SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield announced all public masses and liturgical celebrations will be replaced with private masses with no congregation physically present, until further notice.
This is in response to concerns over the coronavirus.
During this time, private masses will be live-streamed by one of their priests.
All confirmation and First Holy Communions have been canceled through December of 2020, according to a press release. An entirely new schedule will be built for the year.
All students who have prepared for confirmation will not be required to re-do their course work and other preparation.
Also, initiation into the church will not be possible during the Easter Vigil this year. The Rite of Initiation will be rescheduled to another time “when it is safe to resume regular public gatherings.”
Weddings will also be impacted through the Diocese of Springfield. It may be possible to do a private ceremony and reschedule the reception for a later date, according to the release.
Private funerals will continue to be offered but they will be limited to immediate family only, in keeping with the government restrictions regarding crowd size.
Baptisms will still be celebrated privately and with immediate family and godparents only.
Individual confessions also remain available. Confessions will be heard either behind the screen or face to face with a minimum of six-feet physical separation, according to the release.
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