Slowly - but surely - churches are returning to open, safe worship
It may take a few more weeks - or maybe months - but little by little, week by week, churches in the Northwest suburbs are returning to normal routines in the face of the coronavirus.
One of the largest parishes in the area, Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Church in Arlington Heights, has been preparing to return to a normal routine in the face of the pandemic for several weeks.
On the July Fourth weekend, Wayside celebrated an almost full weekend schedule of Masses - one on Saturday and three on Sunday - with the doors open but a smaller (and carefully screened) congregation. Archdiocese of Chicago Bishop George Rassas helped observe the milestone by celebrating Masses on Saturday and Sunday.
Attendance at all Masses is limited, and parishioners must preregister to attend. Seating capacity in the church has been reduced considerably. The OLW website, olwparish.org, has registration information for parishioners and instructions for attending masses online
Mass attendees, including children, must wear protective face masks. Attendees also must follow clearly-marked directions to approved pews, and they must maintain social distance when lining up to receive communion.
A customary part of the Catholic Mass, the "kiss of peace" or handshake among parishioners, has been modified to a "Peace be with you" greeting with an elbow bump or head nod.
The Rev. Artur Marat, new pastor at Our Lady of the Wayside, wears a mask during Mass and wears a full-face protective plastic face shield while distributing Holy Communion to parishioners.
Attendees at the Masses are met by OLW parishioners or ushers who take their temperatures to assure they are within safe and normal ranges. Parishioners are asked to wash their hands with a medically approved cleaner as they enter the church and prior to receiving communion. Parishioners are asked about their current health conditions.
Our Lady of the Wayside and other churches have expanded access to weekly religious services by initiating electronic access to services. Wayside offers a daily Mass each morning, which is transmitted live to parishioners on Facebook. The Sunday Masses also are transmitted live.
Wayside and other Catholic parishes in the area have been given approval by the Archdiocese of Chicago to conduct a limited number of weddings and funerals, all of which must follow Archdiocese safety standards.