One of the types of properties that my company specializes in is churches. From my experience in these properties, and as a practicing Catholic myself, I have learned several important considerations when bidding and cleaning these types of facilities. In this article I'm going to focus on Christian churches, but I might discuss other types of religious institutions later on down the road.
Cleaning Religious Institutions
The first thing to remember when you're serving a church is that you absolutely need to respect their views on the sacred nature of both their building and the items within it. This is a must.
The views of different denominations, in respect to cleaning, are best categorized by High-Church Christians and Low-Church Christians. High-Church Christians (such as Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Presbyterians, etc.) give a special emphasis on ecclesiastical authority, liturgy, and Sacraments. What this means for you as a cleaner is that there are going to be objects within these churches that are regarded as blessed, sacred, or even greater. The Eucharist is a key example. The Eucharist, which is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ, must be consumed or disposed of reverently. If you ever come across even a fragment of the Eucharist on the ground, in a pew, etc., it is key that you let the priest know immediately. No, this is not an annoyance or overreaction. These matters are taken very seriously and they will more than likely be incredibly thankful for your attentiveness and care.
Additional items like blessed palm leaves, antidoron (blessed bread, not to be confused with the Eucharist), among others, may be found on the ground, pews, etc. It is pretty common to come across these in a chapel, and while these are not held to the same level of sacredness as the Eucharist, they are still blessed and need to be disposed of reverently. As a cleaning company, you should arrange an agreement with the church you're working for to give them the refuse you've collected within the chapel. They will often burn or bury it so that any blessed items incidentally contained within may be disposed of reverently.
Low-Church Christians (such as Southern Baptists, Non-Denominationalists, and other Evangelicals) do not typically have the same beliefs in terms of liturgy and Sacraments, so the aforementioned points do not apply to them nearly as much.
Regardless, with both types of churches, it is crucial to understand the anagogical nature of both the facilities and that which is contained within them. Reverence and respect for their faith is a must. If this is something you can't do, you shouldn't be servicing this institution. At the end of the day, it's important to sit down with the leader of the church you're bidding and discuss specifically what they would prefer for you to service their building properly and reverently.
Thanks for reading, and if you're a religious institution interested in hiring a janitorial service that emphasizes reverence and quality work in southeastern Pennsylvania, feel free to give us a call for a free walkthrough on your facility!
(610) 719-7590 • mike@shearerpm.com
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