Archdiocese of Chicago Presents Plan To Gradually Reopen Churches

CHICAGO — Several months since shutting down public celebrations of Mass to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Archdiocese of Chicago has come up with a plan to gradually reopen churches. Since the governor's executive order to close non-essential businesses and limit large gatherings, Catholics have been worshiping in front of television sets, computers, tablets and even smartphones via broadcasts and livestreams of Masses.

In a letter to Cook and Lake Counties' 2.2 million Catholics posted on the archdiocese's website, Cardinal Blase Cupich announced that the archdiocese had reached an agreement with the governor's office on a multi-phase plan for reopening churches for the celebration of the sacraments, private prayers, adoration and Mass.

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The archdiocese's plan will unfold in three phases. Pastors and bishops, however, will continue to offer Mass in private each day and to livestream and broadcast Masses from parishes and the archdiocese. In the meantime, the cardinal is encouraging civil compliance Gov. J.B. Pritzker's executive order to stay home and practice social distancing "as this virus preys on the most vulnerable in our midst."

"We expect this situation to continue for some weeks, and any plan for reopening our churches for public worship must include every precaution to ensure public gatherings do not create a second wave of contagion, thus squandering the gains made through our sacrifice in these days," the cardinal said.

Noting that current situation in Illinois "remains dangerous and fragile," Cupich cautioned that the potential remains that any gains "could be lost by a second a more virulent wave." The cardinal also called on Catholics to "take personal responsibility for the common good as well as their own safety."

The plan has been designed to resume the full scope of public sacramental celebrations, liturgies and faith practices, including a set of required measures and phases. The basics of the plan are as follows:

1. A robust communications effort to inform parishes and parishioners of the Plan and any updates to it.
2. Each parish needs to recruit non-vulnerable volunteers at the parish level to assist the pastor in implementing the Plan.
3. The selected volunteers are to complete training by way of a webinar. The training will begin the week of May 18.
4. A required certification of readiness to reopen will be required of each parish at each phase. Each parish is to complete an implementation template confirming completion of all action steps and demonstrating that there are a sufficient number of trained volunteers to execute it.
5. Phase I allows for parishes to reopen for Baptism, Reconciliation, Weddings and Funerals with a limit of 10 attendees.
6. Phase IA allows for parishes to reopen for private prayer and adoration with a limit of 10 attendees. Given the training schedule noted above, it is anticipated that all parishes, if they choose to do so, could be opened by May 23 for Phase I and by May 30 for Phase IA.
7. Phase II allows for reopening for weekday and weekend Masses for larger groups depending on the guidelines from the state and the capacity of the church building.
8. Through ongoing discussions with pastors, health care professionals and civil authorities, there will be a review of the Plan at each stage with an eye to making adjustments in accord with new data.

Read the full reopening plan proposed by the Archdiocese of Chicago.