Tips & Guidelines for Families
- Families are welcomed and encouraged to worship and receive Holy Communion! All of the precautions we are taking are to help everyone feel safe and loved.
- The service will be more like a weekday mass with no sermon or hymns — consider these short services as a good opportunity for training the young ones to make it through our normal Sunday masses when they resume.
- There is no nursery at this time.
- The doors to the church will remain open during the service so parents can easily step outside if their child is upset.
- The cry room is open if you need to step in with an upset baby. Only one family at a time. Please flip the sign on the door to “occupied” when in use and make sure to tell the cleaning volunteer after the service that you used the space.
- The Undercroft and downstairs bathrooms are off-limits.
- There will be no books or drawing pads in the Narthex for kids. Please come prepared with a couple books or a drawing pad for your children.
- Make sure your child uses the potty before leaving your house (only the upstairs restroom will be open at this time).
- Please do not bring any snacks or drinks for your child (remember, the service will only be approx. 30 minutes long!).
- The clergy understand that children may be louder in the service during these social-distanced Masses, but parents should not feel unwelcome — just simply try their best to participate in the service.
The priest at Christ the King Anglican, Cincinnati, wrote this encouragement for children in the service: “We want [children’s] earliest memories to be imbued with the full sensory experience of Eucharistic celebration. Children are lovingly invited to our services to participate in the rhythms of the liturgy. In practice, this means that the sounds of children – ranging from laughter to cries – are viewed not as distractions, but reminders that we as a church are all called to be as little children. We do not consider our children future members in training, but rather full members in the present: embraced, accepted, and joyfully welcomed into our corporate worship.“
- Non-communicant children who approach the altar will receive an air blessing, the priest will not touch their forehead.
- Children are encouraged to wear masks, if possible, but it’s not required for non-communicants.
- We ask that families stay together as a unit and not rely on the help of other parishioners to help with their children.