February 28, 2020

Catholic Yokohama Diocese Sueyoshicho Church

Parish Priest Joseph Akihisa Hamada

Dear Sueyoshicho Church Faithfuls

New Corona Virus Response in March 2020

In response to the spread of the New Corona virus infection and the need to take measures to prevent the spread of the infection, the Parish Priest, Cooperating Priest and Standing Committee of the Parish Council (Church chairman, Vice Chair, General Affairs Committee, Finance Committee) and the representatives of each Church language community) held a meeting last February 28, 2020 at 6:30pm.

The measures against the new Coronavirus at Sueyoshi-cho Church in March are as follows:

1)     Cancellation

• Korean Mass in March
• Chinese Mass in March
• Sacraments of Confession
• Sunday’s Station of the Cross

2)     Cancellation of Church Events

• Sunday School on March 1, 8, 15, and 22
• Philippine Community Block Rosary on March 01
• Legion of Mary (both Philippine and Chinese) on March 1, 8, and 15
• Liturgy Committee on March 8 9:30
• General Assembly on March 8. Along with this, the mass schedule return to 11:30am
• Sunday School Leaders Meeting on March 8 13:00pm
• Japanese Lenten Recollection on March 15
• Infant Baptism on March 15
• Philippine Community Meeting on March 15 15:30
• Vietnam Community Prayer Gathering on March 22

3)     Cancelation on weekdays masses (because the time of transportation to come to the mass is crowded)

• March 3 (Tue) 8:00 mass cancelled
• March 6 (Fri) 8:00 mass cancelled
• March 10 (Tue) 8:00 mass cancelled
• March 13 (Fri) 8:00 mass cancelled
• March 17 (Tue) 8:00 mass canceled
• March 20 (Fri) 8:00 mass canceled

4)     Preventive measures for Japanese Mass and English Mass from March 1 (Sun) to March 29 (Sun)

• No Reader & Lector (The priest conducts all recitations)
• No Commentator (The priest conducts all responses)
• No Psalmist (The priest will recites the psalms)
• No organ and no songs.
• On saturdays, there is no sacristan for the mass (priest prepares and clears)
• The priest enters the church to the main altar, without procession. There is a collection box on the table in front of the organ;  collections to be put, before and after the mass.

• Up to two altar servers allowed on Sundays. Altar servers shall seat on the opposite sides of the altar.

5)     Coronavirus Counter-measures in the Church Facilities

• New arrangement of chairs inside and in front of the church hall, and securing a large space around each chair.
• Removal of the holy water basin.
• Thorough disinfection of places where human hands touched . Must be done before and after every masses.
• Thorough hand disinfection by handing one alcohol tissue to each person at the entrance of the first floor of the church hall.
• Half-open of the windows in the Church and the front hall. Ventilated at all times!
• For the entrance on the first floor of the church, only the single door is opened from March 8 to March 29. Thorough hand disinfection is required.
• Set the heating temperature to 25 degrees.