Updated COVID-19 Directives
Recommendations for a Safe and Holy Christmas Season
December 14, 2021
As we prepare for the Christmas season, we anticipate many people and families celebrating at our parishes. It is a good idea to ensure that our facilities are prepared for those who are coming. Parishioners should be informed of precautions being taken to make them feel comfortable in attending.
The following is a list of ideas that may be helpful in your parish. Pastors, and parish staff need to determine the best course for their particular community.
Archdiocese Updates COVID-19 Policy for 2021-2022 School Year
September 2, 2021
The Office of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Newark, which includes 74 elementary and high schools in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties, has announced its COVID-19 safety protocols for the 2021 – 2022 school year, which begins on September 8, 2021.
The safety of our students remains a top priority, as does our mission to provide academic excellence guided by Catholic values. We want to ensure that everyone in our schools, especially children, faculty, and staff, are as safe as possible, and that our elementary and high schools remain open for in-person learning with minimal disruptions. Click here to continue reading.
Statement of the Archdiocese of Newark Regarding Vaccination Exemption
August 27, 2021
The Archdiocese of Newark does not provide a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine. Pope Francis has urged people to get vaccinated, calling it “an act of love” and a “profound way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable.” Similarly, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and numerous other Catholic dioceses have issued statements supporting the morality of receiving the vaccine. As such, the Archdiocese of Newark has advised its clergy not to support a religious exemption for the people entrusted in their pastoral care. We encourage all within our Catholic community to observe all applicable health and safety mandates and to remain mindful of the welfare of others.
Updated Directives
June 28, 2021
Updated Directives During the Covid-19 Pandemic For the weekend of July 3-4, 2021:
Click here to read the latest directives, including guidance on the lifting of indoor gathering limits as of June 28.
All liturgical ministries may return to full service. Masks are no longer required for all vaccinated ministers. Communion on the tongue is now permitted. Baptismal fonts and holy water receptacles may be filled.
Refer to the directives for details about these and many other other changes.
Archdiocesan Resources
Directives 2021
- Recommendations for a Safe and Holy Christmas Season (Dec. 14, 2021)
- Changes in Mask and Capacity Requirements for Liturgical Gatherings (May 25, 2021)
- Updated Liturgical Directives During the Covid-19 Pandemic (May 5, 2021)
- Holy Week in 2021 Parish Bulletin Announcement (March 22, 2021)
- Directives for Holy Week (Feb. 25, 2021)
- Directives for Confirmation during COVID-19 (Feb. 17, 2021)
- Sacramentals update during Covid-19 pandemic (Jan. 18, 2021)
Directives 2020
- Directives for Celebrating Christmas During Covid 19 (Oct. 20, 2020)
- Updated directives for parish liturgical celebrations during the COVID-19 pandemic (Oct. 2, 2020)
- Updated Directives for Parish Liturgical Celebrations (Sept. 24, 2020) (image)
- Archdiocese increases church attendance capacity (Sept. 1, 2020)
- Archdiocese of Newark Announces Phase 3 Directives Allowing Public Sunday Masses with Restrictions Starting June 21 (June 19, 2020)
- Archdiocese of Newark announces phase 2 directives allowing public weekday Masses with restrictions starting June 15 (June 11, 2020)
- Archdiocese of Newark announces phased reopening of churches (May 15, 2020)
- What to expect when public Mass resumes (May 11, 2020)
- Updated directives regarding Archdiocesan catholic cemeteries (May 4, 2020)
- Pastoral Care of the Covid-19 Patient: A Protocol to Limit Risk to Clergy (April 29, 2020)
- Archdiocese of Newark issues clarification regarding burials (March 26, 2020)
- Archdiocese of Newark issues guidelines for Holy Week (March 26, 2020)
- Coronavirus Update from the Archdiocese of Newark (March 25, 2020)
- Cardinal Tobin Suspends all Public Celebrations of Mass Indefinitely due to Coronavirus Pandemic: Churches Remain Open for Private Prayer, Funerals, Baptisms, and Weddings Limited to 10 Family Members (March 18, 2020)
- Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Suspends Weekend Masses and Week of Catholic Schools in Proactive Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 12, 2020)
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
- Cardinal Tobin urges vigilance against Covid-19 in letter (Dec. 18, 2020) English | Spanish
- Archive: Cardinal Tobin Livestream Mass
- Easter Sunday Homily text: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., celebrates Mass via livestream from Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart (April 12, 2020)
- A Way of the Cross with Reflections from Cardinal Joseph Tobin inspired by St. Alphonsus Liguori featuring the Mosaic Stations of the Cross from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ. Via Crucis – ya disponible subtitulado en Español (April 11, 2020)
- An Easter Message from Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R. (Video & Message in English & Spanish) (April 9, 2020)
- A Way of the Cross: Reflections by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. (April 8, 2020)
- A message from Cardinal Tobin to his brother priests (April 6, 2020)
- A message from Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. – Spiritual closeness in a time of social distancing: Seven suggestions (April 1, 2020)
- Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Celebrates Mass for Faithful via Livestream (Video and Homily) (March 23, 2020)
Catechetical Resources
- Guidelines for Parish Catechetical Programs during the Covid-19 Pandemic for the 2021-2022 Catechetical Year (September 2021)
- Faith Alive @ Home! Family Faith Resource for celebrating Holy Week, Easter Season, St. Joseph, and the Year of the Family (English) (Spanish)
- Catholic Social Justice Faith Alive @ Home Resource (English and Spanish)
- Faith Alive @ Home! A guide to family worship and family faith fun! Summer edition English | Spanish
- Faith Alive @ Home! A guide to family worship and family faith fun! May edition. English | Spanish
- School-At-Home Guide for Catholic Families English | Spanish (April 8)
- Faith Alive @ Home! A guide to family worship and family faith fun! April edition English | Spanish
- Parish Catechetical Program Crisis Management Plan
- Safety and Crisis Management Planning (PCLs)
- Letter to PCLs (English) | (Spanish)
Catholic Cemeteries
- Catholic Cemeteries is making the following adjustments to visitor restrictions due to COVID-19 (June 19, 2020)
- Cemetery and mausoleum visitation hours and limits on family members increased (May 26, 2020)
- An Easter message of hope from Catholic Cemeteries (April 22, 2020)
- Catholic Cemeteries adjusts number of visitors for interments (April 17, 2020)
- Announcement from the Office of Catholic Cemeteries (March 23, 2020)
- Important COVID-19 update from Catholic Cemeteries (March 18, 2020)
Parishes
- “Welcome Back” video in English & Spanish
- Links to parish livestreams and more
- Archdiocese of Newark Launches Unprecedented Fundraising Effort in Support of Community Parishes (March 21, 2020)
- GoFundMe Parish Support Initiative
- Facilities signage for parishes
Schools
- Letter to Parents and Guardians from Barbara Dolan, Acting Superintendent of Schools
- Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities
- Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus) A Parent Resource (English) | (Spanish)
News
Protection of the Faithful
- Mental health resources from the Protection of the Faithful ministry (May 5, 2020)
- Use of Zoom and other remote technologies with youth (April 7, 2020)
The Office for Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities
- Praying the Way of the Cross, with meditations based on the experiences of individuals and families living with disabilities (In English and Spanish) (April 20, 2020)
Human Resources
- Employee rights: Paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (April 1, 2020)
USCCB Resources
- Answers to key ethical questions about COVID-19 vaccines (Jan. 6, 2020)
- New resources to help the faithful in our home prayer
- Examples of how our community of faith has sought to remain with one another in prayer during these difficult times
- Justice for Immigrants COVID-19 Resources
- How to livestream Mass
- Family Life in a Pandemic
- Building Family Bonds during COVID-19
- U.S. Bishops’ Chairman for Domestic Justice and Human Development Urges Care for the Poor and Vulnerable in Further Consideration of COVID-19 Relief Legislation (May 22)
- Bishops Tasked with the Pastoral Care of Migrants Issue Statement in Support of Migrant Farmworkers During the Coronavirus Pandemic (April 28)
- Catholic Leaders Respond to Administration’s Halt to Immigration with a Call for Unity in the Effort to Overcome COVID-19 (April 23)
- Statement of the U.S. Bishops’ Executive Committee: Catholic Relief Services Delivers the Hope of Christ to Where Human Suffering is Worst (March 17)
- USCCB Statements on Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 13)
- USCCB President’s Reflection and Prayer During Coronavirus (March 13)
- Chairman of U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development Encourages Lawmakers in Providing Aid and Relief to Those Affected by Coronavirus (March 12)
- Catholic Response to Outbreak (Feb. 18)
Catholic News Service stories
- Now is the time for smart strategic planning and lots of communication, experts advise, as the Church prepares for what the next phase will be
- Life as a hospital chaplain: When people most need him, Father Paul Marquis is there to anoint the sick and the dying
- Famed singer recalls his long friendship with a priest who succumbed to Covid-19. “It really makes me think that despite this chaotic world we live in, love wins. It just wins,” Harry Connick Jr. said
- A bishop takes to the road to bless every corner of his diocese, bringing them “the light of Christ.”
- Millions sick, churches closing, hospitals overrun and priests and religious rushing to serve where needed. Some of forgotten stories from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918
- Catholic ethicists warn that “Decisions regarding the critical care of patients during the current crisis must not discriminate on the basis of disability or age
- The Vatican has asked Catholic bishops around the world to provide their faithful with resources to support personal and family prayer during Holy Week and at Easter
- Defending life is not an abstract concept but a duty for all Christians and it means protecting the unborn, the poor, the sick, the unemployed and migrants, Pope Francis said
- As people self-isolate and retreat from daily life amid the COVID-19 pandemic, priests and women religious have become beacons of hope globally as they mobilize in unconventional ways
- As more and more countries start to feel the economic pinch due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis urged business leaders to seek solutions that will not hurt employees and their families
- People who cannot get to confession because of the coronavirus lockdown or another serious reason can go to God directly, be specific about their sins, request pardon and experience God’s loving forgiveness, Pope Francis said
Federal and State Government Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC COVID-19 Workplace and General Business Frequently Asked Questions
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- New Jersey Department of Health
- New Jersey COVID-19 Information for Businesses/Workplace
- New Jersey Department of Health COVID-19 Information for Schools
- Bergen County Health Services
- Essex County Department of Health and Rehabilitation
- Hudson County Department of Health & Human Services
- Union County COVID-19 Web Page
Mental Health Resources
- Protection of the Faithful
- Mental Health Hotline: 866-202-4357
- NJ Hopeline: 1-855-654-6735
- @NJVET2VET: 1-866-838-7654
Prayer Resources
Posters & Flyers


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