Shelter-In-Place order, and what it means for St. Nicholas

Due to the Governor's mandatory shelter-in-place St. Nicholas will be following the recommended guidelines that follow:
 
This message is for all clergy and parish staff in the archdiocese.
 
Governor Pritzker has just announced a mandatory shelter-in-place order for the State of Illinois.  What this means for our parishes is that effective 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21 through Tuesday, April 7:

• All churches and adoration chapels must be closed and locked until the order is lifted by the governor. Private prayer in any parish building must be discontinued until the order is lifted.
• There can be no live Stations of the Cross or any other gatherings anywhere on parish/school property, nor can any parish personnel be involved in organizing them on any other site.
• All weddings and baptisms must be postponed and can be re-scheduled only once the order is lifted. There are no exceptions to this, regardless of the size of the group. However, in case of an extreme emergency for baptism, please seek the permission of your bishop.
• Funerals and wakes must be postponed until the order is lifted.
• Parish offices must be closed until the governor’s order is lifted. 

 
These circumstances require all of us to pastor and lead our people in new ways. Further liturgical and pastoral guidance will be provided over the course of the next few days. As always, all current guidelines can be found on our dedicated https://www.archchicago.org/coronavirus