Dear Fathers, Deacons, sisters and brothers in the Lord.
In my capacity as the Administrator of the Archdiocese of Perth, I am issuing the
following directives (effective from today, Wednesday 4 March 2020) to all clergy,
religious and the lay faithful across the Archdiocese of Perth. These preventive
measures should be appropriately communicated to the congregation and the
broader Catholic community.
The subsequent directives are temporary and are to remain in place until such time
as Archbishop Costelloe SDB issues a revision to the following:
· Holy Water is to be removed from stoups in all Churches and Chapels.
· Offertory gifts are to be in closed vessels or, where this is not possible,
vessels should be appropriately covered.
· The Sign of Peace is to be omitted at all Masses.
· The distribution of Holy Communion under both species is to cease.
· The Precious Blood is not to be shared from the chalice at any Masses and
is reserved to the celebrant(s) only.
· Priests are to encourage communicants to receive the Sacred Host in the
hand, not on the tongue.
· All priests and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are to wash
their hands in soap and water, or are to use an alcohol-based sanitizer
both immediately before and immediately after the distribution of Holy
Communion.
All of the above precautionary directives are additional to our normal requirements
that all sacred vessels are thoroughly washed before and after each
Mass.
Congregational Awareness and Fulfilment of the Normal Obligation
1. Parishioners who feel unwell should not attend Mass, and are excused
from their normal obligation.
2. Parishioners who feel they may be at risk of infection if they go to Mass
should refrain from attending Mass and are excused their normal obligation.
3. Priests and parishioners who attend Mass should practice good hygiene
(cover mouths and noses when sneezing, coughing etc), refrain from
touching their face or mouth, and refrain from shaking hands with others
before or after Mass.
Most Rev. Donald G. Sproxton DD VG
Administrator
Catholic Archdiocese of Perth
(Full Statement of The Most Rev. Bishop Donald G. Sproxton DD VG is available in
church foyer, on the parish notice boards, and on the Archdiocesan website at:
www.perthcatholic.org.au).
