• 400 Ridge Rd, Hamden, CT 06517
  • (203) 248-5592
Click to Call

Covid-19 Protocol

 

Dear beloved members of the congregation of the Church of Virgin Mary & Archangel Michael of Hamden, CT.

 

Peace and grace to you,

 

We, the church clergy hope this letter finds you and your family well and in good health. Our church community has been through a lot over the last few months, and we are all looking forward to returning to a sense of normalcy. We know that all of you have been awaiting the resumption of services in our beloved church. While many things have changed, some things remain the same: our faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, our firm belief in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and our undying love for one another. Many of you have been waiting for further details regarding the gradual resumption of liturgical services.

 

For your safety, H.G. Bishop David, in unison with the church priests of the Archdiocese in New Jersey and the New York and New England Diocese have asked each church to adhere strictly to the CDC recommendation, as well as regulations and guidelines of state and local authorities. We also continue to follow these agencies so that we are up to date with any changes that may be issued. Great care went into facilitating the opening of our church, including the time and frequency of the liturgy to ensure the safety of every single member of the congregation. God willing, when liturgies resume, you may see some changes as explained in the attached protocol which we kindly ask you to read and follow thoroughly. We look forward to celebrating the liturgy with you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you and your family safe. The circumstances under which we must celebrate for the foreseeable future are not ideal and are difficult to work around. But we trust in our Lord that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

 

We want to thank each one of you for your continuous prayers for our beloved church and our beloved shepherd H.G. Bishop David.

 

The Church.

 

Please Proceed to Covid-19 Protocol

COVID-19 Pandemic Protocol for Resuming In-Person Church Services

 

Many of you have been waiting for further details regarding the gradual restarting of liturgical services. Please read the following in its entirety, which shall be in effect until July 30, 2020, unless otherwise extended by the H.G. Bishop David, in unison with the church priests of the Archdiocese in New Jersey and the Diocese of New York and New England.

  1. Based on state law and local regulations and guidelines:

    1. There will be a TOTAL of 10 persons inside the church building including children as well as one priest and two deacons. Consequently, there will be a MAXIMUM of 7 spots for the congregation.

    2. Each spot is for an individual person, so, for example, a family of 5 would take up 5 spots.

    3. All household members should remain home (and/or seek medical help) if any member is showing any “COVID related symptoms,” such as (cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, loss of smell/taste, diarrhea/Gastrointestinal symptoms, and/or has been in direct contact with another sick person exhibiting any of the above-mentioned symptoms within the last 2 weeks, whether confirmed COVID-19 or not);

    4. Elderly (above 65 and above) and immunocompromised persons are advised to stay home and to make alternate arrangements to receive holy communion with the priest.

    5. All persons in attendance must maintain a distance of at least 6 feet apart from one another.

    6. All persons in attendance must wear a face mask each covering the mouth and nose at all times (unless otherwise instructed) and must sanitize their hands upon entry to the church.

    7. In any setting where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, more protective face coverings than cloth face coverings must be used.

    8. A deacon will be at the door to screen the following, prior to congregants being admitted to the Church.

    9. Confirming if the member is on the pre-assigned list to attend the respective Liturgy.

    10. The temperature of each person will be checked prior to admittance along with answering a set of questions on the provided checklist. 

    11. If a congregant or any member of their household exhibits any COVID related symptoms, the entire household will not be admitted to Church.

    12. To help prevent any potential cross-contamination, cell phones and other personal belongings, such as purses, bags, etc. should be left in the vehicles; and

    13. Each church will designate a place outside the nave of the church for the congregants to leave their shoes.

 

2. Based on these limitations, we will begin to pray liturgies multiple times per week. Attendance will be based on the following system:

  1. Families will be randomly selected to attend liturgy from the list of families who registered. No family will attend twice before all the registered families in that church get a turn to attend.

  2. Registration to attend liturgies for the members of our church will be sent to you personally.

  3. Prior to the day of each liturgy, there will be a confirmation of the ability of the assigned families to attend as well as a health screening through a brief questionnaire.

  4. If you have been assigned to a particular date, you MUST be in church promptly by 8:30 AM (for example). The doors of the church will be locked promptly at 8:30 AM;

  5. If you have been assigned to a particular date, you MUST attend on that date, or else you have taken away from someone else the opportunity to pray liturgy and receive communion. Should you miss your turn, you will have to wait until the entire congregation has had a chance to attend, and then you will have a chance to re-enter for Liturgy.

  6. After the liturgy has concluded, everyone must promptly leave the premises. There will be no social gatherings or agape meals; and

  7. All other building facilities will be off-limits.

 

The circumstances under which we must celebrate for the foreseeable future are not ideal and are difficult to work around. We ask each person's cooperation to allow this process to be safe, fair, and as smooth as possible. 

3. Please notice that, by REGISTERING your household and CONFIRMING your attendance at our Church on a particular day, you agree that we cannot guarantee that all occupants entering the church premises are free from the coronavirus. Nonetheless, we are taking the necessary precaution to protect all members of our church pursuing the CDC guidelines and recommendations. As such, anyone choosing to enter the church premises does so knowing and assuming all risks. Our church will not be liable to anyone who chooses to enter its premises and later alleges to have contracted the coronavirus through the church. If anyone knows they have the virus, has been in contact with anyone with the virus, or is not feeling well in any capacity, our Church is instructing you NOT to come to church. If anyone contracts the virus and has been to our Church within 14 days of attending Liturgy, it is MANDATORY that you immediately contact the priests so the appropriate steps can be taken to safeguard the congregation. To mitigate the infection, every person should not pray in more than one church at this time until further notice. You should stick to one church during this pandemic. If one church gets infected, we will close churches that have been crossed. We do not want to spread the virus to all beloved ones and close more than one church at the same time. Thank you for understanding.

 

            Thank you, and may God bless you and your family.

 

 

Give us a call