San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Data trending well.
Masses to resume as S.A.’s churches move to reopen
For the past two months at Christ the King Catholic Church near downtown, Father Praveen Lakkisetti has looked upon pews filled with church members’ photos while celebrating Mass.
Faithful Catholics have been unable to attend services in person at Christ the King since March 13, when the Archdiocese of San Antonio suspended public Masses at all its churches as the coronavirus spread across the city.
Lakkisetti, like many priests, has been livestreaming Mass on the church’s Facebook and YouTube pages so Catholics could watch services from home.
Instead of speaking to 300 people in church pews as he would on a typical Sunday, Lakkisetti has been celebrating Mass while gazing at the family photos that he asked church members to send in, which were printed out and affixed to the chapel’s seats.
But starting Tuesday, Christ the King and other local Catholic churches can welcome back parishioners for public Mass as long as they follow certain safety protocols established by Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller. Catholics can resume attending Sunday
Masses in person the weekend of May 23-24.
“There is a desire and longing for people to be coming back,” Lakkisetti said. “But at the same time, I think we have to exercise a tremendous amount of caution right now because this is going to be the new normal for all of us. No priest in the archdiocese or in the world has ever been exposed to this kind of pandemic, especially in relation to Masses.
“We have to be more flexible and also put the priority of the health of everyone in its place, especially the elderly and most vulnerable. That’s why it is a gradual reopening.”
Catholics aren’t obligated to attend Mass for the time being because of the dangers that the COVID-19 virus still poses, the archbishop said. His dispensation freeing Catholics from that obligation will continue until it’s repealed.
The archbishop encouraged elderly Catholics and those especially at risk of catching the virus, such as patients with certain health conditions, to stay home and watch Mass on Catholic Television or online.
If another public health emergency occurs, attendance at Mass could be suspended again, García-Siller cautioned.
Safety requirements stipulate that those attending Mass at Catholic churches will be seated at
least 6 feet apart from each other, which will limit attendance capacity. Everyone will be required to wear a mask unless they are young children or are unable to remove a mask without help. Every church must be sanitized before and after each Mass, the archbishop said.
All songbooks and missals will be removed from the pews, and Holy Water receptacles will remain empty. Collection baskets won’t be passed. Priests and deacons won’t shake hands or touch church members as they leave.
Holy Communion will be placed in recipients’ hands, and wine won’t be distributed.
Lakkisetti is going one step further — everyone wanting to enter Christ the King must have their temperatures taken with no-touch, infrared thermometers to ensure that they don’t have a fever before they’re allowed inside.
A task force of 20 volunteers will sanitize the church between each Mass.
Because seating capacity will be limited to 60 people inside Christ the King’s chapel and to 30 people in a spillover area at the church’s nearby hall, Lakkisetti has added three additional Masses to the church’s weekend schedule. Masses will be held at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays and at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.
Father Kevin Fausz has been celebrating Mass for groups of less than 10 people at three Catholic churches on the East Side for the past month. He’s looking forward to welcoming more people to Mass beginning Tuesday.
Seating capacity will be limited to 84 people at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 52 people at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and 52 people at Church of St. Michael to comply with the social distancing requirements, Fausz said.
“It’s different to preach in front of a camera,” Fausz said. “The whole feeling, the interaction, the communication that takes place, it’s just not there. And that whole interaction between priests and community is so important.
“I think people bring additional life. You can see their faces — they nod. It’s like there’s communication that is going on between the priest and the congregation. And that means the world . ... That makes a big difference.”
Cornerstone Church, a nondenominational evangelical church with more than 22,000 members, will welcome worshippers back to its building for services today. Through a spokesman, the pastors declined to be interviewed.
Cornerstone will seat people so each family has at least 6 feet of space around them, the church’s website said. Every other pew will remain empty. Worshippers will be asked to stay at least 6 feet away from each other in common areas.
Cornerstone officials are recommending all those who attend services to wear face masks, the church’s website noted. Ushers and greeters also will be wearing masks. No items will be passed among the worshippers.
Those attending Cornerstone’s services in person should avoid touching each other, while hand sanitizing stations have been placed at all the building’s entrances and throughout the church, the website said.
Other local churches are taking a more conservative approach and will remain closed for a while longer. That includes Community Bible Church, one of the largest nondenominational churches in San Antonio, which hasn’t yet set a reopening date. The church is encouraging its members to continue watching services online and to stay connected on social media.
Concordia Lutheran Church, which has a congregation of about 9,000 people, also hasn’t determined when it will reopen. The church continues to broadcast its services online.
Senior Pastor Bill Tucker said the church is proceeding very carefully. “It will be wonderful to see everyone in person, but we also want to protect those loved ones who are most at risk,” he said in a statement.
Some Episcopal churches may choose to reopen at a later date, Bishop David Reed said. Some have indicated they won’t reopen for public worship until June, while at least one said it will remain closed until July, he noted.
“It’s our sense from surveying congregations and clergy — they feel pretty much like our society does — about half are ready (to reopen) regardless, and about half think it’s way too soon to start regrouping,” Reed said. “So we’re trying to honor where everybody is and let them choose.”
Those attending services at Episcopal churches will be seated at least 6 feet apart, but members of the same household will be allowed to sit together. Worshippers must wear masks or face coverings before they are allowed inside. The diocese’s guidelines discourage physical contact between people and require all pews and seats to be disinfected between each service.
The diocese also is encouraging all its churches to continue livestreaming or broadcasting worship services so people can watch them online at home.
Reed said he greatly misses sharing the word with worshippers in person, though he doesn’t expect to resume his Sunday visits with congregations for at least several months. Delivering sermons to a camera lens has been challenging.
“In preaching, you’re usually engaging with your congregation,” Reed said. “If there’s nobody there except the camera operator and somebody sitting way off to the side, it’s really hard.”
The bishop said he has heard from Episcopalians who are longing to return to church.
“I think our people are really missing it,” Reed said. “I hope that people remember how much they wanted to be in church when they couldn’t once they’re free to return.”