Meetings & Events Policy

Dear Parishioners,

In the past six months, we have journeyed together in the midst of a world pandemic. Keeping parishioners safe from the coronavirus has been one of our overriding priorities at Nativity. With a hyper-cautious approach, and following all state and diocesan guidelines, our church has remained open for Mass, confessions, prayer, baptisms, weddings and funerals. Recently we were able to celebrate the First Communion of our children and Confirmation of our teens—safely. As we begin a new year of parish ministry, we are letting health and safety drive our decisions, and relying on data and facts to guide us.

Policy

The data makes it clear: the threat of COVID-19 has not receded sufficiently to relax safety restrictions enough to allow in-person regular meetings of our parish ministries on a daily or weekly basis. Parish ministries will continue virtually and online. Many parish groups have been doing so through Zoom conferencing, and it has been meaningful and effective.
Although parish ministries cannot meet in person on a regular basis, the occasional “communal experience” of an “in-person” gathering will be considered on a case-by-case basis. These gathering must be limited due to safety protocols and the required sanitizing of the room before and after the event. Because of safety requirements, the rooms available for gathering are limited. Social distancing, masks and hand sanitizing are required at Nativity events.
Going forward, this policy will be reviewed and revisited as conditions change. We will begin with a gradual approach and look forward to the time we can fully resume our “in-person” meetings. It will happen, but in the meantime we will navigate the storm of this pandemic with protocols of safety. As Pope Francis said, “We are all in the same boat, rowing together.”

I thank you for all you are doing to stop the spread of this deadly virus and for your prayers.

Love and Blessings,

Fr. Bob Cilinski

Dated: August 24, 2020