Worship set to resume in NI churches in time for Easter

WORSHIP is set to resume in churches across Northern Ireland in time for Easter.

The announcement follows ongoing consultations between religious representatives and public health officials and comes a day after Stormont agreed “cautious but optimistic” relaxations to coronavirus regulations.

Northern Ireland’s Catholic bishops have announced a “cautious return” to public worship ahead of Holy Week and Easter.

In a statement, the bishops said individual parishes and Covid-19 support teams must carry out a “thorough risk assessment” before returning to public worship from next Friday, March 26.

However, they said that some parishes may decide their particular circumstances dictate it is not possible to return to in-person masses until a later date.

“Every person should consider carefully if returning to collective worship is the safe and appropriate step for them at this time,” the bishops added.

Church of Ireland bishops have also confirmed the resumption of in-person worship from Good Friday, April 2.

Attendances will continue to be limited for the time being because of the need for social distancing and congregations will have to wear face coverings. The bishops say their decision is “simply permissive rather than instructive” and the return to in-person gatherings in church should be “cautious and careful”.

A similar approach is being adopted by both the Methodist and Presbyterian churches.

In a statement, the Methodist Church said it looked forward to a careful return to in-person services from Good Friday.

“This will allow time for preparation to celebrate the major Christian festival of Easter, with its theme of hope emerging from suffering and death,” it added.

A spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church said: “We very much welcome and rejoice at the fact that we will be returning to in-person services in the lead-up to Easter, the most significant time for Christians.

“When to return will be up to each of our congregations and would be in the context of all necessary mitigations and safeguards being in place, with the safety of everyone involved being of utmost importance.”

In-person gatherings for worship were voluntarily suspended in early January in response to the latest lockdown but some churches have already resumed public worship, including the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in north Belfast.

‘We very much rejoice at returning in lead-up to Easter’