Religious Education and Faith Formation Reopening

Attendance restrictions apply to all individuals, including facilitators (staff and volunteers). 

Due to the frequently changing nature of COVID in our state, especially as we head into the Fall and Winter months, it is important to keep checking the Diocesan Website for updates from the Bishop regarding permitted attendance size.

Your program as a whole may have over the permitted number in attendance.  Each classroom or meeting space must meet the current attendance requirements.  All individuals in each classroom or meeting space, regardless of how many present, must follow proper masking and social distancing guidelines.

No, the seating capacities for Sacramental celebrations are for that purpose ONLY.

Each parish needs to develop a system that will work to the best of their ability. 

Suggestions include: CL using a walkie-talkie to inform catechists when a particular parent has pulled up; parents have a sign in their car window with the last name on it; program has staggered starting and ending times.

In general, no.  However, if you are sharing a space with a school, you should coordinate efforts with that school.

The room needs to be cleaned between each use. The scheduling of that cleaning is to be determined by the parish and/or school.

When possible, you should not use multi-use materials.

When it cannot be avoided, all multi-use materials must be sanitized.  If they are soft materials, like Bibles, materials should be quarantined for a period of time before reuse.

Additional suggestions: Families are encouraged to bring their own Bible and required classroom supplies weekly.  Additionally, the Bible and many prayers can be accessed via smartphone on websites like the USCCB and EWTN, or apps like Laudate.

No.  Face shields cannot be used instead of masks, as per directives of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC).  If there is a health reason for someone to not wear a mask, please refer to the Religious Education and Faith Formation ReOpening Plan, found on the Catholic Education ReOpening Webpage.

Each catechist should consciously and creatively develop a plan for how they will engage students.  Suggestions include: air high fives, positive body language, positive words, teach facial expressions 

The parish cannot provide food/drinks or allow others to bring food/drinks to be shared.  This includes individually wrapped items or boxed meals.

No.  The Bishop’s letter, dated June 29, 2020, clearly states, “All other gatherings not related to prayer or administration, such as social gatherings, potlucks, coffee and donuts, funeral luncheons, are still prohibited.”

The Catholic Education Office has created a parent flier that can be distributed to parents explaining how their family will be cared for.  The flier can be found on the Catholic Education ReOpening Webpage.

In this case, the Catechetical Leader needs to:

1. Inform the pastor and follow his direction before proceeding.
2. Gather the appropriate information using the COVID19 Report Form tool, then call Sara Danielson (815-399-4300) to report.
3. Members of that family cannot return to the program until they have gone 14 days without symptoms.

Yes.  If the participant attended your program while infected, you should:

1. Inform the pastor and follow his direction before making any announcements. If you share the space with a school, no public statement is to be made until you have consulted with both the pastor AND the principal.  It is imperative that you coordinate your message with that of the school.
2. Contact Sara Danielson (815-399-4300) to report the information.  Sara will send you an announcement letter using the information that you provide.
3. Deep clean all affected areas (classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, etc)

Yes.  All individuals with known cases or known exposure should not attend until 14 days after they have had no symptoms.

No.