Please Do Your Part
As you know by now, the CDC has published guidelines strongly recommending masking for all persons, vaccinated or unvaccinated, while attending indoor events. Their action is prompted by the high number of cases attributed to the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is also strongly recommending that everyone return to masking up while in church. We share your frustration with this update, but we have a responsibility to do our part to keep all parishioners safe. We share your fatigue and anxiousness to put COVID behind us, but we also know that we need to do the right thing if we are to eradicate this virus. We want to do all that we can to protect our youngest parishioners who are not yet eligible for the vaccine. There is also a concern that our older parishioners or those with compromised immune systems could fall victim to the new Delta variant which is even more frightening than the original COVID virus. These concerns lead us to ask you, our beloved parishioners, to help us keep Christ the King safe. Regardless of your vaccination status, we are asking that you please wear a mask while attending mass or indoor events at Christ the King. We will also return to the no-contact Sign of Peace and continue the refrain of Communion from the Cup.
As for our school, Governor Pritzker has mandated masks for all individuals to start the school year, regardless of vaccination status.
We emphasize again how disappointing this shift is for us too. As your parish leadership, we want to return to normalcy as much as you do. However, we also want to make sure we can continue offering liturgies and programs for you. Taking the step of masking up will help us be able to live out our faith together through our liturgies and other events. Thank you for understanding our position.
Sincerely,
The Leadership Team of Christ the King