Greensburg diocese announces new coronavirus restrictions, church closures

The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg on Saturday announced church closures and limitations on funerals, weddings, baptism and confession and other restrictions in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

“We are entering into a particularly critical moment for our society,” Bishop Edward C. Malesic said in a statement. “Our president and our governor have each encouraged all of us to greatly limit our ‘out of home’ activity. We encourage everyone to stay at home when possible in order to ‘flatten the curve’ of the rate of infection and to prevent the widespread advance of this disease.

This is an act of charity that should be observed by the faithful as members of a Church that respects, supports and protects the lives of all persons.”

All parish churches and public chapels are to be closed until further notice, with a few exceptions:

• The Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) should be limited to those in serious need. Confessions should be arranged by appointment.

• Baptisms and weddings are to be delayed, if possible. Should either occur, no more than 10 people, including clergy, are permitted to be present, using measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

• When a person dies, it is encouraged that burial at the cemetery take place without a prior funeral Mass. A memorial Mass can be scheduled for family and friends at a later date. Should, however, a funeral Mass or liturgy occur within the church building, no more than 10 people, including clergy, pall bearers, and funeral home staff.

• Confirmations by the bishop have been cancelled and will be administered by pastors later.

• The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick must be given to those who are gravely ill or in the active process of dying, following all CDC safety guidelines.

“I will carefully monitor this situation and hope to be able to modify or eliminate these directives and mandates as soon as possible,” Bishop Malesic said. “If we all do our part, and if we follow the advice of experts, we will be able to return to our churches and sacraments sooner rather than later.”

To see Bishop Malesic’s latest letter to the people and clergy of the Diocese of Greensburg, visit the “Health Alerts” page on the diocesan website, dioceseofgreensburg.org.

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials put similar measures in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus over the past few weeks.