This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
Covid-19 to Revolutionize Catholic Church Worship in Kenya ¶
As the country continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Catholic Church in Kenya is set to undergo significant changes in its worship practices. According to a recent report, over 2,000 priests and 1,500 parishes across the country will now change the way they preach and conduct other ceremonies such as sacrament, baptism, funerals, weddings, and confessions.
Published on July 3, 2020, the 'Liturgical Guidelines on the Re-opening of Public worship' issued by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops outlines a raft of measures to ensure safe and responsible worshiping in tandem with the Ministry of Health's strict guidelines.
Some of the key changes include reducing the number of ushers, choir members, altar servers, and processional dances. The use of microphones will be restricted to one priest or sanitized if used by more than one. Priests are also encouraged to use their own chalice while drinking the symbolic blood of Christ.
The popular sign of peace by hand greeting will be replaced to avoid physical contact, and the kissing of the altar and the gospel by celebrant priests will be replaced by a deep or profound bow.
According to the guidelines, the sacrament of anointing the sick will be restricted to those who are dying and those about to undergo serious surgery and will be conducted only by trained hospital chaplains who wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The holy water fonts placed at the entrance of the church will remain emptied, and blessed water will be properly disposed of in a sacrarium or directly into the ground.
On liturgical requirements, all missalettes, hymnals, prayer cards, and other paper resources will be removed from pews. Mass will be celebrated for one hour, and where there are more masses, there will be an interval of 30 minutes to ensure sanitizing.
For rural setups, the guidelines encourage faithful to celebrate Sunday masses in small Christian communities.
