St. Joseph Church, Conway, AR – SUNDAY MASS UPDATES
Please see below for important updates regarding the resumption of public masses at St. Joseph and other parish information:
Parish Offices will re-open on a limited basis Monday-Friday from 9 am-2pm. Please restrict visits to the parish office to only essential functions. Masks or other face coverings will be required to enter the parish offices.
Public masses will resume this weekend (May 9-10) at the regularly scheduled mass times (Vigil Mass Saturday at 5 pm, Sunday 8 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm (Spanish), and 5 pm) with the following conditions:
- People should stay home if they do not feel well or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
- Most people will still not be able to attend Mass under the following conditions, so the Bishop’s dispensation of everyone from the Sunday Mass obligation remains in effect.
- The number of people admitted to Mass will be limited to 25 percent of the maximum occupancy in order to maintain the required 6 feet physical distancing between family groups or individuals (250 people will be the cutoff at St. Joseph). After we reach 250 people, we will direct overflow crowd to the Spiritan Center where we will livestream mass and Communion will be brought over for distribution.
- All participants, including children over 10 years of age, must wear masks or other covering of their mouth and nose. All must use hand sanitizer upon arrival at the church.
- The priest will maintain 12 feet physical distance from the congregation — as stipulated by Gov. Hutchinson — unless he is distributing Communion. He does not wear a mask except when distributing Communion.
Distributing Communion
When it is their turn to receive, communicants should lower their mask briefly, extend their ungloved hands, one on top of the other, receive the host which is “dropped” carefully without touch into their waiting hand, place the host in their mouth and then raise their mask before returning to their place. Communion cannot be distributed with gloves, nor be received by a member of the faithful if they are wearing gloves–the risk of mishaps with the Eucharist is too great. Ungloved sanitized hands will be used.
Hand Sanitizer
All are administered hand sanitizer upon arrival at the church and those distributing Communion use hand sanitizer before and after distributing Communion, but otherwise frequent and obvious use of hand sanitizer during Mass is to be discouraged. We will provide hand sanitizer, but we also want to encourage people to bring hand sanitizer from home if possible.
Disinfectant Wipes
Disinfectant wipes will be provided in the pews and the worshipers will be asked to wipe down their area upon arrival and again when ready to leave the church, discarding the wipe on the way out.
Collection Baskets
Collection baskets will be placed at the entries to church. Parishioners are encouraged to sign up for online giving.
Maintain 6 Feet Distancing in Communion Line
Maintain 6 feet distancing in Communion line except members of the same family.
Maintain 6 Feet Distancing in the Exit Line as People Leave Mass
Please wait for instructions from the priest at dismissal before exiting and maintain 6 feet distancing in exit lines.
Notes:
- There will be no services at St. Oscar Romero in Greenbrier yet. The space is too small to allow proper social distancing.
- All weekend masses will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube as long as the technology keeps working!
- Daily masses will continue to be live-streamed as they have been.
The above-mentioned procedures will be in place until the Bishop issues another letter loosening restrictions (hopefully in the near future).