Washington D.C., May 24, 2021 / 18:30 pm
Dioceses in the state of New York updated their COVID-19 guidelines last week, following the recent shift in federal pandemic safety recommendations.
The Archdiocese of New York will once again be using collection baskets, physical bulletins, and hymnals in churches, the Gothamist reported over the weekend. Vaccinated parishioners may participate in choirs and in altar serving, and unvaccinated parishioners will be seated in separate sections in the church.
In a May 21 press release, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced that churches in Brooklyn and Queens would open to 100% capacity beginning on the weekend of May 22-23. The lift on capacity restrictions would eliminate the need for roping off pews, the diocese said.
Social distancing and masks are still required for parishioners who are unvaccinated, the diocese said, while still encouraging everyone to wear masks inside churches.
Those wishing to serve as a lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, usher, or altar server, may do so, the diocese said. Choirs may also resume normal activity, but unvaccinated choir members must continue to maintain social distancing, the diocese said.
The diocese also announced it will be lifting the general dispensation of the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, beginning the weekend of June 5-6. However, those who are feeling ill and those caring for the sick continue to be dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass.
In a letter from Bishop Edward Scharfenberger to the Diocese of Albany, he announced he will remove the general dispensation of the Sunday obligation on Sunday, June 6. However, a particular dispensation for those who are sick or at risk of getting sick, or who experience significant anxiety being in a public setting, will remain in place.
The bishop’s letter said that masks should still be worn at all times, with exceptions for different points in the liturgy such as Holy Communion. Other mask exceptions include those for the priest and other ministers, for children under the age of two years, for those who have a medical condition precluding them wearing a mask, or for those who are “known to be fully vaccinated.”
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