Churches Change or Cancel Services Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

The Coronavirus outbreak is changing the way local churches operate. St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Church is doing things differently to protect parishioners.

Father Mike Sullivan doesn’t want to alarm the congregation. However, he does want them to be aware of the situation.

“God does not invite us to get together for the intention of getting sick. At the same token, we need to be very, very careful,” said Father Sullivan.

There are some noticeable changes. Several hand sanitizer dispensers are in front of the church and throughout the sanctuary. Churchgoers will no longer pass the collection from one another. Father Sullivan also says they are doing away with holding hands during service and sharing communion wine from a chalice.

“We’re no longer distributing from the cup. We’re asking folks not to hold hands, not to shake hands during the sign of peace,” explained Father Sullivan.

Daily mass is also held in the sanctuary instead of the small chapel to give people more room. St. Joseph The Worker also canceled several events and programs.

“Any kind of adult education we got has all been canceled. The fish fry we were going to have, that’s been canceled,” said Father Sullivan.

This week Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis lifted the responsibility of going to church. You can read Archbishop Hebda’s full statement here.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph The Worker church also plans to put services online.

Maple Grove