Coronavirus leads Chicago-area Catholic churches to change Mass practices

CHICAGO — As hospitals, schools and businesses prepare to deal with the spread of coronavirus, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago released guidelines for parishioners concerned about the potential spread of the disease.

© Dreamstime/Mayo Clinic/TNS "In terms of COVID-19, the situation is really evolving quite rapidly," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic. "Anyone in the U.S. with travel plans should look at the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) website to get the most up-to-date travel advice and recommendations."

Effective immediately, all priests, deacons, altar servers and ministers in parishes in the archdiocese must wash their hands before the beginning of Mass. Those distributing Communion also are being told to use antibacterial solution before and after distributing Communion.

Additional guidelines for parishioners during Mass services include, according to a list distributed by some churches:

— Avoiding physical contact during the sign of peace.

— Given the direct contact with saliva, do not distribute Communion via the chalice.

— Do not hold hands during prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer.

— Refrain from using holy water fonts.

The archdiocese also emphasized that those who are sick or experiencing symptoms should not feel obligated to attend Mass.

The warnings come after a letter released by Bishop Richard Pates last week advised all parishes in the Diocese of Joliet to stop handshaking, embracing during the sign of peace and distribution of Communion in the chalice. Other diocese throughout the world also are limiting how Communion is distributed and taking other steps.

“At this time, because of unknown dimensions of this virus and its rapid spreading world-wide, prudence and prayer are called for,” the letter states.

The third and fourth cases

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