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March 16, 2020WORCESTER – During the suspension of public liturgies, Bishop McManus has given permission for funeral Masses and weddings to be celebrated with restrictions on the number of people attending. The limit follows the mandate issued by Gov. Charlie Baker that no gathering exceed 25 people.
Guidelines for funerals sent to priests of the diocese Monday limit the number of those present to the immediate family (up to 15 people), in addition to the priest, liturgical and music ministers and funeral home personnel, not to exceed 25 people.
Another option is for a family to celebrate only the Rites of Committal at the cemetery with a Funeral Mass to be scheduled in the future.
“Families should be assured that a Mass will, in any case, be offered for the deceased person on the day of their burial,” the guidelines state.
Weddings may be celebrated during the suspension of public liturgies, provided that the number of those present be limited to the immediate family and witnesses (up to 20 people) in addition to the priest, liturgical and music ministers, not to exceed a total of 25 people.
All other liturgical guidelines which already have been put into place must be followed, according to the diocesan Office for Worship. Those include: omitting the exchange of the Sign of Peace; distributing Communion in the hand, rather than on the tongue; using hand sanitizer before and after distributing Communion.
The guidelines also remind parishes that all water fountains be turned off, all standing holy water be removed, all pew backs should be cleaned before and after, and all door handles and other commonly used surfaces should be cleaned before and after with a spray disinfectant.
The diocesan website hosts a page of information about funerals, weddings, spiritual Communion and how to make a perfect Act of Contrition, during the time of this pandemic. https://worcesterdiocese.org/pandemic
