Added Clarifications About Mass Procedures and Hygiene

Added Clarifications About Mass Procedures and Hygiene
Wednesday, March 4th, 2020
Dear Friends:
I appreciate all of the multiple follow up comments and questions I have received after my
recent communication, dated Sunday the 1st of March, about discontinuing offering the
Precious Blood at Mass and discontinuing the optional sign of peace until further notice. In
light of many of the comments, I wish to offer some further points of clarification about this.
Are These Changes Permanent?
I do not anticipate that they will be. We will re-evaluate the omission of the Communion
Chalice for the Precious Blood and the sign of peace once public anxiety over the Coronavirus
diminishes.
The Primary Reason for the Change Is Only Secondarily About Germs
I wish to again emphasize that the reason for the decision to no longer offer the Precious Blood
at Mass is because it is disrespectful to the presence of Our Lord in the Precious Blood, in the
Communion Chalice, to have such a large number of Mass attendees have such anxiety over
receiving from the cup that most people are not taking it, and that I cannot find enough
Extraordinary Ministers to offer it.
Use Personal Responsible Judgment About Hygiene
Persons coming to Mass are invited to exercise their own personal responsible judgement
about whether or not they wish to carry with them their own hand sanitizer, and how they wish
to wash their hands with soap and water before, during, or after Mass. The same applies to
Extraordinary Ministers of Communion.
Personal Piety About How To Receive the Host Will Be Respected; Please Respect Public Health Concerns As Well
Everyone remains free to make their own decisions of piety and preference about receiving
Communion in their hands verses on their tongues. I am not willing to deny a person a
Communion Host for refusing to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the hand. Everyone is also
asked to make decisions of piety that are respectful of concerns about public health.
If a person does not feel comfortable receiving Communion it is useful to remember that the
obligation of participation in the Church’s liturgy requires receiving Communion only once in a given year. The rest of the time, it is sufficient to simply be at Mass without receiving
Communion.
Father Nathan