Catholic churches in ‘cautious’ return to worship
CATHOLIC churches across Northern Ireland made a “cautious return” to public worship yesterday, ahead of Holy Week and Easter.
In January of this year, the four main churches voluntarily suspended in-person gatherings due to the latest Covid-19 lockdown and rising case numbers, but last week confirmed they would resume in time for Easter.
The resumption followed ongoing consultations involving religious representatives, Stormont’s first ministers and public health officials.
Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland have emphasised the need for “continued caution” and a “rigorous application of all mitigations and safeguards required” to ensure a safe return to mass.
They said public worship would only resume after a “thorough risk assessment”, which means some parishes may decide to delay reopening for worshippers “until a later date”.
The Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian churches will resume in-person services 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.
At St Mary’s Chapel in Belfast yesterday worshippers were welcomed back inside the oldest Catholic church in the city for mass for the first time in over three months.
Fr Timothy Bartlett, administrator of St Mary’s, told the Belfast Telegraph that reopening the doors to congregations was an incredibly welcome development that was being undertaken cautiously and carefully.
“So many people here today will be thrilled, particularly as they are able to receive Holy Communion again which is one thing you can’t do over a webcam,” he added. “But everyone is being very cautious and careful and we are repeating time and again the need to observe all the mitigations like social distancing, cleaning of hands and not delaying after mass and talking to other people but moving straight on as quickly as possible.
“In all of that caution there is an underlying relief which we hope will be the first signs of hope for our whole society.
“We’re moving back to some kind of new normal and hoping that other sectors opening up is not too far away.
“Please God that’s our deepest prayer, not just for ourselves but for everybody in our society.”
Among the mass-goers there was also a sense of joy and relief at a slow return to some sort of normality.
Marie Madden (80) said: “I think you have to give our Lord at least one hour in the week of your time and I really missed not being able to go to church.
“I have a lung problem so I wasn’t able to go along much because I was shielding, but I’m out now with one of my vaccinations done. It’s just great to be back in circulation and I hope God eradicates this virus soon.”
“It’s absolutely fantastic and thank God we’re getting back to a near normal,” Mairead Campbell (75) said.
“Going to mass just gives you that bit of hope and I felt totally safe because everything is so well organised,” she added.
Meta Nolan (84) was also among the lunchtime worshippers, and said: “I just feel so at home and it was lovely to get back. I have no technology to watch online so I really missed it, especially with it being so close to Easter.
“At my age I feel so blessed to be able to get out again.”
Equally glad to be back was Ruairi Crummey (21), who felt the churches shouldn’t have been closed: “It’s essential to me but I do understand why they did it. I’m going to try and go as much as I can now especially since it’s Holy Week next week.
“I had been watching online mass ever Sunday but it’s just not the same since you can’t receive Holy Communion.”
His friend Adrian Calderon (26) said: “We have been waiting for this moment and it’s important for me to be here.
“It’s a really good thing and it means so much.”