will be available in the entrance for your offering. 
 
16) A bulletin will be placed on each assigned seat.  Please take that bulletin with you as you depart.  Do not leave the bulletins in the pews.