Important COVID Updates and Reminders for Candlelight Carols

Dear Candlelight Carols companions, 

Advent greetings and a (very nearly) merry Christmas to you and yours. 

Our parish leadership continues to track pandemic conditions and endeavor the health and wellbeing of all those ticketed for Candlelight Carols today and tomorrow. With Trinity Church’s Regathering Task Force Co-Chair, Dr. Niven Narain, we have monitored the rise of the Omicron variant, and we have watched with concern as hospitals congest; COVID-19 cases increase among the unvaccinated and vaccinated; and sporting, cultural, and seasonal events cancel around the country. Indeed, as we readied for this weekend’s programs, cases in our congregation and its immediate circle have challenged our preparations. 

Therefore, we have taken immediate steps in service of your wellbeing and our shared care for one another: 

• we have required day-of, onsite rapid-testing for our choirs, musicians, clergy, and staff who will be present for multiple programs; and 
• if you self-identify in a vulnerable class or, for any reason, would prefer a refund to in-person attendance, we invite you to submit a request through the EventBrite system.  We will honor all refund submissions and process them before Christmas Eve. 

We take heart that all can join in prayer and voice via the livestream of Sunday afternoon’s 2 pm Candlelight Carols.  That program will be available on our website (https://www.trinitychurchboston.org/live-worship) at no cost. 

For all attending, we also remind: 

• that vaccination is a requirement of entry for all in your party ages 12 and older;
• if you have any hint of symptoms, you should stay home; and 
• if you have reason to believe that you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 during the last 7 days, you should stay home. 

Once inside the church, recall: 

• masks – surgical or better, with KN95 preferred – are required at all times, and bandanas or gaiters will not be allowed; 
• you must sit in the section for which you have been ticketed; and 
• no more than three persons may be seated in any pew, unless comprising a single party. 

Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your ticketed program’s start time and queue at the West Doors (that face Copley Square) so that our entry procedures can be completed. 

With these prudent steps, we look forward with joy to joining together in this beloved annual tradition of song and praise. 

With continuing prayer for a holy Advent-Christmas season, 

The Rev. Morgan S. Allen 

Rector 

Mark Morrow 

Senior Warden