09 June 2020
My dearest parishioners,
Peace be with you! I pray that all of you are healthy and safe in your homes.
Guided by prudence that prioritizes the health and life of our parishioners, making sure that our liturgical celebrations do not become occasions for the spread of COVID-19, as well as confidence and courage that no matter how insurmountable the situation we are in seems, we will not set aside our faith-based needs for security and convenience, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) have put together rules and procedures that we will adopt in the resumption of the public celebration of Masses and the Sacraments. These are based on the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) as well as the Novaliches Protocol for GCQ of our Diocese.
Mass and Adaptations
- Masses in the Main Church will be held at the Main Church with limited participants of up to 50% of the seating capacity.
- Registration is required for the Saturday Vigil (Anticipated) Masses and the Sunday Masses. We will be coming up with a separate circular on this shortly.
- Markers will be placed on the pews to indicate where the faithful should be seated. These markers will help strictly implement social distancing.
- Only a limited number of ministers will be serving in the Masses – one Lector, one Commentator, two Lay Ministers. No choir and Altar Servers are needed for now.
- The Offertory Procession (presentation of gifts) will be omitted. You may drop your love offerings in the Offertory box to be situated at the foot of the Altar.
- Holding of hands during the Lord’s Prayer and shaking of hands and/or besos shall not be allowed during the Sign of Peace.
- Holy Communion will still be distributed on the hand.
The Use of Social Media
- All Masses will continue to be streamed live on the Parish Facebook page.
- The Parish website is currently under construction and will be launched soon.
- We continue to use Facebook and Viber to communicate with you. You may find us on Facebook at: Presentation of Our Lord Parish facebook.com/polpchurch where important announcements are posted and where Masses are streamed live, and also the onePOLPfamily facebook.com/groups/onepolpfamily where we can exchange messages and news with each other. Our Viber is #onePOLPfamily.
Retooling of Ministries
- As most Ministries will not be able to perform their usual functions at this time, we shall be retooling them to make them more suitable to our current circumstances. We will also be needing and commissioning younger ministers.
Health and Safety Measures
- The faithful attending the Masses should all wear face masks. No mask, no entry.
- The faithful will be required to fill out a health checklist. The sickly are advised to stay home.
- We will designate specific entrances and exits in the Main Church to help maintain social distancing during the entry and departure of Mass goers. Marshalls will be stationed at the entrance and exits to help direct traffic and to ensure that the faithful keep two meters from each other.
- Thermal scanners will be used for temperature check prior to entrance. Foot baths and hand sanitizers will also be made available.
- You will find markers on the pews and floors to help ensure social distancing.
- General disinfection of the entire Main Church will be done after each Mass.
Sacraments
- The celebration of Baptism is allowed but restricted to only 10 persons including the priest, the immediate family members and only one or a pair of godparents. Health and safety protocols must be followed strictly.
- We will forego Mass Confirmation this year. Those who are getting married can be confirmed by the parish priest as church discipline dictates.
- The sacramental nature of confession requires that it must be done in person; not in the confessionals in the church. Although confessions may be heard in the Parish Office, it is recommended that they be heard outdoors, where there is better circulation of air and additional space for safe distance between the confessor and the penitent, both wearing masks. Priests are reminded not to hear Confessions via telephone or Zoom teleconferencing, though they may use these methods to offer the penitents spiritual counsel.
- The Wedding Rites prescribed in the liturgical book still have to be followed. But due to the demands of social distancing, wedding celebrations will have to be simpler than the usual, doing without all of the secondary elements of the normal wedding ceremonies. There will be no wedding entourage; only the bride and the groom, the parents of the couple, and one set of sponsors are to be present in the ceremony.
- A Special Ministry composed of only four priests has been created and is tasked to do Anointing of the Sick. The family and those attending to the sick will be required to fill up a health checklist.
Funerals may be held but attendance is restricted to the immediate family. They all must wear face masks and should always observe social distancing.
These protocols are not only compliant with contact tracing, social distancing and hygiene/safety requirements, but also observe proper liturgical norms.
Please be advised though that Masses will not be held publicly if: we are unable to follow these IATF-EID-compliant guidelines, and our protocols are not yet in place. We target Sunday, 21 June as the day we go public again.
Yes, these are trying times. But we need to apply prudence and develop up-to-the minute ways to cope with the “new normal” so we can resume our public celebrations with courage and confidence. Compliance with these guidelines is a moral obligation! In our own small way, let us help in stopping the spread of COVID-19 hoping that we soon shall be emancipated from this pandemic.
Let us all work together in MAKING OUR CHURCH COME ALIVE AGAIN. May God continue to bless us all!
RELATED CONTENT
Watch the videos below to learn how to register for our onsite Masses and what is expected from all attendees to ensure our continued safety.