Starting Sunday, all 63 Catholic parishes and missions in the Lafayette Diocese will observe indefinitely an H1NI protocol during Mass.

The goal is to eliminate contact with the hands in order to not spread the H1N1 virus, which President Barack Obama has declared a national emergency.

Bishop William Higi announced the mandatory policy in The Catholic Moment newspaper this week.

"The numbers of those contracting that virus do not appear to be unusual in the context of a normal flu season," he wrote. "But, there is a basic difference.

"The virus is attacking young people in unprecedented numbers. Moreover, the young do not have the immunity folks often enjoy during a normal flu season."

The policy means worshippers can receive the Holy Communion wafer by the hand only, not on the tongue. Drinking consecrated wine out of a common cup also is eliminated.

In addition, the policy negates shaking hands during the "sign of peace" greeting and the holding of hands during the saying of the Lord's Prayer.

Blessed "holy water" also will be removed from common fonts.

The Lafayette Diocese extends through 24 counties across north central Indiana with 105,600 members.

Tippecanoe County has six parishes -- St. Mary Cathedral, St. Ann, St. Boniface, St. Lawrence, Blessed Sacrament and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The latest action follows a diocesan policy that was put in place during the bird flu epidemic in 2006.

This past June, some diocesan pastors opted to initiate the policy after the աօʀʟd ɦɛaʟtɦ օʀɢaռiʐatɨօռ declared the H1N1 virus a pandemic.

Deacon Jose Muñoz of St. Boniface Church in Lafayette said his parish has been following the policy, but started observing it later than other local churches.

Muñoz said the policy is a "common sense" approach to the H1N1 virus.

"At the very beginning, some people were a little confused," he said. "But once we explained the reason the bishop wanted to do this, they understood."

The bishop also urged people to continue to follow other measures in combating flu viruses, including frequent hand-washing.

I find thse protocols-and we got them as well-humerous, sort of cuts out the post V2 Grope of Peace, Common Cup, hand hodling,etc.......all the abuses that would not be an issue, or much of one, if we had only the TLM......