Dear Parishioners of Saint Spyridon:
Christ is Risen!
Throughout the pandemic the Parish Council and our clergy have striven to be obedient to Metropolitan Isaiah in his directive to follow our county health department and the orders it gave regarding COVID-19 while continuing the liturgical life and ministry of the church. Those local orders changed again over the weekend, as Father Evan announced after both Liturgies on Sunday.
One implication of these changes for our parish is that wearing a mask is now your choice when you come to church at Saint Spyridon's. We recognize that members of our community have various comfort levels and health concerns. We will keep the additional seating in the narthex for those who wish to maintain social distancing. We encourage all of our members to follow their personal comfort levels when making these decisions, and above all to seek to love one another and to refrain from judgment on the decisions that any other person chooses to make.
God has blessed Saint Spyridon's with a very loving community, and we trust that each member will embrace Christian love, respect, and sensitivity as we all adjust to our society's reopening after the difficulties of the past pandemic year.
Beginning this week, Saint Spyridon's will be back to business as usual. We will have one Liturgy on Sunday morning, with Orthros beginning at 8 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m. There will be one fellowship time after the Liturgy. We will continue to follow the food policy that was in place before the pandemic began. You no longer need to sign up to attend Liturgy.
As was the case before the pandemic, please do not come to Liturgy or other church activities if you or your child are sick or exhibiting any cold/flu-like symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat, nasal discharge, etc). If you have been exposed to someone who is suspected of having COVID or are awaiting the result of a COVID test, please stay home until it's clear that you aren't in danger of spreading COVID-19 to a member of the community.
To summarize the new changes:
- Face coverings are now optional.
- There will be no sign-ups to attend Liturgy.
- We will be moving back to one Sunday service.
We have been praying for this moment as a community throughout this past year. We have prayed for all those leading the fight against this virus, and we rejoice at the progress that has been made in the struggle! During this time of transition, we do well as a community to remember the words of Saint Paul to the Galatians when he said, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)
Jacob A. Mueller
Parish Council Vice President, filling in for Maria Tschetter, who is out of town.
Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church - Loveland, CO
