Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

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Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania has entered the GREEN phase on Friday, June 26, 2020. Until further notice, on Saturdays there will be Confessions at 1 pm, with the Divine Liturgy at 3 pm. On Sundays, the Divine Liturgy will be at 10 am.

Our Archbishop has issued Guidelines for Opening Parish Churches and Resumption of Public Services on Sundays, Holy Days of Obligation and Weekdays during the GREEN phase. The Guidelines are as follows:

1. The church should be cleaned/sanitized once a week when the public may be present, especially those areas and surfaces that are commonly used and touched (bathrooms, railings, doors, backs of pews, etc.);
2. In GREEN counties of the state of Pennsylvania, there is no limit to the number of participants at the services as long as norms of social distancing are maintained;
3. Social distancing of 6 feet must be maintained:
   1. While sitting or standing in the pews - between non-family members;
   2. While standing or moving in the aisles in line for Communion and returning to the pews;
4. Wearing masks is recommended for laity. Priests are obliged to wear masks while distributing Holy Communion;
5. Veneration of icons, crosses, etc. should be done without touching or kissing them. The Holy Water fountains must be emptied;
6. There should be no social gatherings after the services. People should leave the church promptly upon the completion of services;
7. Please remind parishioners that if they are not feeling well that they should stay at home;
8. Please remind parishioners that they are not bound by the Sunday obligation if they are ill, at high risk to contract the virus, or if for health reasons they are afraid to attend the services. Dispensation from Sunday Liturgy obligation remains valid until further notice;
9. When distributing Holy Communion with a golden spoon, please instruct those who choose to receive to open their mouths wide, not touch the spoon, and not cough or sneeze upon it. The spoon must be sanitized immediately after each communicant by wiping it with a cloth soaked in antiseptic or pure alcohol (at least 65-70%) and with a dry cloth afterwards. In the absence of a deacon or servers the tetrapod or other table can be used to place upon it the articles for disinfection.
10. Celebrations of weddings, baptisms and funerals are allowed if all precautions listed above are observed. Water is considered to be safe since the virus spreads from person to person via air droplets;
11. While hearing confessions, please observe social distancing;
12. Collection baskets are to be left in designated places so that parishioners may leave their offerings without passing around baskets;
13. Please refrain from choir singing due to closeness and danger of possible infections. Instead, please encourage the faithful to recite or sing responses.
14. Live streaming of Divine Liturgies and other services from your church is recommended;
15. Please keep the church well ventilated by opening windows or by turning on air-conditioning;

Please consider other precautionary measures to ensure that our churches are safe and everyone’s good health is maintained.

Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and Ukrainians in the USA attended the Divine Liturgy at 4:00 p.m on October 15, 2016 in Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church, Olyphant, Pa. Metropolitan Soroka was greeted at the Church doors by the youth of the Parish who were dressed in the traditional Ukrainian clothing.