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Churches open for Holy Mass

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The Diocese of Dundee opened churches to Holy Mass this week.

Our PPC held a meeting last night, Thursday 17 September 2020, to discuss what strategies to put in place to ensure the safety of our parishioners.

Our parish will be open for Mass from this weekend onwards:

  • Saturday evening at 6pm.  As from next Saturday 26 September 2020, Saturday evening Mass will be at 5:30pm.
  • Sunday 8am.
  • Sunday Mass at St Jude at 10am.
  • No Masses at Acaciavale yet.

Weekday Masses:

  • Tuesday 10am
  • Wednesday 6am
  • Thursday 9am, followed by adoration
  • Friday at St Jude 5:30pm.

For now there will be NO livestreaming of Masses.

You may attend any of the Masses even those during the week, and this will fulfil your obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

PLEASE ARRIVE 30 MINUTES BEFORE MASS, SO THAT MASS CAN START ON TIME.

Who may attend Sunday Mass?

  1. Rather, who is encouraged NOT to attend Sunday Mass (perhaps attend a weekday Mass instead):
  • People over the age of 60 years are encouraged to stay at home.
  • People with co-morbidities e.g. diabetes, asthma, cancer, kidney diseases, hypertension, obesity etc, are encouraged to stay at home.
  • If you are sick, have flu-like symptoms or a temperature of 38 degrees up, please stay at home.  You will be refused entry to the church.

The above people are at the highest risk of contracting Covid-19 and having a very bad case of it.  There is still no vaccine, nor is there a guarantee that you will not catch it.

  1. Children under 18 years are to be accompanied by their parents.
  2. All others are encouraged to attend.

Number of attendees?

  • This coming weekend the total number including the priest, sacristans etc is 50 people.  To ensure your place you must arrive early.
  • From next week onwards including weekday Masses, the number will be limited to 50% of the church’s holding capacity, the numbers are still to be calculated in accordance with government guidelines.

What protocols are to be followed?

  • You MUST wear a mask.
  • You will have to sanitise your hands before you enter the church.
  • You will have to write down your name, ID number, cell number etc in a register which will be in the porch.
  • Your temperature will be taken and noted in the register.
  • There will be only one entrance to the church and that is from the front.  Should any person, not able to manage the stairs, need assistance, please contact the sacristan at the door and they will make plans for you to access another entrance.
  • The benches have been marked with which seats are available.  Families, who live together, may sit together on the same bench and ignore the markers.
  • The cry-room will be closed.
  • The toilets on the side of the church will be open, but please remember to follow proper sanitisation procedures.  When you re-enter the church, you will have to sanitise your hands again.
  • If you are diagnosed with Covid-19 and you have attend Mass, please contact the parish office immediately.

During Mass

Everyone is to wear a mask during the entire Mass.

There will be NO singing.

Only one proclaimer to do all the readings at each Mass.

There will NO shaking of hands during the sign of peace.

Collections will be done at the end of Mass on your way out, 2 people with boxes will stand at the door.

For communion:

  • One line only, social distancing will be practiced
  • Communicant is to sanitise their hands before receiving communion, there will be a bottle of sanitiser on the 2nd bench from the front.
  • Communion only in the form of the Body of Christ.
  • Communion to be received only on your hands.

After each Mass, we will call for 4 volunteers to sanitise the church.  Sanitiser and paper towels will be made available.

Other important info

Our Compliance Officer is Nokwazi Maphalala.

For Sunday Masses, Nokwazi will be at the door together with a Sacristan for registration of attendees.

For weekday Masses, Nokwazi will handle registration at the door.  For Wednesday 6am Mass, Norman Brown will handle registration.  For weekend Masses, one sacristan is to handle registration.

For Thursday Adoration, please go and register at the parish office with Nokwazi BEFORE you enter the church.

After weekday Masses and after Thursday Adoration, please sanitise your seating area (seat and the back of the seat in front of you), when you leave.

Counting of collections will only be done 48 hours after the collection OR whilst wearing gloves.

Ministries

Proclaimers – only one per Mass.  Nokwazi will contact the proclaimers to find out who is willing to attend Mass and then Michelle will work on a roster.

Sacristans – 2 per Mass, one to help Father in the sacristy and the other to attend to registration at the door.  Nokwazi will contact the sacristans to find out who is willing to attend Mass and then Michelle will work on a roster.

Should you have any questions, you are welcome to email me or contact Nokwazi on 0763802065.

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