Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) churches, religious gatherings and places of worship are subject to social distancing requirements and a 2 square metre rule from 12 February 2021.

The maximum number of people at places of worship and religious services will only be limited by the 2 square metre rule.

Your parish will also have other measures in place as part of their COVID-19 Safety plan.

Catholics from the Diocese of Parramatta are dispensed from their Sunday Mass obligation until further notice (Canon 1247, Canons 85 and 87, and Catechism of the Catholic Church 2180-2188).

A dispensation from a diocesan bishop releases Catholics from fulfilling their Sunday obligation of attending Mass.

Most parishes are offering daily public Mass. Please check with your parish in the first instance.

Effective 29 March 2021:

The maximum number of people at places of worship and religious services will only be limited by the 2 square metre rule.

This applies to all indoor and outdoor settings including places of worship. If a place of public worship has separate buildings, the maximum number of people in each separate building is subject to the 2 square metre rule.

If there are separate buildings, each building should have a COVID-19 Safety Plan in place.

People attending a religious service will be required to provide their name and contact details when they enter so that they can be used for contact tracing.

Face masks are strongly recommended at places of worship.

Please bring your own mask.

Parish priests, priests and ministers of the Communion are strongly encouraged to wear masks when distributing Communion.

NSW Health advised for places of worship to please consider modifying religious services, where practical, such as Communion, to avoid direct contact with the hand and mouth.

If parishioners would like to receive Communion on the tongue, this is to be done only after everyone else have received Communion on the hand. Only the priest will distribute Communion on the tongue. The extraordinary ministers who usually assist with giving Communion to parishioners will only be doing so on the hand.

The parish priest will be extra careful in placing Communion on the tongue to ensure physical contact is not made. It is at the discretion of the priest celebrating Mass, conscious of the advice from NSW Public Health, as to whether or not he chooses to recommence Communion on the tongue.

Effective from 17 May 2021 for venues across Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains, wearing of face masks at places of worship continues to be strongly recommended, especially indoors and where physical distancing is not possible.

However, it will no longer be compulsory to wear a face mask at places of worship.

Effective Monday 17 May 2021 for venues across Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains, there will be no restrictions on choirs and congregational singing at places of worship.

While it is essential for Catholics, the obligation to attend can be dispensed, and the obligation has been dispensed at this time. This is stated in the Code of Canon Law which offers universal rulings for Catholics, and the Code has not changed since St John Paul II’s papacy. It states in canon 1247:

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass. … If participation in the eucharistic celebration becomes impossible because of the absence of a sacred minister or for another grave cause, it is strongly recommended that the faithful take part in a liturgy of the word if such a liturgy is celebrated in a parish church or other sacred place according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop or that they devote themselves to prayer for a suitable time alone, as a family, or, as the occasion permits, in groups of families.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2181, it further states:

The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.

Catholics have long been encouraged to partake in the practice of making a “spiritual communion” if they are unable to receive the Eucharist for a particular reason (for instance – being homebound). Simply put, it is coming before God in prayer – expressing our deep desire to be united to Him despite the fact that we are unable to be united to Him in receiving the Eucharist.

This spiritual communion can be made in various ways. One common way of doing so involves spending a dedicated time of prayer and reflection on the Mass readings. The daily Mass readings can be viewed online here. Another popular way is by reciting the prayer written by St. Alphonsus Liguori below.

An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

It can be very spiritually and emotionally distressing for some people who have been taught to always participate in Mass.

You can offer assistance as follows:

1. Reassure them that the Catholic Church through the Pope and their Bishop is giving permission for them not to participate.
2. Spiritually speaking, God always seeks both our spiritual and physical wellbeing. Jesus performed many physical healings. As such, God cares for our physical health and wants to ensure we are safe through following the safety standards offered by health professionals, who again, God has blessed with intellect and expertise to assist us during this difficult time
3. Encourage them to perform a devotional practice during the time they will normally participate – such as watch Mass on TV or online, pray the rosary or engage with the Sunday prayers and readings through their missal. You can find online resources at http://universalis.com/mass.htm
4. Offer to check in or pray with them ensuring you are complying with the national health advice.

The Diocese of Parramatta has created a special COVID-19 website. You can access this site here:
parracatholic.org/covid19/

Effective 29 March 2021:

There will be no caps on the number of people allowed to attend weddings and funerals, provided the 2 square metre rule is adhered to.

Effective 29 March 2021:

There will be no caps on the number of people allowed to attend weddings and funerals, provided the 2 square metre rule is adhered to.

Effective 12 February 2021:

The maximum number of people at places of worship and religious services will only be limited by the 2 square metre rule.

People attending a baptism will be required to provide their name and contact details when they enter so that they can be used for contact tracing.

Confessions can be celebrated in the church.

When recording details of attendance, there should be no reference as to why the person is attending.

A virus-proof barrier between the penitent and the confessor is recommended.

Hand sanitiser at the doors of confessionals will help to ensure that the doorknobs do not become high risk sites; frequent sanitising of confessionals is recommended.

Pope Francis has stated that clergy be available to pastorally minister to people in this time of crisis.

Those who are gravely ill, either due to the virus, or some other malady should not in any circumstances be denied access to the sacraments.

In anointing people, the priest will wash their hands with an appropriate solution both before and after the anointing.

In the laying on of hands, it is recommended that contact is not made with the person’s head but the priest’s hands are held above the head of the ill. The same applies to the administration of Viaticum.

 

Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are now able to visit the housebound and those who are unable to attend a parish for Mass or Holy Communion.

These ministers will need to observe social distancing and ensure at least 1.5 metres is maintained between them and those in their care.

Ministers will also need to use hand sanitiser, prior to the distribution of Communion.

Only Communion on the hand is permitted at this time.