CHURCH OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE

SUMMARY OF COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR IN-PERSON WORSHIP

for Attendees of Masses

These guidelines were established to ensure the safety of everyone during worship in the pandemic. Sidespeople are available to help or answer any questions you may have, but this is a short summary for you. 

•    Put a mask or face covering on before entering the church, and leave it on while in church (except when communing the host).

•    Washrooms are available; please ask a sidesperson if you need help locating one. One household is permitted in a washroom at a time; washrooms have been made gender neutral while this is the case.

•    Check the screening information at the front table, and then a sidesperson will give you your seat. Please note: if you are sitting together as a household, you must be sitting close together to ensure that spacing for other attendees can be maintained.

•    At the time of communion:

•    Remain seated in the pew until the sidesperson gestures towards the household, inviting them to come forward for communion. 

•    Follow the arrows on the floor guiding direction of travel to ensure good social distancing, maintaining 2 metres distance at all times.

•    When approaching the priest to receive communion, sanitize your hands, then stand at 2 metres distance opposite the priest until hearing the words “The body of Christ…” (or similar). Respond with “Amen”, then move forward to receive the wafer from the priest.

•    Move toward the side, where another bottle of hand sanitizer is available. Take your communion here, replace your mask, and sanitize your hands; then return to your seat according to the directional arrows on the floor.

•    When the mass has ended, a sidesperson will guide you to an exit according to the protocols. Please do not stop indoors to converse; wait until you are outdoors on the lawn of the church or the sidewalk in front of or to the south of the church. Please maintain a clear path for others using the sidewalk.