Below are the latest updates from the Diocese of Allentown on coronavirus, including impacts on schools in Lehigh and Northampton counties, Mass, and information on parish social gatherings.
Schools: All of the Catholic Schools operating in the Diocese of Allentown will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year per the order from Governor Wolf and State Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera.
While our buildings have been closed, all of our schools have successfully transitioned to a virtual instructional delivery system and will continue to provide quality education that is uniquely and authentically Catholic for the remaining weeks of the school year.
Masses: Bishop Alfred Schlert has cancelled all public Masses. You may watch a live Mass from his private chapel everyday by going to this page.
Parish social gatherings: Most of these are cancelled or postponed, but check with your local parish if you have a question. White House guidelines ask that individuals and groups cancel any gatherings planned over the next eight weeks.
Holy Family Manor, Bethlehem: As other nursing homes have done, Holy Family Senior Living has decided to close its residential facilities to visitors until further notice.
Security workshop postponed: The Church Security Workshop at St. Mary’s in Hamburg has been postponed. A new date is still to be determined.
Other items:
ChristLife Regional Training Conference scheduled for March 27-28 at St. Mary Parish in Hamburg has been postponed. This event will be rescheduled. Details forthcoming.
State CYO Boys Basketball Tournament, scheduled for March 13-15 at Berks Catholic High School is on hold. The State Board is evaluating whether the event will be rescheduled.
CYO Spring Sports including Track and Field, Soccer, Baseball, and Softball, are cancelled for the month of March. An evaluation will be made in the coming weeks regarding whether spring sports will resume.
All Diocesan Marriage Preparation Classes - the requirement to attend a class is temporarily lifted. Engaged couples should contact their pastor for preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage. You must still register for FOCUS. Read more here.
Youth Ministry Meetings and Events at parishes: Most of these have been postponed or cancelled.
The Catholic Scout Activity Weekend planned for April 17-19 has been cancelled for this year. Scouts working on their Ad Altare Dei or Pope Pius XII religious awards should contact their counselor for information about completing the requirement for attending a retreat and for holding the required Board of Review. The Allentown Diocese Catholic Committee on Scouting is working on developing plans to allow these Scouts to complete and receive their awards. For more information please email the chairman, Fred Flemming, at fcflemming@gmail.com.
