Protocols for Liturgies at Christ Church
admin | 21 June 2020Protocols for Liturgies at Christ Church
(Approved by Parish Council, June 2nd, 2020)
The following protocols are intended to provide a clear set of guidelines about how best to proceed with Church services under the present health concerns about Covid-19 once we are able to open and are more or less functional, subject to our overriding commitment to the directives of the provincial Department of Public Health. These protocols may be subject to review and refinement as we learn how best to function in the context of worship to the glory of God and to the good of his Church and people. Apart from the primacy of worship within the integrity of our Anglican understanding and practice, our main concern is to take reasonable and prudent precautionary measures in the face of people’s fears and worries. It all comes down to trust, transparency, and a reasonable and principled flexibility.
The specific protocols for each service will be laid out below but first a few general procedures and observations.
People will be expected to observe the policy of social distancing in coming and going to and within the Church and Chancel. Given the size of Christ Church, this should not be a problem and for the sake of planning, the Nave and the Chancel can be regarded as two separate and distinct spaces.
The front door and the ramp door of the Church as well as the exterior vestry door will be open. People will enter and exit through either but being mindful of the social distancing practices that are now ubiquitous and common in our communities. Prayer Books and Hymn Books will be in two separate boxes; one for the 8:00am service, one for the 10:30am service, and one for any other service, such as Evening Prayer should that happen. After each service, the books will be returned to the designated box. Hand sanitizers will be strategically placed at the back of the Church as well as in the bathroom (where additional directives will be noted about sanitizing).
Pews will be designated for sitting: three pews apart on either side. Families will be allowed to sit together but in order to avoid confusion everyone is asked to maintain social distancing when moving from place to place within the Church just as is the pattern in the stores of our communities.
The Collection plate for offerings will be placed just before the Litany Desk. Collections will not be taken up; people are asked either to place envelopes on the plate when they come into the Church or at the time of the Offertory being mindful of social distancing. It is not that difficult. It is a matter of being mindful of personal space. In the services, at the time of the Offertory, I may come down and take the plate to the altar before placing it on the chairs by the credence table in the Chancel. At the end of the service, I will take the offertory plate and empty the offerings into the designated envelope in the view of one of the members of the Parish thereby ensuring safety and security. There is no need for anyone to touch the collection plate; it will be thoroughly wiped down after use.
Holy Communion: At the time of Holy Communion, those who wish to receive will line up for communion on the right-hand side of the Nave at the Chancel steps, maintaining social distancing. Communion will be offered at the altar in three places; far left, far right and center, again maximizing social distancing. People will wait in the nave until the three communicants before them have left the altar, returning to their pews on the opposite side from which they advanced to the altar.
Past policies about reception of communion in our diocese have resulted in a considerable degree of confusion and variety of practices. Those will have to be reduced to the following.
In accord with our Anglican understanding and practice (utraquists), the Sacrament will be offered in both kinds or species, the consecrated bread or host and the consecrated wine or chalice, but in a very restricted sense. As is the case for some of you, reception of the sacrament may be in one kind only – the host placed by the priest in your hand or on your tongue. The Doctrine of Concomitance teaches that the sacrament is whole and entire in each of the species but our reformed catholic commitment to Christ’s actual words of institution means that the sacrament has to be offered in both kinds – hence the technical term, utraquists. What will this mean? At the altar rail, communicants will need to indicate to the priest whether they wish to receive in both kinds or only in one. I would suggest that you signal by hand gesture or quietly tell me.
If one, then as indicated above. If you wish to receive in both kinds then it will be by way of intinction by the priest alone. In other words, I will take the host, and dip it in the Chalice and place it on your tongue. That ensures the most minimal contact possible, avoiding all contact with the Chalice apart from the celebrant. The communicant will not take the host and dip it into the Chalice themselves since that maximizes contact to the greatest possible extent. With respect to the administration of the Sacrament, I will use a hand sanitizer after every administration of the sacrament.
As an aside, it is worth noting that Archbishop Cranmer in the early forms of the liturgy sought to prevent a kind of idolatry of the sacrament owing to a mistaken and superstitious view of transubstantiation, God as bread, as it were. The problem was with people not consuming the sacrament but taking it home and placing it in a shrine or using it as a talisman. To prevent that and to highlight Mass as communion, Cranmer required the sacrament to be placed on the tongue of the communicant by the priest. In my experience (albeit rarely), his concern was not entirely misplaced!
Anyhow, these two forms of receiving the sacrament either in one kind or both by intinction provide the most minimal contact and avoid any direct contact with the Chalice apart from the Priest. It all comes down to trust; your trust in me, and I in you. No one has to receive at all and no one has to receive in both kinds. But the words of administration for both will be said. Only the celebrant will touch the Chalice.
I am aware of one parishioner whose particular health condition means communion only by way of the Chalice. In that case, I will either use a communion spoon, once again ensuring no contact whatsoever with the chalice apart from me. In that case, the spoon will be properly sanitized before and after. Or, alternatively, drawing upon the rubric in the Ministry to the Sick (BCP, p. 584), the communicant will make a spiritual communion at the altar rail – words of administration but without physically “receiving the Sacrament.”
Special Protocols for 8:00am
Our practice at Christ Church has been for the congregation to gather in the Chancel for the service. That will no longer be possible. Only two people will be allowed to sit in the Chancel observing social distancing. The largest part of the congregation will be dispersed three pews apart in the front half of the Nave. Other than that, everything is as directed above.
Special Protocols for 10:30am
For the purposes of the 10:30am service, the Chancel and the Nave are two separate spaces, like two buildings almost. This way of thinking helps to ensure minimal contact between people while allowing for the maximum in terms of our traditions of worship, especially music, once singing in the liturgy is allowed. At present, congregational singing is not permitted according to the Archbishop’s May 27th directive but while he advises that “a soloist suitably distanced may provide song in worship,” the directive does not proscribe choirs suitably distanced.
The organist, choir and celebrant would be the only people in the Chancel for the greatest part of the service, the number always being less than ten at Christ Church. The congregation will only come into the Chancel from the Nave to receive communion in the way outlined above.
The choir will be spread out more than it is already with some choir members sitting on the Epistle side of the Chancel and some on the Gospel side, distances that obviate any concerns about the effects of singing both with respect to choir members and the congregation. There is no singing during communion time so any concerns there are also mitigated. Once congregational singing is restored, the spacing between pews should be more than sufficient. The choir does not process or recess while singing so that is not a concern. At issue is simply maintaining social distancing and being respectful of one another.
Sanitizing: The Church has been regularly cleaned throughout this period of lockdown. Now in the re-opening, further procedures will be in place, namely, wiping down the pews and the chancel between services. The Communion vessels will continue to be rigorously cleaned as has been the practice in the Parish. The books as indicated will be placed in separate boxes and only used each week thus mitigating any concerns about contagion on their surfaces.
These protocols are intended to provide assurance about reasonable, precautionary and prudent measures to protect the health of worshippers as best we can. They are not intended to heighten fears and anxieties; exactly the opposite. Respect and concern for one another are paramount. Some of you will wear masks; some may not. That is perfectly fine so let us not be judgmental or fearful. Some of you have told me of your experiences of wearing masks in the community and being regarded with suspicion. This is, sadly, all part of the confusions of the messaging and the uncertainties among epidemiologists and other medical officials. There are always risks in life. Let us be kind and forbear one another in love.
I will continue with the Christ Church Connections letter which includes sending out the Sunday homily. I will continue with an audio file of Matins and Ante-Communion at least until such time as it might be possible to record one of the services in the Church itself.
Numbers:
King David, in numbering the people of Israel, is criticized by God because numbering implies trusting in numbers rather than God. There is a current concern about the numbers of people in public spaces though there is no consistency with respect to the social guidelines which have been issued. What is being asked of the Churches is, sadly, more than what is allowed to bars and pubs. The numbers of people being allowed to be together in one place even with social distancing is arbitrary: 5, 10, 15, or 50 depending on the jurisdiction, or, perhaps, as the Archbishop notes in his May 27th missive, it may be some “percentage of our buildings rated capacity,” which for Christ Church is rather a lot: 500. In Nova Scotia, the number of people allowed together inside a building has been five but now, as of the May 29th update from the Archbishop, it is ten; in PEI, it is fifteen. The idea of a percentage of a building’s rated capacity is in place for restaurants, bars and pubs as of mid-week; the percentage being one-half. In such a scenario, there would be no problem at Christ Church at all.
Christ Church is a huge space conveniently divided between a vast Nave and an ample Chancel. The number restriction even at the present is not likely to be a concern for us; certainly not at the 8:00am service and probably not at 10:30am service. A number of older parishioners have told me that even when restrictions are lifted they will not be coming out. Such is the extent of their fears and worries.
The separation and distinction of Chancel and Nave allows for an even greater and reasonable flexibility in terms of numbers. It is unlikely that there will be more than ten in the Nave; and never that number in the Chancel. I am suggesting this in order to avoid an overly narrow and unnecessary interpretation with respect to services. Should there be a concern about numbers, the other possibility would be to institute a third service at 9:00am and/or a service of Evening Prayer. At the present time, the Public Health directives with which we have to abide stipulate a maximum of ten people.
The problem in all of this is that we do not have and I cannot envision a way in which it could be known in advance who is coming to what service. There will be no sign up sheet: that only maximizes contact with people and surfaces. I, or one of the wardens, will keep track of who is present at each service since this has been mandated by the Archbishop.
We are not going to have ‘guards’ at the Church Door. We are not behind closed doors and we have no mechanism to tell people that they cannot come to Church. I see no point in trying to react to ‘what-if’ scenarios. Again, these protocols come down to trust and transparency and flexibility in application. They are all provisional and may change as we move along. They will only work if indeed we are together in this, committed to Christ and his Church and to our care for one another. These protocols are meant to provide a certain limited kind of direction and to signal to everyone a prudential and sensible form of care.
In Christ,
Fr. David Curry
June 2nd, 2020
