∙ COVID-19 UPDATES ∙ 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ, who continues to pour forth his grace and mercy upon the world, even amidst such times as these. We continue to strive to live our faith, day in and day out—in this world, but not of this world. Our hope remains in the eternal life promised to those who do the will of the Father in faith and trust.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve striven to make prudent decisions for the welfare of all, while keeping the practice of our faith my top priority. There is nothing more important in anyone’s life than the worship and service owed to God, which each person must discern carefully for themselves and those they are responsible for, with guidance provided by the Church. Our liturgical practices during the current pandemic have and continue to be in line with the guidance provided by our bishop, Bishop Peter Christensen. Although we in Idaho are continuing, by and large, in Stage 4 of our Idaho Rebounds reopening plan, the bishop provided the following guidance to his pastors for their parishes:

Regardless of where your county is, we continue to urge the following:

· Maintain the six (6) foot physical distancing requirement.
· Disinfect your facilities and regularly clean them, especially high-touch areas.
· Provide prevention supplies such as hand sanitizer, tissues and trash cans.
· Encourage anyone who enters the place of worship to wash hands or use hand sanitizer prior to or just after entering the building.
· If you wish to use face coverings, you are encouraged to do so.
· Ask all to self-monitor for fever or symptoms of COVID-19 and refrain from entering the building if there is any concern about possible infection.
· Recommend that the faithful refrain from hugging or handshaking.

With the Governor’s decision to remain in Stage 4, these provisions remain in place:

· Mass Dispensation.  I will continue to dispense with the obligation to attend Mass for those over the age of 60, for those who are immunocompromised, and for those whose anxiety about their health makes them apprehensive about attending Mass.
· Communion to the Faithful Under One Species : Parishes will continue to offer only the Body of Christ to the faithful—for now, only clergy will receive from the chalice.  A decision at a later date will be made as to when all may receive from the Cup; 
· Restoration of Sacrament of Reconciliation : If currently suspended, the sacrament of reconciliation must be offered to the faithful;
· Sign of Peace :  Respectfully showing a sign of peace will be a gesture the faithful may determine for themselves. 
· Resumption of Other Prayer/Devotional Services : Normal devotions such as holy hours, Exposition/Adoration, etc., may resume; 
· Ministries to the Sick and Homebound:  Ministries to those who are unable to attend Mass should continue, including the distribution of Holy Communion; those ministers who visit facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes will do so only insofar as they are in compliance with policies in place in those institutions;
· Receptacles for the collection:   Long handled offertory baskets are recommended.

There is room, where indicated, for pastors to decide what is best for their parishes given the demographics of the parish and the physical structure of the building. For example, as we are in a round building, to rope off every other pew is not the most prudent use of space. It is possible, as we have, to maintain social distancing by having families space themselves appropriately. Likewise, we do not have long handled offertory baskets, so we have placed our regular baskets at the doors, etc.

This is a difficult time for many people, and it is important to treat one another, as always, with patience, love, and understanding. If you need help discerning what is best for your practice of the faith, you are, as always, welcome to contact me or one of our deacons.

For many of the weekends over the last couple of months, I’ve been able to offer an extra Sunday Mass on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. This will be the case again, tomorrow, June 26th. It is meant for those who prefer a briefer Mass (as there is no singing), which is also typically less full than the Sunday morning Mass. Due to previously scheduled weddings, it won’t be possible to offer these Saturday afternoon Masses in the month of July.

Finally, let us keep one another steadfastly in prayer, that anyone under any form of duress, whether physically, spiritually, racially, economically, or otherwise, may receive the peace of Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Chase Hasenoehrl
Pastor, St. Augustine’s, Moscow