Sunday, December 27, 2020

We got to be honest, Covid19 strongly impacted Christmas Mass attendance

 Churches preparing for the Christmas liturgies did the best they could; attendance limited by state or local mandate, social distancing, pre-registering for Mass, wearing masks, some requiring tickets to enter, and much more.

I like to keep track.  Last year our Christmas Masses totaled approximately 1,250 worshippers.  Unfortunately, this would not be the case for Christmas 2020.  Everything changed because of Covid19.  After all, we did not even have Mass with folks attending for nearly 3 months, followed by a limit of 10, then more and finally about 200 as long as we socially distance.  And we implemented a pre-registration program.

So the same 5 masses that produced 1,250 worshippers one year ago resulted this year in a total of 515 worshippers (approximately).  The biggest difference was an untold number of parishioners participated virtually as we live-streamed all but one of our masses.

Of course this is 2020, the year of a worldwide pandemic.  I'm thankful for everyone who came to be with us in person, and I'm thankful for all who took the time to watch on their computers at home or just took the time to be prayerful and reflect on the Nativity surrounded by family or even alone.  Of course with Jesus in our lives, no one is ever alone.

Please continue to celebrate the Christmas season, take precautions to stay safe from Covid19 and pray for one another and our holy church!

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