This page contains the most up to date COVID-19 guidelines for the safety of all those attending Mass.  We will keep this page updated as new directives occur.  

Our current Mass Times.

The fire code occupancy at SMM Church is 1,000 people.  While Delaware has lifted capacity restriction effective 5/21/21 in houses of worship, we will be able to use as much capacity in our church with us creating 3 feet of social distance between different families / individuals.  We understand this number will fluctuate depending on the number of people in each party attending & their seating arrangements. 

• Enter church through the front main doors.  You are encouraged to sanitize your hands upon entering.  Hand sanitizer will continue to be provided at the entrance & exits of church.  

• MASK GUIDANCE:  If you are fully vaccinated, you do not have to wear a mask in church.  If you are not fully vaccinated, we ask that you continue to wear a mask in church.  Fully vaccinated is defined as 2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer or Moderna) or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson).

• SOCIAL DISTANCE:  While there are no longer any restrictions regarding social distancing, physical distance is stongly encouraged.  We ask that families maintain 3 feet of social distance between their family and other families or individuals.  Some parishioners may be uneasy about these new guidelines.  

• Communion has returned to being distributed at the proper time within Mass.  Ushers will dismiss the 1st pew in the center aisle ONLY.  Then as previously done, aisles that have an EM stationed in front of them can also go once the center aisle starts.  The ushers will no longer be used to dismiss each row individually. 

• Exit through any open door at the end of Mass.  Reminder, congregating in groups before or after Mass is still not advised.

• Worship aids & bulletins are available online; bulletins & the Dialog are in the main vestibule as you enter, and at the side exits.

• Our "cry room" is currently closed.  We encourage you to sit with your children of any age in the main pews of church; this is how they learn.

• The Most Reverend W. Francis Malooly, Bishop Emeritus and Apostolic Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, has lifted the dispensation, thereby reinstating the Sunday and Holy Day Mass obligation for Catholics in the Diocese of Wilmington, effective June 26, 2021. The announcement was made today as part of a joint statement from the bishops of the Province of Baltimore and the Archdiocese of Washington on June 2, 2021.  Read the full statement. SMM Church will continue to have live-streamed masses available on our website homepage & YouTube channel.

• Those who are symptomatic or who have or may have been exposed to the virus within 10 days are not permitted to enter the church.  Anyone who does not feel well should not come to church. 

• Communion will return to being distributed at the proper time within Mass.

• The distribution of the Precious Blood to the laity continues to be suspended until further notice.

• Communicants have a right to receive on the tongue.  Should anyone choose to do so, the Minister of Communion is encouraged to sanitize his/her hands prior to distributing Communion to the next individual. 

• The Sign of Peace will be reinstated without the physical contact between non-family members.

• We will resume the use of Holy Water fonts.  Hand sanitizer are located near the fonts at all exits & entrances to permit cleansing of the hands.  

• Home visits by Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion will resume.  Because of the vulnerable nature of the sick & elderly, it is strongly encouraged that those doing home visits be fully vaccinated.  If not, EMHC must wear a mask while ministering, practice social distancing, and limit visits to 15 minutes.  

Have you come to Mass over the past several months and wondered why our top windows are opened?

We do that for safety:  circulation and air exchange. 

 

• SMM is utilizing an IonoMax Mister by Ionogen to sanitize which covers 8,000 - 10,000 square feet per tank and is ideal for churches.

• Surfaces inside & outside the church touched by people before, during, and/or after the service are disinfected according to CDC standards.

• We follow the CDC guidelines for the cleaning and disinfecting of public spaces, including products used, surfaces to be cleaned, and length of time needed to clean.

• Hand sanitizing stations are supplied at our entrance and exits.  There are also 2 sanitizing stations on the altar for use by staff & volunteers during Mass.