Churches are open again for services

Churches are open again for services

1 July 2020

LOCAL clergy have welcomed the resumption of church services after they were suspended 15 weeks ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Services resumed on Monday after the Northern Ireland Executive announced that public worship could restart. 

While the parish priest of Castlewellan and Kilcoo, Fr Denis McKinley, was happy to be finally able to celebrate Mass again with his parishioners he said he remained apprehensive over some people’s reluctance to follow social distancing. 

He said: “I have noticed people are getting fed up with adhering to government guidelines especially over the course of a wake and a funeral. They seem reluctant to continue with the measures that are in place.

“I fear the ramifications for a further spike in virus cases if too many people all come at once. I would hate to have to turn people away because there are too many already attending Mass. That would only serve to hurt people and I don’t want to offend anyone.”

Fr McKinley suggested that he may have to develop a whole new regime to facilitate parishioners attending Mass and receiving communion.

He added: “I have no problem with weekday Masses as the numbers who attend are certainly more manageable. However, I would much prefer to continue to celebrate Mass online on Sundays and distribute Holy Communion at the back doors of the church at a scheduled time later on that day.”

“When the R rate of the virus s to zero and the threat of contamination ceases we will be a lot more relaxed about a return to normality. Until then we will be monitoring the situation carefully.”

The Rev Owen Patterson, minister of Downpatrick Presbyterian Church, shared Fr McKinley’s reservations. 

He said: “While I welcome a return to normality some members of our congregation are either elderly or already have underlying conditions that would make them more susceptible to the virus. 

“We have found our online worship on Sunday mornings has proved extremely popular. We have many more people tuning in online than we other wise would have had attending our services in Church. 

“Hopefully, we will have an increased congregation when we return to Sunday worship in church. We will begin introducing services slowly but without offering a creche or Sunday School to begin with. We will review the situation carefully in August.”

Mr Patterson said provision had been made to have the church ready to facilitate the resumption of services. 

He added: “We have established pens for families who can sit together for worship and sectioned off other seating areas for the more vulnerable. Sermons will also be kept short.”

He said that anyone wishing to view their Sunday worship online can log on to downpatrickpresbyterian.org or visit their Facebook page for live streaming.

The Dean of Down Cathedral, the Very Rev Henry Hull, said he was looking forward to beginning public worship again and welcoming everyone back this Sunday. 

However, he urged anyone feeling unwell not to come to church. 

In a letter to parishioners he said: “The return to worship will be on a phased basis beginning with some of the larger churches first. 

“We will also adopt a different pattern of service times during the summer period, spreading services throughout the day.” 

He added that face coverings were not a requirement at this stage.