DETROIT – A little over two dozen church-goers sat in the sanctuary of St. Aloysius Church on Tuesday afternoon -- the first in-person service to be held in nearly two months.
“It’s been a long time. It’s been a long wait and it just felt so good to be able to come back over here and share our faith with our brothers and sisters,” Jerry McElhone said.
“Very comforting. I knew I missed it. Just not how much,” Racuel Fournier said.
But things are a little different than what it like before the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. There’s no organ, and the pews are nowhere near as full as they used to be.
Members are still able to partake in the Eucharist, as long as they sanitize their hands. However, no one can receive the blood of Christ through the traditional chalice.
“It’ll be a little different for people. But that’s changing now and we’ll continue to do what we need to do to make sure that people have a safe place to come and pray,” Father Mario Amore said.
Even with that, for these members, being able to congregate and praise is just another way of keeping the faith that everything will be alright.
“Being able to do that together, even though we’re separate. We’re still together. To worship again in God’s house in a blessing,” McElhone said.
“Now, I feel like I’m OK again. Whatever I have to deal with going forward with the pandemic -- I’m OK with,” Fournier said.
People are mandated to wear a face mask when entering the building. If someone wants to worship and does not have one the church will provide them as long as their available.