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Now that people are more accustomed to social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the following protocol is offered to parishes to help reintroduce the distribution of antidoron and artoklasia. For parishes that offer Holy Communion at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, and only if there is no other clergyman available to distribute the antidoron, a parishioner designated by the priest may distribute the antidoron; the person must follow the prescribed protocol.

  1. Social distancing must always be observed by the faithful. A facemask must be worn at all times, except when receiving Holy Communion.
  2. Only loaves from designated person(s) are to be accepted for distribution to the parish. Loaves from non-designated persons must remain with the person and will be blessed after services and returned home with the person.
  3. A designated person for each service should be identified to receive the loaves of bread and/or the prosphoron.
    • The person must sanitize his/her hands and wear a facemask prior to receiving the offering from the parishioner(s).
  4. A designated person for each service should be identified for preparing the antidoron and artoklasia for cutting.
    • Before and after cutting the bread, the knife and the basket must be sanitized.
    • The person must wear a facemask and sanitize hands before handling the knife, basket, and bread.
    • After the pieces are placed into the basket(s), they must be covered with a clean cloth, paper towels, or similar covering.
  5. The priest and/or anyone else distributing antidoron/artoklasia must sanitize his/her hands prior to the distribution.
  6. Each person is to sanitize his/her hands prior to receiving a piece of antidoron/artoklasia.
  7. The antidoron/artoklasia is to be placed in the hands of each parishioner.
    • If the faithful wish to receive additional pieces, they are to be instructed not to reach into the basket to take on their own.
    • To mitigate the risk of cross contamination, baskets of antidoron/artoklasia are not to be placed in different parts of the church or parish campus.
  8. The faithful are to be instructed not to reverence the clergyman’s hand when receiving antidoron/artoklasia.
    • If a parishioner forgets or strongly feels the need to receive a blessing by reverencing the priest’s hand, the priest must disinfect his hands before he can continue the distribution.