30 July 2020

After what has been a challenging time for our Parish community, we look forward to Saturday 1 August when we open the doors of our Cathedral to welcome home our parishioners. It is very important to note that our opening this weekend will be subject to the directives of both the NSW Government and our Maronite Eparchy.
As announced by the Premier of NSW on Thursday 16 July 2020 – Mass, Funerals, Weddings, and other gatherings at places of worship are set at a maximum limit of 100 people on the premises. This also includes the clergy, servers, choir members, and volunteers. 

Attending Mass:

Monday to Friday 7 am and 9 am Mass and Saturday 7:30 am Mass – No Booking Required
100 people in the church on a first come first serve basis. Parishioners will need to come earlier to register their names at the door of the church before the Mass begins.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 6 pm Mass – Booking Required
Wednesday 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm – Booking Required
Sunday 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, 5 pm and 7 pm – Booking Required

To book your attendance for Mass please contact the parish office on (02) 9689 2899.

Other Liturgical Celebrations:

• For 40-day, 1-year, and Genez Masses, the family will need to register the number of people attending with the parish office when booking the Mass. A limit may be applied to allow for other parishioners to attend Mass. As per the directives of our Maronite Eparchy, we encourage that these Masses are booked outside of the parish’s regular Sunday mass times. This is to ensure a maximum number of people can attend Mass on Sundays. These Masses will be booked during the regular weekday Mass times or when necessary, as an extra mass outside the Parish’s regular schedule.
  
  
• 6 pm on Saturdays and all Sunday Mass times (8 am, 9.30 am, 11 am, 5 pm, 7 pm): will continue by booking via the parish office.
  
  
• Adoration at 8 pm on Thursday nights will continue by booking via the parish office.
  
  
• For funerals, the names of the mourners attending will need to be given to the parish office when preparing for the funeral.
  
  
• For weddings and baptisms, the names of the attendees will need to be given to the parish office when preparing for the wedding or baptism.
  
  
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation will only be available by appointment.
  
  
• No parish gatherings or meetings, including Fersen, teens, adult or seniors’ groups. This includes all sacramental preparation programs. We encourage our committee leaders to continue these meetings or programs (where possible) online or on Zoom.
  
  
• As per the directives of our Maronite Eparchy, Condolences/sympathy will not be allowed in Church Halls or courtyards before/after Mass.

As a COVID-19-safe location, we are committed to keeping all in our community safe. As such, further to the 100-person limit, we also remind you of the following directives:

The wellbeing of congregants: Kindly remember that if you are feeling unwell, showing any symptoms of COVID 19 or have been close contact with a confirmed case/venue. We ask you to remain home, get tested, and follow health and safety advice. You can participate in the liturgy via the Livestream.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your temperature will be checked at the door by one of our volunteers. Anyone who registers a temperature above 37.5 will not be allowed to enter the church.

Physical distancing: Inside the Church, please ensure you are maintaining physical distancing at all times. Only sit on the pews marked with a cross.
When approaching the altar for communion, kindly remember to keep 1.5-meter space between yourself and the person in front of you.

Hygiene and cleaning: We kindly remind you to ensure that you sanitize your hands as you enter the church. Hands-free Sanitizing stations will be available at the entry.
The church will also be sanitized and cleaned after gathering.

Livestreaming: Our live streaming schedule will be as follows:

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 am Mass
• Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 6:00 pm Mass
• All Sunday Mass Times will be Live Streamed

Temperature Checking and Registration:
It is a government requirement that we keep a safe record of all those who attend the church. These records are held securely in the parish for 28 days and are destroyed thereafter. They will only be used in cases where contact-tracing is necessary. The temperature checking on the door is an extra measure we are taking in an effort to ensure we keep all those who attend our Church safe. We respectfully ask that you cooperate with our volunteers in particular when it comes to these two efforts.

We sincerely thank you for all your prayers, support, and cooperation during these difficult times. We ask that you kindly cooperate with clergy, parish staff, and all volunteers who will be working to ensure we stay within the specified guidelines of the government. We also take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to all our volunteers and all who have assisted us over the past few weeks.

At this time where there is a lot of fear and confusion, we remind you that as the People of God we are called to be beacons of light in the darkness. Remember we are lifted up to God by both faith and reason, so we encourage you to continue to make your homes a domestic church where the name of God is glorified. Also, remember to take all the extra hygiene precautions and follow health advice. The health advice states that certain groups of people should avoid public gathering or contact with others.

These groups include:

• people aged 70 years and over
• people aged 65 years and over with chronic medical conditions
• people with a compromised immune system
• anyone with cold and flu-like symptoms
• anyone with a fever
• anyone who is not feeling well at all

If you fall into one of these categories, we ask that you abide by the government restrictions and continue to practice social distancing by staying at home.

During this blessed season of Pentecost, we continue to pray together, asking the Holy Spirit to inspire us with faith, hope, and love and to bless our families and communities. We pray that through the power of the Spirit, we may be a source of God’s healing mercy. Amen

Father Tony Sarkis
Dean, Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral

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