COVID-19

Reopening Information

I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’…
– Psalm 122:1

It is with great joy that we announce to you the reopening of our beloved Annunciation Cathedral to her parishioners. While we are still limited in the number of people that may attend, we are excited to welcome you, the faithful, back home.

In order to attend services, you must sign up in advance in order for us to meet the tracking requirements set forth by the Metropolis of Chicago and government heath authorities.

Due to limited numbers, at this time we are only able to accommodate stewards for the year 2020. If you have not yet offered your 2020 commitment, you may do so by clicking here.

To sign-up to attend services, please visit our sign-up site.

Each service is limited in the amount of spots available, and once that limit is reached, we will not be able to accommodate any more individuals for that specific service. You must register to attend a service at this time. At no point are we able to accept walk-ins the day of a service. If you are interested in attending a service that is currently full, please contact the church office to be placed on a waiting list. If a spot opens up, you will be contacted directly by the church office.

To attend, stewards must abide by the CDC’s Social Distancing Standards and any other safety directives of the Metropolis of Chicago, such as:

• All attendees must wear a face mask over their mouth and nose.
• Upon entering and before receiving Holy Communion, the faithful are required to sanitize their hands at the provided hand sanitizer stations.
• Stewards will leave immediately after the service is concluded.
• The faithful may continue to honor the icons and other sacred objects by a reverent bow and making the sign of the Cross in lieu of kissing.
• The faithful should refrain from shaking hands or kissing others.
• At all times, the faithful must maintain social distancing from one another, with the exceptions of families living together.

If stewards are in a high risk category as defined by the CDC, have symptoms such as a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, chills, muscle aches/pains, cough/runny nose, sore throat and recent loss of taste/smell or have had exposure to someone with symptoms, please remain home and enjoy the online services, which will still be made available via our YouTube and Facebook pages, until you can safely return to Church.

Please note that only the Cathedral sanctuary will be open. Access to the Bessie Miller Hall, classrooms, offices or any storage closets throughout the entire building is prohibited until further notice. Once you are at church and in your pew, we ask that you limit your need to move about the church proper at all times. There is to be no gatherings of any size at anytime in the Cathedral or on the Cathedral property before, during or after services by parishioners.

The members of our Parish Reopening Committee and the Parish Council will be available to assist and give direction. It is imperative that you follow the instructions of the Parish Council at all times. If at any point, direction is not followed, you will be asked to leave and will not be permitted to register for another service. We ask that you be patient and supportive with one another as we continue to manage the necessary changes in our procedures. Should it be deemed necessary, changes to the guidelines that have been established for everyone’s safety will be considered.

Please contact the Cathedral office with any questions.

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© 2020 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
1017 N. La Salle Blvd., Chicago, Illinois 60610-2604
Rev. Fr. Stamatios G. Sfikas, Cathedral Dean

© 2020. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
1017 N. LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610-2604 | (312) 664-5485 | http://www.annunciationcathedralchicago.org/
Rev. Fr. Stamatios G. Sfikas, Cathedral Dean