Fr. Gregory Safchuk, Rector
PARISH DIRECTIVES FROM HIS BEATITUDE, METROPOLITAN TIKHON
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
Exerpted from Metropolitan Tikhon’s statement dated March 17th, 2020. Please read the statement in full here.
- All parishes and missions of the Archdiocese of Washington, the Albanian Archdiocese, and the Diocese of New England are closed through April 1st 2020.
- All monastery chapels are closed to the public but permitted to maintain the regular ( or modified) cycle of services for the brotherhood and sisterhood alone, through April 1st, 2020.
- All seminary chapels are closed to the public and the respective administrations instructed to implement the appropriate safety measures with respect to gatherings of individuals and the teaching of classes.
- Parish and mission clergy should make it a priority to reach out by every means available to the faithful and to make sure that their pastoral needs are being met. The temporary closing of the temples of worship does not mean the cessation of the life of the Church.
- If presanctified lambs were prepared last Sunday, these may be used for the purpose of bringing communion, on an individual basis, to those who may wish to receive and to those who are ill, or should be consumed by the priest.
- Visits to the sick in nursing homes and hospitals must be predicated on the regulations currently in place by those institutions and by the civil authorities. Visits to homes should be made with all care for the health of the parishioners and the clergy.
- Weddings, of course, should not have been scheduled during this lenten season. In the case of funerals, I ask the clergy to contact me or the Chancellor /Dean in each particular case.
- Clergy may not celebrate any divine liturgies privately in their parishes or homes, even for their families, but are encouraged to serve other services, such as molebens or akathists, and to broadcast them, as well as sermons or reflections, electronically to their faithful. Make use of the talent that is available in your parishes and missions to find new and creative ways to bolster the life of the community.
- A tab has been added to the home page of the Orthodox Church in America website with the title: “Coronavirus Resources” (it is the first tab on the right side under the purple header). There is a wealth of resources available to everyone, including services and reading material. This will be updated regularly as new resources become available.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Metropolitan Tikhon