Since midnight on Wednesday 21st October 2020 the country entered Level Five of the Government’s ‘Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19’.
The following are the implications for Church practice:
- Public Masses cannot be celebrated. A priest may celebrate Mass in the church privately but with no congregation present, this may be livestreamed. Outside speakers should not be used at this time as outdoor gatherings are not allowed at Level 5.
- All other ceremonies cease for the duration of Level Five: First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance etc.
- The following are allowed:
- Funeral Masses with up to 25 mourners.
- Marriages with up to 25 guests.
- Churches may remain open for private prayer, with adequate sanitising measures.
- Anointing of the sick may take place when invited by the family and taking all the necessary precautions of hand sanitising, social distancing, face covering and anointing with a cotton bud.
- Priests are permitted to travel beyond the 5 km limit to lead services remotely through the use of information and communications technology, to conduct weddings or funerals and to administer the anointing of the sick.
- First Friday Calls should not take place until further notice.
Details on Level Five are to be found at www.gov.ie