On March 25, Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne directed that all Catholic churches, chapels and shrines throughout the state be closed as of 5 p.m. today and that all “non-essential” employees of the Catholic community (as defined by the governor’s order) work remotely as need be.

Closure will impact Holy Week and other ministries of the Catholic Church:

  • The Chrism Mass will be rescheduled to a time when the priests and faithful can gather together. Priests may bless the Oil of the Sick and Oil of Catechumens according the prescribed rites if needed.
  • The liturgical celebrations of Holy Week and Easter will be carried out by the parish priest privately. These will also be live-streamed at vermontcatholic.org/tvmass.
  • Parish food shelves can be open for specific hours and curb-side pickup only.

During these challenging times, Catholics can still participate in devotions and worship remotely by tuning into daily 12:05 p.m. Mass (Monday through Friday) and Sundays at 10 a.m., live rosary at 11:15 a.m. and many other spiritual engagement activities. For the weekly schedule of activities visit: vermontcatholic.org/spiritualresources.