Church services held Sunday as new capacity limits in effect in MA

BOSTON — Sunday mass was even more restricted this week as churches across the state reduced their capacity to 25% under the commonwealth’s new rules.

Father Tim Kearney of Watertown Catholic Collaborative said it wasn’t hard to prepare for the new restrictions this weekend when churches are already making sure people are socially distant. Most churches have now blocked off more pews to make sure they’re following the capacity limits to keep people safe from COVID-19.

“People are just appreciative that we have the opportunity to have mass. So they look at it, which is more important, [as] getting to mass and wearing a mask or staying at home and not wearing a mask,” said Father Kearney, who leads services at both Saint Patrick’s and Sacred Heart Church in Watertown.

Along with a mask mandate and providing plenty of sanitizer, some churches are also requiring people to register for services before showing up in person.

“[For] Christmas you had to register before you came because we really weren’t sure what the numbers were going to be as far as Christmas was concerned,” Father Kearney said. “It was definitely different this year because the numbers were smaller; but on the other hand […] it was a little more intimate too, even though everybody was spread out.”

Other churches continued to keep all services virtual until the pandemic is over.

“For Catholics, for example, because of the importance of the Eucharist, coming to mass and receiving communion is extremely important,” Father Kearney said.

So Father Kearney said they’ll keep adjusting to the new guidelines to make sure they have a safe space for people to come and pray.

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“This year, because so many people didn’t travel and you couldn’t necessarily be with loved ones, having something like the mass was something that was comforting,” Father Kearney said.

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