(Cleveland) – Catholic churches across Northeast Ohio are letting their faithful know that when they start attending Mass again this week, the protocols won’t be at all like normal, and things will be slightly different at each parish.
Every Catholic parish in the Diocese of Cleveland is abiding by rules such as limiting capacity to 50%, seating six feet apart, and asking people to stay at home if they’re sick, given that people also have a dispensation until next Easter that says they don’t have to attend Mass. But due to logistics, each parish is doing some things differently than others.
At Saint Ignatius of Antioch, at the corner of Lorain Avenue and West Boulevard, there will be only one in-person Mass celebrated on weekends, at 10 a.m. Sunday. That’s because of the stringent protocols that have to be put in place. Their Saturday vigil Mass will continue to be live streamed so people can watch at home.
Saint Mary of the Falls, in Olmsted Falls, says in an email they are eliminating not just the Sign of Peace, but also the entrance procession, offertory procession, and the recessional.
Fairview Park’s Saint Angela Merici will allow the faithful to enter through only one door, so ushers can keep a head count. In addition, they will have three Masses on Wednesday and Friday this week, so people can get used to the new protocol.
Then there’s the unique way they’re celebrating Mass at Saint Joseph’s in Avon Lake.They will be celebrating Mass in a tent in the parking lot. You can sit in a chair, or in your car, and listen over the car radio or your smartphone. This means capacity won’t be an issue.
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