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Diocese of Green Bay prepares for return to Mass this weekend

Posted at 11:13 AM, Jun 12, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-12 12:13:18-04

GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- The Diocese of Green Bay will welcome parishioners back to public Mass this weekend with several safety protocols in place.

Churches will be limited to 25-percent capacity for the time being. To help spread parishioners out, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral has put rope around several pews. Families who come together will be able to sit by each other.

Parishioners will also have their temperatures checked when they come in, and there will be some changes during the Mass itself. At the Cathedral, for example, there will be one line for communion.

“We want to get back to normal as soon as possible, but we have to do so as safely as possible too," Bishop David Ricken said.

Bishop Ricken said it will be great to welcome people back to Mass. As people get ready to return, he said there are some things parishioners can do to prepare.

“The first thing is be patient with yourself. When you come it’s going to feel a little awkward, it won’t feel like it did when you left," he said. “Also, pray at home. The best preparation for Sunday mass is prayer at home, either personally or individually, or as a family. Those are great ways to prepare and it gets you ready to reenter into that sacred space.”