You can now attend Mass in your local church throughout the diocese. Detailed guidelines have been prepared and can be read below. The Guidelines are designed to assist parishes in making the necessary preparations to ensure that the church is ready to welcome parishioners for the celebration of public Mass.
The Checklist, Appendix 3 in the Guidelines, is a list of necessary measures which must be undertaken to prepare for public Mass. Churches are advised to open only if they can positively complete the checklist.
Key preparations include:
- Setting the capacity of the church, based on current social distancing requirements
- Encouraging people to book in for Any Weekday Mass, not necessarily Sunday Mass
- A Covid-19 response plan in each parish
- A Parish Support Team in place to ensure the implementation of these guidelines
- The Appointment of a member of the support team as the Covid-19 Safety Officer
- Recruiting a Cleaning Team for the regular cleaning of the church as per the guidelines
- Each volunteer or liturgical Minister should be furnished with: Return to Work Guidelines
- All volunteers and liturgical Ministers sign the Return to Work Form, Appendix 2
- Identifying An Isolation Area in the event an employee, volunteer or Mass-goer takes ill with Covid-19 symptoms
The Guidelines Team include: Fr.Nicholas Flynn, Fr.Pat O’ Donnell, Frances Rowland and Shane O’ Donoghue.
The Diocesan Office is available to assist parishes as required.
Covid – 19 Update and checklist August 10 2020