Guidelines for Attending Mass During Pandemic

Arriving at St. Joseph’s Church

• When arriving at the church please line up with distancing to receive the temperature check at the entrance.
• Each member of your family is required to wear a mask.
• Please find and use our hand sanitizer as you enter the church
• Take a seat on designated pews, once seated, please remain in your pew.

During the Mass

• Please do not hold hands while singing/praying the “Our Father/The Lord’s Prayer” and refrain from kissing, hugging, and shaking hands while exchanging the sign of peace.

Receiving Communion

• Before distributing the communion to the parishioners, the Priest will raise the bread and wine and declare “The Body & Blood of Christ” to which parishioners will respond “Amen”
• Please take communion on your hand, the priest will not give communion directly to the parishioners’ mouths.
• To maintain proper social distancing, please do not leave your seat until the usher instructs you to do so. As you wait in line, observe an appropriate distance from other families.
• As you arrive in front of the Priest, you will be presented with the Consecrated Host. Please remove your mask and let the priest lay the Consecrated Host on the palm of your hand. Then step aside, consume the Body of Christ, put on your mask again, and proceed back to your seat.

At the end of the Mass

• After the final blessing, to minimize contact with other parishioners, you will be dismissed by pew, through the main exit. Those seated at the Chapel can use the Side Exit Doors to leave the church.
• The salutation and greeting after mass are suggested to do in some short time with social distancing
• Due to space constraints and to limit contact, we will temporarily stop serving refreshments after the mass. Drinking water will still be available.

We will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these measures and will update as necessary

Thank you for your patience and collaboration. It might seem like a lot to coordinate, but it’s worth it to be able to receive our Lord in the Eucharist and keep everyone safe.