COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio’s Roman Catholic Bishops are looking to resume in-person Masses the last weekend of May, Diocese of Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan stated in a letter Tuesday.
Brennan said Ohio’s bishops met Monday to discuss churches resuming services after all public masses were cancelled for Ohioans March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and CDC social distancing guidelines.
In his letter, Brennan also addressed safety:
The process of preparing for Mass will encompass many considerations. We will work to be ensure that the Churches are clean and safe. We are working to have plans in place to manage seating and movement, allowing for safe social distancing; this may perhaps limit the number of people in the Church or any other spaces at any given time. We will follow the guidelines for assemblies regarding face-coverings and other protective measures. It may be necessary to adjust schedules to allow for priests to help each other beyond parish boundaries.
Rev. Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Columbus