Announcement that sacrament can be taken into homes

14 May 2020

Bishops and Branch Presidents,

We are very pleased to announce that we have received permission for volunteer priesthood holders to take the sacrament into the homes of those who desire it beginning this Sunday, May 17. There is no restriction on how many Sundays per month this may happen, as long as there is no change to government restrictions.

It is important that we follow these guidelines:

• The same priesthood holder(s) must always be the one(s) who take the sacrament to the same household each time;

• Recognizing there is still a risk involved, priesthood holders are not to be assigned, but must volunteer to take the sacrament into a home;

• It is recommended, where possible, that volunteer priesthood holders be under the age of 60;

• Safety is of highest concern: priesthood holders should wear gloves and use masks and always maintain 6 ft social distance (see authorized procedure below);

• It is permissible for a household to invite other members into their home, using the same safety precautions described above, to participate in the sacrament, but please no more than one or two visitors per home; visitors should go to the same home each time;

The following procedure is to be followed when administering the sacrament in a home other than your own:

• Members receiving the sacrament are to provide a piece of unbroken bread on a plate and water in cups on a plate;

• A cloth covering is nice, but not required;

• The priesthood holder(s) will enter the home, break and bless the bread and then step back; the person(s) receiving will step forward one by one and partake of the bread and then step back; then the brother(s) will step forward and repeat this procedure for the water always maintaining social distance;

• You may have a prayer before or after the sacrament, but singing is not recommended when trying to maintain social distance, because of the potential of projecting from the mouth.

Due to the shortness of time before this Sunday, we encourage you to coordinate immediately with your elders quorum president to identify all worthy priesthood holders (preferably under 60 years of age) willing to take the sacrament into homes. Please explain to them that this is not an assignment, there is a risk, and that it entails a commitment to be the same priesthood holder who will always administer the sacrament in that home. It is not expected that members receive the sacrament every Sunday, but hopefully at least once a month.

You may also want to communicate this immediately to your ward / branch members either with a broadcast email, phone tree or individually to those who have shown the greatest desire. We expect that many members will not want others, including priesthood holders, to come into the home yet.

We will still meet this evening (Thursday) for our Bishops Video Conference at 8:30 pm where we can discuss this further, if needed. But we wanted you to be aware as soon as possible so you and your elders quorum have as much time as possible to organize this in your ward or branch.

Thank you for moving on this quickly.

Gratefully,

The Stake Presidency