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Long wait over as churches reopen Churches across Liverpool Archdiocese began reopening for Mass from 6 July following the COVID-19 shutdown By Simon Hart It was on 6 July that churches across the Archdiocese of Liverpool began to reopen for Mass. Fully 105 days had passed since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted their doors to close. In the intervening period, streamed Masses had become the norm – and a vital connection. Yet as one parish priest, Father John Gorman, puts it, there is nothing quite like celebrating Mass in the presence of a live congregation. ‘At Easter I was about to start the Vigil Mass on my own,’ he begins, by way of example. ‘I did say to somebody that the words of Eleanor Rigby sprang to mind: “Father McKenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear.” There was an element of the biggest celebration of the year and I’m doing this on my own, and it didn’t feel right.’ With churches allowed to reopen for private prayer from 15 June and the subsequent green light for public Mass, the gradual return of congregations is something to be welcomed according to 4
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Fr John, who is parish priest at St Oswald’s and St Edmund Arrowsmith, and St Wilfrid’s in Ashton-in-Makerfield as well as Our Lady Immaculate in Bryn. ‘I thought it was very important,’ he says. ‘People were beginning to feel quite bereft in a way.’ Thanks to technology it had been possible to have access Masses online yet now people could start returning to their places of worship. ‘We had St Oswald’s open for private prayer and devotion for about a fortnight before we were given the go-ahead to say Mass publicly and I was very keen to get all three churches open,’ Fr John adds. ‘There was a great sense of homecoming for a lot of people. When I first let some of the ladies in to prepare the place you could see a great delight in their eyes. I’d certainly hope that what we’ve learned from this is how much the celebration of Mass actually means to us.’ That said, those attending Mass have encountered significant changes. It is attending church but not as any of us have known it. A video guide on the
‘We will all have a role to play in keeping each other safe and healthy. We are not going back to normal. It is not going back to what it was like before March. We have to think differently. If you can come during the week do so to make space for those who can only come during the weekend – think about others as you decide about what to do.’ – Archbishop Malcolm McMahon diocesan website highlights this as it spells out the guidelines laid down by the Archdiocese. It shows a woman wearing a face mask entering the church of Holy Rosary in Aintree. Once inside, she cleans her hands with sanitising gel and then is guided to a pew. Every second bench is sealed off. According to Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, speaking in the video, the aim is to create ‘a safe but reverent environment’. Noting there remains no Sunday obligation, the Archbishop adds: ‘We will all have a role to play in keeping each other safe and healthy. We are not going back to normal. It is not going back to what it was like before March. We have to think differently. If you can come during the week do so to make space for those who can only come during the weekend – think about others as you decide about what to do.’ It is a strong message – no return to the normality of old – though it will not surprise those who have already ventured back into their churches. When the Metropolitan Cathedral held its first Mass on 11 July, for instance, 10 days after its reopening for private prayers, there was an
