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No Sunday mass in Chandigarh churches till June 30
Prayer services will be streamed through YouTube, Facebook live and WhatsApp as community gathering not advisable due to Covid-19 pandemic, say church authorities
Even though places of worship in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali reopened from June 8, church authorities, keeping in mind the Covid-19 outbreak, will stream Sunday mass and other prayer services on YouTube, Facebook live and WhatsApp till June 30 to prevent community gathering.
The churches, however, will remain open for individuals and families to come in and pray.
Tricity Churches Association have decided to stream Sunday mass and other prayer services online till July 30 though the administration had issued guidelines to repeat Sunday mass on weekdays for those who could not attend it because of social distancing. Use of liturgical booklets and hymnals are prohibited, with the directions that the Holy Communion will be received “strictly by hand or other alternatives prescribed by the bishop for the time being.”
“Since Covid-19 cases are on the rise, we cannot risk holding prayers as ours is community prayer till June 30,” Ignatius Mascarenhas, the Bishop of Simla Chandigarh Diocese, said on Thursday.
He added that the situation would be assessed later and a call taken on the reopening of the church after June 30. But, “All our catholic churches will remain open and if any individual wants to pray, (he or she) can come with their family and do it,” he said.
Only Eucharist services (in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed in remembrance of Jesus’s death or Communion) are allowed in the interim period and others such as novena prayers, baptism, first communion, marriage and others are prohibited.
The parish priest is responsible for implementing safety measures to prevent Covid-19 transmission.
“The guidelines of the government regarding prayers do not suit us and we have decided to postpone the reopening of churches till June 30,” said Lawrence Malik, adviser, Tricity Churches Association.
“ I urge the Christian community to set up a sacred space at home for worship, which will help people stay at home during the pandemic and engage with the divine with devotion,” he added.
Rev Brian Anderson, pastor, Light of the World Church, Zirakpur, said, “We will continue offering prayers through Facebook Live and YouTube. We are also using the Zoom app to talk to people and pray for them.”
