Mid-Missouri Catholics age 60 and older are being asked to stay home from church to decrease the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Bishop W. Shawn McKnight Friday afternoon issued a statement notifying members of the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City that if they are 60 or older, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is suspended.
The church had already removed the obligation for people who are ill or have a compromised immune system.
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Data indicate COVID-19 poses a higher risk of death for older patients and for those with compromised immune systems. Younger people are generally not affected as severely unless they have an underlying health issue.
The concerns also apply to clergy members.
"Many of our priests are of the age range most vulnerable to the coronavirus," McKnight said. "Priests over the age of 60 are requested to practice social distancing (at least 6 feet from others) during their celebration of Mass, which means they should not be greeting people before and after Mass; they should observe appropriate spacing in processions and when seated; and they should not distribute Holy Communion to the assembly."
Ministers of Holy Communion who are younger than 60 should be used for the distribution of Communion, he said.
The diocese's school principals have discussed with their superintendent how families and the schools themselves should evaluate travel and the possibility of school closures.
"While our diocese has not seen the number of confirmed cases as have been reported elsewhere, we should be planning how we can be a witness of God's love during this terrible crisis," McKnight said. "I ask our pastors and parish leadership to consider practical ways their parish can support those who are most impacted by any crisis: the lonely, the poor and the forgotten."
Parishes may wish to begin collecting information on isolated members and prepare to check on them periodically.
"When the transmission of COVID-19 becomes widespread and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services declares 'community transmission' as taking place in our area, the public celebration of Mass will cease until further notice," McKnight said. "We are providing more detailed instructions to our parishes regarding the celebrations of weddings, funerals and baptisms if this happens, but in general please note that attendance at these celebrations will be limited."