Updated COVID-19 protocols for the Diocese of Jackson

Editor’s note: The following is an abbreviated list of updated COVID-19 protocols from the diocese, as of April 30, 2021.
JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson acknowledges that the size and demographics of each parish community, as well as the size and layout of church buildings and parish facilities, will shape the way their repective priests and parish leaders decide with prudence and care the way to implement these policies and norms.
For Masses:
• Social distancing will be at 3 feet rather than 6 feet.
• Masks are still required.
• Communion will be received in the hand, not directly in the mouth.
• Hymnals and missalettes may be used in pews.
• Hand sanitizer should still be used by parishioners upon entrance to the church.
• Offertory should be collected using a basket placed in an accessible place, such as a table near the entrance to the church.
• Bulletins can be handed out to parishioners at Mass, but we also encourage our parishes to email bulletins to parishioners using Flocknote.
For meetings, gatherings, parish groups and outside groups, the local community will make the decision as to what it can accommodate in its facilities.
• Awareness of safety protocols needs to be followed when serving meals. Meals should still not be buffet style or self-serve.
• Social distancing should be observed in meetings, a minimum of 3 feet.
• The local community can decide if it is safe and prudent to allow non-parish outside groups to meet in the facilities at this time.
• The local community will decide the sanitizing and cleaning procedures needed at parish facilities.
• At these gatherings, masks should be worn as the norm but the particular situation can be evaluated.
Many parishes will be holding events for youth during the summer, including Vacation Bible School. These things should be kepts in mind:
• Outdoor activities for children and youth will minimize the risk of exposure.
• For trips, a preference should be made for local trips and trips of three hours or less, rather than long-distance trips.
• Service projects are feasible, as long as safety procedures and protocols are kept in mind.
• Meals and snacks should not be self-serve or buffet style. Individually wrapped snacks and food items minimize the safety risk.
We want to thank all of you for your efforts in keeping our parishioners safe during the pandemic. We can modify our protocols and procedures as described above to allow more flexibility, but this is not the time to let our guard down completely. We will get through the summer months with the hope that things will continue to improve. These modified procedures will allow us more flexibility. We will be constatntly monitoring the situation as reality changes.

(For a complete list of updated protocols, visit https://jacksondiocese.org/public-health-concerns/. Bishop Joseph Kopacz continues to dispense the faithful from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass. Please stay home if you are feeling unwell or do not feel safe attending Mass. At this time, many parishes are still offering live streaming services.)

By Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (CNS) – When the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said April 27 that fully vaccinated people who wear masks can safely attend many indoor events such as worship services, the announcement likely did not catch many Catholics by surprise.
That’s because most Catholic parishes nationwide have been having in-person indoor Masses since last summer, although often with limited congregation sizes requiring parishioners to sign up in advance.
The setup of these Masses varies in each diocese and even at different parishes within a diocese. Some parishes are still following strict protocols; others are not requiring masks indoors, and some are offering indoor and outdoor Masses.
Parishes are also following state and county health guidelines that determine how many people may attend indoor services.

At the beginning of the pandemic, most bishops issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, but in recent months a growing number of bishops have lifted that dispensation. Last fall, Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, lifted the dispensation, then reinstated it two weeks later because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region.
Also, across the country, many parishes that quickly figured out how to livestream their Masses last spring are now continuing to provide this service, even as their congregations are starting to return.
A Catholic News Service reporter’s unofficial Twitter poll April 28 showed a mixed response about what Catholics planned to do for Sunday Mass the weekend after the green light for indoor worship was given – for those who are masked and vaccinated – by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director.
Most said they would attend Mass in person, and the next largest number of respondents said they had barely stopped going to Sunday Masses in person this past year.
Those who gave specific responses offered a variety of reactions, from saying their parish does a good job with safety protocols to not feeling comfortable going to Mass at their parish, since face masks are not required. One woman said her parish offers indoor, outdoor and livestream Masses and, for now, she would continue attending the outdoor services.
John Kraemer, who attends Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Saginaw, Michigan, said that as soon as churches reopened, he was “one of the first ones in the door.”
“For someone who has a disability, it was important for me to attend no matter what. So, in that respect, other than when the parishes were closed, I never stopped going. Masked or otherwise,” he said in an email.
A Twitter response from the Hawaii Catholic Herald, archdiocesan newspaper of Honolulu, said: “We’ve been back to in-person attendance for a while now here in Hawaii. Bishop Silva actually lifted the dispensation on attending Mass as of Easter Sunday, so you have to attend unless you have just cause, like a health complication.”
Bishop Larry R. Silva wasn’t the only bishop to lift the Mass dispensation originally made at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dioceses in Texas, South Dakota and Wisconsin began telling Catholics this past fall that they were once again obligated to attend Sunday Mass unless they felt they could not attend because of health reasons or concerns.
The trend continued in February when Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron announced he was lifting the dispensation for Mass on Sundays and holy days effective March 13. He said he would grant “particular dispensations” to those in need, including those at high risk of COVID-19.
Churches in several states this past year defended their right to worship indoors or with fewer restrictions in court battles that ultimately were resolved by the Supreme Court.
Most recently, a Supreme Court decision in late February allowed indoor worship services in Santa Clara County, California. Earlier that month, the nation’s high court had given California churches the go-ahead to resume indoor worship services with a ban on singing and chanting and a limit of 25% capacity.
“Banning indoor worship and yet allowing people to gather at airports, personal services establishments and retail shopping is unconstitutional – and the Supreme Court has said so several times,” said Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, the diocese in the county where the ban had been in effect.
He said in a statement that he was grateful for the work of these churches in the county and their “efforts to uphold our right to worship” as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
“As we continue to protect the most vulnerable among us, the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is still in effect. Parishes will continue to offer outdoor and livestream Masses wherever possible for parishioners who are vulnerable to COVID-19 or hesitant about indoor worship,” he added.
He also urged the Catholic community to “move forward in hope, continuing all necessary safety precautions” and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine when they could.

(Follow Zimmermann on Twitter: @carolmaczim)

By Dennis Sadowski
CLEVELAND (CNS) – A two-part publication emerging from the most recent round of dialogue between representatives of the U.S. Catholic bishops and the United Methodist Church offers practical helps and words of inspiration for day-to-day lives.
The work, “Catholics and Methodists Together,” reflects on commonly held beliefs, identifies areas of theological agreement, and provides a guide to shared prayers and worship services.
Published in two parts, the document “is really the spiritual fruit of the pilgrimage of faith that Catholics and Methodists walk on together,” said Father Walter Kedjierski, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
“It’s people of faith coming together and walking together,” Father Kedjierski said.
The document emerged from the eighth round of a dialogue that was established in 1966 between United Methodists and Catholics. The most recent round began in 2015 and concluded in 2020.
Bishop David P. Talley of Memphis, Tennessee, and Bishop Peggy Johnson of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church co-chaired the dialogue.
Participants included 10 Catholics and eight United Methodists who met twice a year in sessions hosted alternately by each denomination. Each of the earlier rounds of dialogue led to publications that addressed the Eucharist and ecology, common ecclesiology, ethical issues regarding death and dying, spirituality of the ordained ministry, sacramental theology and practice, and rights and responsibilities toward children’s education.
Bishop Johnson told Catholic News Service the new work passes on “the tradition and the goodwill and the understanding” between the two Christian denominations.
“It’s Christian. It’s Jesus. It’s based in God and the Holy Spirit. The things that we disagree about are so much less compared to the things that we agree on,” she said.
The document’s first part, subtitled “We Believe, We Pray, We Act,” underscores the importance of the churches’ shared recognition of each other’s baptism. It includes theological commentaries on the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the love of God and neighbor.
Through the exploration of prayer and common beliefs, the document is meant to touch “people within their faith lives and their day-to-day lives,” Father Kedjierski said.
Kimberly Belcher, associate professor theology at the University of Notre Dame, a participant in the dialogue and co-author of the first part, said the document was written largely with people in the pews in mind.
“What we are doing is trying to think about what matters for Catholics, for Methodists in their ordinary lives about ecumenical relationships,” Belcher told CNS.
Belcher said it’s the day-to-day relationships – which she described as ecumenical in nature – that the document is meant to address to help people grow in understanding and appreciation of each other: marriage of a Methodist and Catholic, children of such a marriage, Methodists who teach at Catholic schools and Catholics who teach at Methodists schools and more.
“The ecumenical relationships are much more on the ground more than we realize on a regular basis,” said Belcher, who was invited to join the dialogue as a younger theologian.
Bishop Johnson, the first woman United Methodist bishop to participate in the dialogues said she came to realize through her work the dialogues are important “because there’s so much more to talk about, so much more to share.”
The document’s second part, subtitled “Shared Prayers and Resources,” is a practical guide for Catholics and United Methodists to learn, pray and worship together, Father Kedjierski said.
It details shared traditional prayers, such as the Stations of the Cross, and includes examples of Scripture-center and everyday prayers. It includes templates for ecumenical prayer services for times of crisis, for people in need, including the poor, persecuted and refugees, for Christian unity and for peace.
Bishop Johnson played a major role in developing the second part of the work. She told CNS that throughout her 40 years as an ordained minister, she “fell in love with all the kinds of services we do and the congregations that are part of both bodies.”
“This is just the body of Christ,” Bishop Johnson said.
She also credited the collaboration between Methodist and Catholic humanitarian ministries in response to disasters, hunger, poverty and the needs of prison inmates for helping build bridges that strengthened the dialogues.

“The bridge keeps going further and further,” she said.
Belcher, the theologian, said the document’s explanation of the common aspects and minor differences found in prayers such as the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s prayer between the two faith traditions can become a learning experience for Catholics and Methodists. She suggested that joint study groups can develop among congregations whereby each prayer can be broken down into segments as little as two lines for discussion to help understand the basic foundations of Christian faith.
“We want Catholics vested in the flourishing of Methodists and vice versa,” Belcher said.
The dialogues are expected to continue. Plans are underway for a ninth round, but its future will depend on how the coronavirus pandemic evolves. Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton of Steubenville, Ohio, and Bishop Kenneth H. Carter Jr. of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church will be co-chairs.
In the meantime, the United Methodist Church will be facing a major decision in upcoming years as members around the world are expected to take up a proposal to split the denomination over what it has called “fundamental differences” regarding its beliefs on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy.
Sixteen Methodist leaders from around the world signed a proposal in early 2020 that was to be voted on during the church’s general conference last May. However, the conference was delayed because of the pandemic.
If passed, the proposal would permit a “traditionalist” denomination to separate from the United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
The church’s Book of Discipline that outlines its law and doctrine does not allow pastors to perform same-sex marriages and prohibits “practicing” LGBTQ people from becoming ordained pastors. If the new traditionalist denomination is formed, the existing United Methodist Church would be able to repeal the prohibition of same-sex marriages and LGBTQ clergy.
Such an action would result in a major roadblock on the road to future unity between the Catholic Church and United Methodist Church. Catholic doctrine prohibits same-sex marriage and permits sexual relations only between a married man and woman.
If the split occurs, as observers expect, it is unlikely to affect the dialogues, however.
“We remain committed to our relationship with the United Methodist Church and pray for Methodists as they discern these important moral issues while upholding genuinely Catholic positions on them,” Father Kedjierski said.
Bishop Johnson said she expects the dialogues to continue.
“We’ll have to keep talking is all I can say, and we’ll have to talk with each other, and, with the grace of God, to help us through the different conversations,” Bishop Johnson said of the decision facing Methodist leaders.
Regardless of the Methodist outcome, Bishop Johnson said, “I firmly believe that God will make us one in the long run.”

(Follow Sadowski on Twitter: @DennisSadowski)