Updated COVID Guidelines - May 26, 2021

Updated COVID Guidelines - May 26, 2021

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May 26, 2021

To the faithful of St. George Church of Boston:

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

With respect to the latest CDC, local government and Archdiocese COVID guidelines aimed at more fully opening-up society, the Parish Council has announced the following guidelines for parish life at St. George:

• Effective Sunday 6 June, the church will be open to all, we will no longer need to sign-up for church services. We will, however, continue to use every other pew for seating.
• Fully vaccinated parishioners may elect to remove their masks, vaccinated family members should sit together. All choir members will remain masked while singing, even if vaccinated.
• All unvaccinated individuals, including children three years of age or older, should continue to wear masks in church.
• Parishioners with compromised health issues are encouraged to continue wearing a mask.
• Communion will continue to be offered as we do now with individual cloths, head tilted and mouth wide open – avoiding touching the spoon.
• Clergy will remain masked for distribution of Communion and at the dismissal blessing and when interacting with parishioners. All of our clergy are fully vaccinated. 
• The church hall and kitchen will remain closed for the time being. The Parish Council is examining guidelines to safely bring coffee hour back as soon as possible.
• Welcoming, greeting and conversing with parishioners can take place in the courtyard after services.

All of our clergy have all been fully vaccinated. We encourage all members of our community to consult with their primary care physician and get vaccinated if recommended by their PCP.

While many restrictions have been removed statewide, we have chosen to keep some guidelines in place at this time.  There are several reasons for this, including the fact that there is no fresh air circulating in the church, many medical professionals recommend continued mask wearing due to the fact we are not at herd immunity, children under age 11 are not eligible to be vaccinated yet, there are mutant strains of the virus, singing results in increased exhaled emissions, and most of all, we want all of our parishioners to feel safe and protected. Accordingly, we encourage all to mask up for this brief additional period of time.

Please assist us in making St. George a welcoming and safe place for the faithful to worship together, receive the sacraments and enjoy one another’s company.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the clergy or the Parish Council. Thank you!