Catholic Diocese of Arlington
Encourage and teach with patience

As of this writing, no cases of H1N1 swine flu have been confirmed in the territory covered by the Diocese of Arlington.  Please review the information available at the Centers for Disease Control Web site.

▪  Priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion should be especially reminded of the need to practice good hygiene.

▪  Ministers of Holy Communion should be reminded to sanitize their hands before and after distributing Holy Communion, using an alcohol-based sanitizer.  It would be helpful to have such sanitizers available at the parish.

▪  In parishes that offer Holy Communion under both species, the pastor may wish to consider offering Holy Communion only under the form of the consecrated host.  In so doing, however, be mindful of the needs of any parishioners with Celiac disease or similar sensitivities to gluten.  They should be permitted to make the choice as to whether they are comfortable receiving from the chalice at this time; if so, a simple means of allowing them to receive from the chalice should be planned.

▪  Until the current medical concerns are resolved, pastors may wish to encourage parishioners to exercise their option of receiving Holy Communion in the hand rather than on the tongue.

▪  Individuals who feel ill should refrain from serving as Ministers of Holy Communion, or in any roles (e.g. usher, greeter, etc.) that involve substantial contact with others.

▪  Consider suspending personal contact (e.g., handshakes) during the sign of peace or at any other time, whether before, during or after Mass.  Parishioners may be advised to substitute a bow or other appropriate gesture in place of a handshake at the sign of peace.

▪  Prior to this weekend’s Masses, consider appropriately disposing of holy water near church entrances and washing, drying, and spraying with disinfectant the containers prior to refilling them.

▪  Consider announcing the following at Mass:  “If you have any symptoms of the flu or a severe cold, please remain at home.  It is not sinful to miss Mass if you are ill and unable to attend; it is an act of charity.”

These measures are meant to be preventative and temporary.  The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship has prepared a question-and-answer document about the swine flu which is available here:  http://usccb.org/liturgy/swineflu.shtml.

The Office of Catholic Schools has asked all school principals to review the pandemic flu plans that were prepared several years ago. Schools have been reminded to be particularly conscious of cleaning, with disinfectant, doorknobs, banisters, backs of chairs, and other areas that are often touched by multiple people.