Dear Monsignor, Fathers, Deacons and staff members,

I am sure you are aware of the very welcome news that restrictions on our churches will begin to be relaxed from midnight tonight. 

In summary, the following will now be permitted in churches or other parish properties:

• Private prayer for up to 10 people (in addition to door attendant)
• Liturgies or prayer groups with up to 10 attendees (in addition to celebrant, ministers, door attendant, etc.)
• Funerals indoors with up to 20 attendees (in addition to celebrant and funeral staff)
• Funerals outdoors with up to 30 attendees (in addition to celebrant and funeral staff)
• Weddings with up to 10 attendees (in addition to bride, groom and celebrant)

In all cases, the following requirements apply:

• Distancing of at least 1.5m between attendees
• Signage at the church door specifying the maximum number permitted at any time, allowing 4 square metres/person
• A register of attendees, including: name, phone number, date & time of attendance
• Reasonable time between events to allow for cleaning
• Cleaning by wiping with disinfectant:
• Frequently touched surfaces (at least twice/day)
• Whenever a surface is visibly soiled
• Immediately after a spill

I have attached relevant parts of the official regulations for your reference.  The full document is available on the following website: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/state-emergency

I am very mindful that opening churches to only 10 people is problematic, especially on Sundays, and I provide the following by way of advice and suggestion:

• The canonical limit of celebrating no more than three masses/day continues to be relevant
• It may be helpful to ask parishioners to book in advance, preferably by a web-based booking service like TryBooking, Eventbrite or Calendly or by phone or email, with an advertised cut off time, say late the day before
• Ensuring the contact register, attendance limits and cleaning regime are enforced will require an attendant whenever churches are open; therefore, you should probably advertise particular periods of time when your church will be open, with intervals between for cleaning
• As not every parishioner will be able to be accommodated, we need to continue to be mindful of keeping contact with those who are not physically present

I wish you and your people every blessing as we begin to gather again in person for prayer and worship.

Yours in Christ

Fr Peter Slater