Churches in Diocese of Pittsburgh may open for daily Mass starting Monday
Churches within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh may reopen for daily Mass starting Monday, it has been announced.
The services should have no more than 25 people in attendance, with social distancing and all other safety guidelines being observed. Churches are also open for weddings, funerals, baptisms, confessions and private prayers with the same protocols in effect.
Although churches will have the green light to reopen next Monday, it should not be expected that all the churches will, in fact, open. A dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass remains in effect, with many services still being live-streamed.
Immaculate Conception Parish in Washington is among the churches that will be reopening on Monday, according to Tracy Sushel, the communications coordinator at the church.
The diocese is also planning on opening churches for weekend Masses starting June 6. Social distancing of at least 6 feet will be observed, which would put services at about 25% capacity. Then, on June 8, daily Mass attendance will be allowed to increase to 25% of church seating capacity. The percentage may be allowed to increase in the weeks that follow, “based on the smoothness of this reopening process,” the diocese said in a news release.
The diocese has information on its website about the reopening process and what parishioners can expect. It can be found at diopitt.org/moving-forward-together.