Mumbai: Churches reopen, manageable crowd on first day

People attend Mass at Our Lady of Salvation church at Dadar on Sunday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

After almost a nine-month hiatus, churches across the Archdiocese of Bombay celebrated the Holy Eucharist on Sunday. Last week, Cardinal Oswald Gracias had issued a circular informing the laity about the decision to start celebrating Mass from November 29 onwards. The first day turned out to be a successful one, with the authorities concerned expressing confidence regarding going ahead with it.

Some rules laid down by the Cardinal still continue to be in effect, such as not allowing those over 65 years of age as well as children below 10 in churches, and wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing inside churches at all times. Father Ashwin Castellino, assistant parish priest at St Michael's Church in Mahim, said multiple Masses were held throughout the day. "Mass was conducted zone-wise in the parish. People first had to register via WhatsApp or SMSes sent to the church mobile numbers, inform us about how many family members they plan to bring along, and then they were given a suitable time slot. We had conveyed the SOPs to the parishioners earlier itself. We have further allotted places in the church keeping in mind social distancing rules. There are no hymn books, people have to go through a powerpoint presentation instead."

Devotees attend Mass at St. Michael's Church, Mahim on Sunday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Describing the mood at St Michael's on Sunday, he said it was a "very happy" one since everyone came together to church after a very long time. "There is a big difference between simply visiting church and visiting it in a liturgical purvis, during which you have to participate."

Also Read: Mumbai: Churches to resume public mass next week

Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Bombay, said, "People seemed to be excited about the first Eucharist being celebrated after such a long time, but there was a certain sense of missing out, especially by the elder parishioners. We have recommended that only 40 per cent people come in for regular church services. We were wary about today, since it was the first day, but the crowd was manageable. After seeing how today was planned, we are much more comfortable going ahead." Judith Monteiro, a parishioner belonging to the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Dadar, who attended the first Mass on Sunday morning, said, "Reopening of churches is like an early Christmas present for me. Hearing live Mass and receiving Holy Communion was like being given my post precious nutrients after being starved of it for the last so many months."

Melwyn Fernandes, general secretary of Association of Concerned Catholics, said, "We welcome the reopening of 122 churches under the Archdiocese of Bombay but hope that people follow social distancing norms."

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