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PETALING JAYA: The air may be laden with fear, but churches and parishioners are determined that this holiday celebration will be no less special.
Masses and Christmas prayers will proceed as planned. The only difference is that extra precautions will be taken to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being.
This means strictly observing standard operating procedures (SOPs), including social distancing and wearing masks, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among churchgoers.
Those who cannot attend church can follow the service online.
The Rev. Joshua Ong, vicar of St. Paul’s Church here, said all steps have been taken to enforce the SOP. In addition to that, efforts have been made to ensure that all parishioners observe the SOP.
The size of the congregation will be reduced to ensure that everyone is seated at a safe distance from those around you.
“The seating positions have been permanently marked and parishioners must scan the MySejahtera QR code upon entering the church,” Ong said al Sun.
He said parishioners will need to register their desire to attend Christmas Eve Mass in the church office beforehand.
“This is to ensure there are enough seats for everyone who shows up. We don’t want to have to turn people away, ”he said.
Since the Church of San Pablo is located in a red zone, only 20 people will be able to sit for mass.
“Parishioners are encouraged to follow the service online and people are welcome to the church to personally pray and receive the sacraments after the service,” Ong said.
Holy Communion will not be served in the traditional way. Instead, it will be distributed in individual prepackaged plastic containers to avoid personal contact.
Also, the customary handshakes or hugs in greetings, peace exchanges and dismissals should be avoided.
The Rev. Justin Clarance of the Tamil Methodist Church in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, said there will be a limit of three people per bank.
“Services and masses will be carried out on online platforms to accommodate those in the high risk category and a combination of both online and on-site services will be attempted, whenever possible,” he said. to theSun.
As for Holy Communion, pre-packaged wafers and grape juice will be administered to those present for on-site services.
“The pastor conducting the service should wear gloves when handling the tray containing the items. For online services, we do Communion from home, ”he said.
Church of the Assumption’s Father Gregory Chan, Petaling Jaya, said that all services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be conducted online.
“We will be assisted by a multimedia team in the celebration of masses and there will be no congregation. The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has chosen to suspend all public Masses in the Klang Valley during Christmas to curb the spread of Covid-19, ”he said.
Regarding the distribution of Holy Communion, he said that only those present during the broadcast, the multimedia team, the choir and the priests, will receive it.
“As a priest, the first thing that came to mind when these restrictions were imposed were the people. We were concerned about how the sick and the elderly coped, so we provided house-to-house communion services while observing standard operating procedures, ”he said.
Chan noted that this practice among priests was not uncommon, as during the bubonic plague in 1300, church work continued to take place.
“If there is one thing that I must say to all readers, it is that we show solidarity with everyone. We all carry our own burdens and it’s best to be nice to each other. “
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