Bishop's Message: What to Expect When We Are Able to Gather Again for Public Masses

Friday, May. 01, 2020

When I made the difficult decision to suspend all public Masses and Church-related activities in the Diocese of Salt Lake City to comply with government measures regarding COVID-19, I did so even though it would deprive local Catholics of many sources of spiritual nourishment, most especially the Holy Eucharist. However, I took this step because it was necessary to protect God’s precious gift of life and for the common good.  

Many of us are looking forward to the time when the health restrictions will be relaxed and we can start to gather again for Holy Mass and social  get-togethers. Our government officials and health experts here in Utah are planning new guidelines to ease some restrictions. For the Diocese of Salt Lake City, we are planning how we will be able to celebrate public Masses, while keeping to these new guidelines, whatever they might be, always mindful of the preeminence of protecting the life, safety and the health of everyone. 

We know that all Catholics long to go back to their parishes, participate in the Eucharistic liturgy and receive Holy Communion, but we ask for your patience and Christian charity as we make the decisions that will allow us to celebrate the Holy Mass rightly and safely. Although such thoughts fill us with tremendous joy, it is important for everyone to know that things will not immediately go back to the way they were before the pandemic. 

We have not yet been able to determine when we can celebrate public Mass again, or when First Communion, Confirmation and other such events will take place. However, we do know that when these happen, there will be guidelines to observe. As my confrere Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver wrote in an article to his congregation, when we are able to start gathering again, there are five things for everyone to be prepared for: 

1. Attendance will be limited. We know restrictions will remain on holding large gatherings, so most likely parishes will have to determine a fair way to cap attendance for Masses. It is important for people to register to receive communications from their parish so they will know how their parish is going to handle how many people can attend any given Mass and who those people may be, e.g., sign-up systems, assigned days, etc. No one should expect to be able to attend Mass with regularity.

2. Social distancing will be observed. Expect that your parish will have pews or rows taped off, and that families will be asked to keep six feet of separation from one another. Be prepared to wear a mask to Mass to guard against germ spread. If you are showing any symptoms of sickness and are vulnerable, please stay home.  

3. Liturgical changes will be in place. Precautionary protocols similar to those established in early March will be in place, like suspending the handshake for the exchange of peace and the distribution of the Precious Blood, and receiving Holy Communion only on the hand.  

4. A general dispensation from the Sunday obligation will remain for at-risk groups, those who have symptoms, and anyone who feels safer staying at home. No one will be required to attend. Because your family might only be able to attend Mass on an irregular basis, and not necessarily on Sunday, plan to continue to keep the Sabbath holy by participating in livestream and pre-recorded Masses. 

5. There still will be a risk for anyone who attends a public Mass. Even with best health practices and strict social distancing, anyone who enters a public space should recognize there is a risk of contracting the coronavirus. Improved cleaning will occur at our churches, but no one should expect that they would be any safer from germs than other public spaces.

Finally, let us strive for progress and not perfection. There will no doubt be challenges and frustrations. Your family might not be able to attend Mass the first few weeks it resumes. A parish might make blunders and things will not go according to plan. However, we believe following guidelines is a reasonable sacrifice. As we see numbers flatten and decrease, we are beginning to sense the situation improving. If we look for ways to get around the regulations, we will likely create situations that force us to take steps back.

Therefore, for the interest of the common good and ultimately to best serve our own community, we do not want to contribute to a rebound effect that would actually push normalized Mass attendance even further into the future. So let us all work together and follow regulations, and chances are these will work for our greater good.