Health Alerts

March 17, 2020
Full Text PDF  English   |    Spanish


We are living in extraordinary times, unprecedented in the lives of most of us.  Six Bay Area counties (San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa) are now under a “shelter in place” order for the purpose of containing the spread of the coronavirus.  It is of the utmost importance that we all do our part to comply with this order, so that we might “flatten the curve,” that is, extend the period of time in which people will get sick, so that our health care institutions will not be overwhelmed.  Otherwise, some people will inevitably not get the health care they need and, in all likelihood, some of these will end up dying.  Even those who are willing to risk their own health in not complying with this order must realize that they may be endangering the health, and even lives, of others, since it is possible for one to have the virus for days, and perhaps even weeks, before the symptoms manifest themselves.  Hence, one could be infecting others without even realizing it.
 
Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.  I have recently sent a memo to our priests, outlining the measures we will take to comply with what the counties are asking us to do, while at the same time continuing to provide for the spiritual care of our people.  These decisions were arrived at only after I engaged in extensive conversation with pastors, experts in the field, and some of our lay faithful, and then held an emergency conference call consultation with the deans of the ten deaneries of our Archdiocese as well as Archdiocesan leadership.
 
The Celebration of Mass
 
Pastors (or a priest they designate) will celebrate Mass every day in their parish churches with only one altar server in attendance.  Due to the “stay at home” order, no one else can be present in the church during the celebration of Mass, only the priest and one altar server.  This means that for the time being, and until further notice, there will be no public celebration of Mass.
 
That does not mean, though, that our people cannot attend Mass remotely, and so parishes that have the technology to do so will livestream these Masses celebrated in private.  This will allow our pastors to continue to communicate with their parishioners from the pulpit in real time.  Information on livestreamed parish Masses can be found here: sfarch.org/livestreams. 
 
Since the celebration of Mass in public is not available, the faithful are not bound by the obligation of Sunday Mass attendance.  To be more precise: to “keep the Lord’s Day holy” is the precept of the third Commandment of the Decalogue, direct from God, to which we are always bound and can never be dispensed; however, at this time, our people are excused from keeping the Lord’s Day holy by attending Sunday Mass.  This means that our people must keep the Lord’s Day holy in other ways, at home.

Other Considerations
 
To the extent possible, churches will remain open during the day so that our people may have the solace of prayer in a sacred space, especially before the Blessed Sacrament, during this distressing time.  Priests will continue to visit the sick, and celebrate the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick for them, in accordance with special sanitary measures I have indicated to them.
 
In parishes where posted hours for regularly hearing confessions in the parish church might possibly draw even a small crowd of people together, confessions will have to be scheduled by appointment.  Confessions must be heard in an open space, or spacious room, where the six-feet distance rule can be observed and confidentiality respected.
 
Weddings and funerals should be postponed to the extent possible.  Parents presenting their children for baptism should arrange with their pastor how best to accommodate the celebration of this life-giving sacrament.
 
The unavailability of public Mass at this time truly saddens all of us.  I would encourage us, though, to take this as an opportunity to be creative in finding ways to keep holy the Sabbath at home.  For ideas on how to do this, please see the resource, “ Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy at Home.”  |  " Santificar el Día del Señor en casa."

 

 

• Wash your hands thoroughly (20 seconds) and often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or into your sleeve if you do not have a tissue available.Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Source: Centers for Disease Control (cdc.gov)