Parishes report few outbreaks, successful safety protocols as Catholics return to Mass

Parishes notice uptick in Mass attendance, very few COVID-19 cases traced to liturgies as Sunday Mass obligation restarts one year later

TROY — It was almost a year ago when the world came to a grinding halt.

Public Masses were canceled, schools moved to remote learning, weddings and funerals were put on hold, and just about everything in society was turned on its head.

The remnants of March 2020 are still prevalent in March 2021, when remote work remains ubiquitous, mask-wearing has become the norm and social gatherings still bring an air of anxiety.

But with vaccinations in progress and society opening up, some normalcy is returning. The Archdiocese of Detroit has reinstated the obligation for most Catholics to attend Sunday Mass starting March 13, a year to the day public Masses were suspended.

Parishes have operated since May under limited capacity, and despite bans on public worship in other parts of the country, parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit haven’t been known to contribute to the spread of COVID-19, as once they were feared to be.

Parishes have continued to operate at 50 percent capacity, with some parishes opting to add Masses to accommodate social distancing as the general dispensation from attending Sunday Mass expires this weekend. Those who exhibit symptoms or fall into certain risk categories are still exempted from attending Mass in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

With the return of the Sunday obligation, parish staffs have made routine cleaning of the pews, mask enforcement and social distancing part of the “new normal” in parish life. Because of those efforts, parish leaders say parishioners are feeling comfortable returning to Mass.

“It’s been a mixed bag; there are some who are still concerned, but for the most part, people are positive about returning to church,” Holly Michelcavage, worship and sacramental coordinator at St. Anastasia Parish in Troy, told Detroit Catholic. “I think people are feeling it’s time to get back to normal. We’re making progress in fighting COVID. The vaccine is here, cases are down, and people are feeling it’s time to get back.”

St. Anastasia has roped off every other pew to limit the church to 50 percent capacity, and volunteers, primarily the parish’s Knights of Columbus council, have wiped down pews and made sure hand sanitizer is always at the church’s entryways.

Michelcavage said parishioners have appreciated the efforts and have returned to Mass in greater numbers in the past month.

“In the past 3-4 weeks, we’ve seen a significant increase in attendance,” Michelcavage said. “Even though our sanctuary seems spacious with roping off, with our configuration it can only seat 150 to 160 people with distancing, plus another 75 chairs in our adjacent social hall for overflow. This past weeks, we used that overflow at all of our Masses.”

A sign alerts parishioners of the procedure for receiving Communion at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Grosse Pointe Woods. Strict adherence to safety protocols is key to keeping case numbers low, parish leaders say.

At St. Augustine and St. Monica Parish in Detroit, parishioners have adapted well to the safety protocols. The parish has some parishioners who aren’t comfortable returning to Mass just yet, but Kathy Trice has noticed more people from surrounding parishes visiting the church in recent weeks.

“Everyone here has grown quite accustomed to social distancing and wearing a mask,” said Trice, the parish’s office manager. “We have an elderly population that is really excited about coming back to Mass, especially since a majority have been vaccinated. We’ve been missing each other so much. There are things livestream just doesn’t cover, that feeling of fellowship that occurs in a parish like ours.”

Located in Detroit’s Indian Village neighborhood, St. Augustine and St. Monica was in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic when it first started, with many parishioners losing family members, friends and coworkers to the virus.

Trice said one parishioner lost her husband, who was immunocompromised, but not a single case has been reported in the parish connected to church attendance.

“We have not had one case related to attendance at our parish,” Trice said. “We’ve not had any positive test results among staff members. We’ve been very diligent about cleaning and sanitizing, providing masks for people who may attend without a mask. In the beginning (of the pandemic), we did temperature checks on parishioners, making sure no one had a fever.”

Fr. Mario Amore, pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in downtown Detroit, offers Communion to a man during Ash Wednesday Mass, Feb. 17.

The lifting of the dispensation has parishes planning for an increase in attendance this week, adding more Masses and seating to maintain social distancing.

“We’ve added another Mass, so now we have a Saturday evening Mass and four Masses on Sunday, as opposed to the three we have been doing,” Michelcavage said. “We’re trying to recruit extra ministers for the extra Mass. I still have a lot of minsters who are concerned about coming back, but on the other hand, we have people say it’s about time, and they’re happy to get back.”

Likewise at St. Augustine and St. Monica, the return to Mass been embraced, even among those who were previously hesitant.

“I think for our parish, it’s been a welcomed decision,” Trice said. “Our parish community is so tight knit, we are so much like family. That’s the one thing digital engagement couldn’t cover, that spiritual connection. Everyone is very open and ready to get back and engage in some type of physical connection with the parish.”

Learn more

To learn more about the Archdiocese of Detroit’s safety protocols and the end of the general dispensation from attending Sunday Mass, as well as particular dispensations that remain in effect, visit aod.org/emergencyresponse.

To find a Mass time near you, visit MassFinder.org.