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- Mass Guidelines
  - Resuming Public Mass

Resuming Public Mass
I am happy to share that, as of Tuesday, June 16^th, public Masses have resumed at Holy Family Church. As of December, 2020, Prince George's County is currently in Phase 2 of Reopening, which means that religious services may be held indoors at 25% of a building's capacity. Since our church can hold 800 people, this effectively means that we are able to have public Mass for all our parishioners at the usual times. The only restrictions that remain are the need for social distancing and certain precautions and efforts to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus and to sanitize and clean surfaces and materials.

In brief, our guidelines for celebrating Mass during the pandemic are as follows: the dispensation from the Archbishop from attending Mass on Sunday is still in effect, so you are under no obligation to go to Sunday Mass at present; if you are especially at risk, you are encouraged to stay home; adults and teenagers are required to wear a mask when inside the church; enter church and go straight to your pew, staying at least six feet away from the nearest member of the congregation; do not congregate in the aisles or entrances; at the time for Holy Communion, members of the congregation should come forward either to the center or right aisle in the church, and the priest or deacon will distribute Communion to each line, as needed; hand sanitizer is provided in the pews and in the Communion aisles, and we ask that you sanitize your hands before coming up to receive; bathrooms are available for use, but we do not have the staff to clean them after every Mass, so use them at your own risk; cleaning wipes are provided. and we ask that you clean the toilet and sink yourself, after every use; the offertory collection will be taken up as usual during Mass; after Mass is ended, volunteers clean the pews with anti-bacterial spray and rags; you may help clean, but please use a clean rag from the basket at the back of the church, and put your soiled rag in the bucket on the floor next to the basket, when you finish.

In Christ,
Fr. Matt Fish

Instructions for Resuming the Public Celebration of Mass at Holy Family Parish

The following guidelines principally pertain to the celebration of Sunday Mass. The following guidelines generally apply for daily Mass as well, unless otherwise noted.

Sunday Mass is offered at the usual times of 4.00pm (vigil) on Saturday and 10.00am on Sunday.

Daily Mass will be offered Tuesday – Friday at 9.00am (with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Friday from 8.00am – 9.00am).

Confession will be offered during Adoration on Fridays in the church from 8.00am to 9.00am, as well as after daily Mass on Tuesdays through Fridays, as needed.

1. The dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is still in effect, meaning that if you do not yet feel comfortable attending Mass, you are permitted to stay home (though you should still honor God on the Lord's Day by spending time in prayer and abstaining from servile work if possible).

2. Parishioners who are particularly vulnerable are urged to remain at home. If you have signs of sickness, such as a persistent cough, you ought to stay at home.

3. The Archdiocese has urged that Mass be celebrated with brevity and efficiency, in order to minimize the danger of spreading the virus.

4. Adults and teenagers are required to wear a face covering while in the church building.

5. Every other pew is available for seating. A piece of blue tape on the rail marks where people can sit.

6. Six feet of distance is to be maintained between all (except for couples and for families from the same household).

7. No hymnals or missals will be available for use.

8. Bathrooms are available for public use, but to be used at your own risk. Cleaning wipes are provided for you to clean the facility after your own use.

9. People are asked to enter the church and go directly to a pew, making sure not to congregate in the aisles.

10. Hand Sanitizer is available at the entrances of the church.

11. There is less singing at Mass, so as to keep the length of time that Mass is celebrated short. The congregation is asked to listen meditatively to the songs.

12. No ministers at all, besides the presiding priest and a deacon, are permitted in the sanctuary (the area around the altar) or in the sacristy. The presiding priest will prepare the sacred vessels and the altar for Mass himself.

13. Ushers will continue to take up the collection as usual, with baskets.

14. At the Sign of Peace, we ask that you simply extand a wave to those around you, and not make physical contact with another person or leave your pew.

15. Only the presiding priest and assisting deacon are permitted to distribute Communion.

16. The procedure for receiving Communion is as follows:
1. Individuals in each pew who would like to receive should come forward, moving down the center or right side aisles.
2. Once the communicant reaches the priest or deacon, who will elevate the Host, saying, “The Body of Christ,” they are to raise their hands up high, at chest level, folded over each other, making a “V” shape (or stick out their tongue, if they wish to receive on the tongue).
3. The priest or deacon will then drop the host in the open hands (or on the tongue) of the communicant. At that point, they are to lift their mask above their mouth, and consume the host.
17. If the priest or deacon distributing Communion inadvertently touches the hand of a communicant while distributing the Host (or when giving the Host to anyone receiving on the tongue), he is to sanitize his hands immediately.

18. After Mass has ended, volunteers will proceed to sanitize the pews. (At daily Mass, each person attending Mass will be asked to clean the spot at which they sat, using cleaning wipes, to be provided.)

19. Standing fans will be left on throughout and after all Masses, with doors left open, to ensure maximum ventilation.
Archdiocese of Washington response to Covid-19

Holy Family Catholic Church

Hillcrest Heights, MD

Resuming Public Mass

Archdiocese of Washington response to Covid-19