Having a community attending Mass is much better than delivering the service in an empty church, priests contacted by The Malta Independent on Sunday agree.

Last Sunday, the church in Malta was given the go-ahead by health authorities to hold in-person Masses with members of the public for the first time in almost six weeks.

On 10 March of this year, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that weddings and religious activities must be halted to contain the spread of Covid-19. While chapels and churches were open for private prayer, celebrating the Eucharist with churchgoers present was strictly off-limits.

The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke with the Bishop of Gozo, Anton Teuma (centre), and two parish priests, Fr Claude Portelli (St Julian’s, right) and Fr David Gauci (Naxxar, left) on how they felt to finally welcome the public back into church last Sunday; how they were affected by the last few weeks with no in-person Mass; and how the Covid-19 pandemic has shaped the celebration of Mass in general.

 

Welcoming the community back with open arms

Asked how they felt to be holding Mass again last Sunday, all expressed their joy at welcoming the community back to church.

“If the opening of churches brought a smile to the faces of many people, you can only imagine what it was like for me as an archpriest to come out for Mass and, rather than seeing empty benches and chairs, see content faces instead,” Gauci remarked.

Resuming the liturgical rite saw flocks of people returning to Mass last Sunday, so much so that many churches were brimming last Sunday, all whilst respecting health protocols and social distancing.

Portelli said that each of the Masses he held on Sunday were “to full capacity”, while Gauci said that, despite holding the first Mass at six in the morning last Sunday, the ceremony was buzzing with churchgoers.

For some people, last Sunday marked the first time they stepped into church since the pandemic hit Malta in March of last year, Portelli noted. Many of these churchgoers were elderly citizens who returned to church after receiving their vaccination.

Despite churches being closed, the Eucharist was constantly celebrated in churches and parishes, Teuma noted.

“The fact remains that God continues to love people by giving them all they are and all they have,” he said. “The celebration of the Eucharist in the company of the faithful helps Christians remember, enjoy and experience all of this.”

 

‘Saying Mass to empty benches is quite weird’

Despite churches being closed to the general public for the celebration of the liturgical rites, religious authorities were still obliged to say Mass throughout the week.

In a large space like the St Julian’s parish church, holding Mass felt surreal for Portelli.

“To get in there and get to say Mass to empty benches is quite weird,” he said. “The same thing happened last year when we were in a semi-lockdown and the first two or three days were quite shocking.”

Portelli said that one of the biggest challenges he faces is adjusting to measures which affect liturgical services.

“Even today, when I went into church and found it with people again, I wondered 'how long is this going to last again?'. Let’s hope it does,” he remarked.

Portelli also admitted that the low numbers of churchgoers has affected him.

“The number of Maltese that go to Mass on Sunday, the day of the Lord, is just less than 40%,” he noted. “This number is constantly dropping.”

“It breaks my heart to see that some Maltese don’t feel the need to come to church at least once a week to receive the Word of God and the Eucharist,” he said.

Teuma, on the other hand, said that the halting of in-person Mass has presented believers with an opportunity to reflect on their faith.

For some, being unable to attend Mass “made them appreciate more the encounter of the Lord with the community of the faithful,” he remarked. Others did not see the need to return to Mass “because they do not know the meaning of the Eucharist or because they had never found someone to help them undergo its authentic experience.”

“This is nothing but a call for us to help people discover the true meaning of this important experience in our life, not just for Christians but for people in general,” he said.

 

‘Going to church is a noble act for the entire population, not just the elderly’

One pocket of society that has been severely affected by the halting of Mass celebrations is the elderly. With many elderly citizens remaining within the confines of their homes, church is one of the few places older generations have made the exception to travel to during the pandemic.

In this way, not only has attending Mass enabled the elderly to connect with their faith, but also feel part of a community and go on an outing away from their abodes.

Asked how the elderly have been affected by the stopping of Mass, Teuma said that the elderly have been neglected throughout the pandemic, not only in a church-related context, “but in all spheres.”

“It is certain that we were not creative enough to help the elderly live out the pandemic in a more humane way,” he said.

Gauci and Portelli, on the other hand, said that, while the elderly have indeed been affected by being unable to attend Mass, so too have younger age groups.

“Talk to engaged couples who had to postpone their wedding because they believed in their right to have a sacramental marriage,” Gauci said.

“One of the factors that has affected our people (not only the elderly) is when they have gathered to mark the death of someone close to them and could not enter the church,” he continued. “This had left substantial psychological repercussions.”

“Going to church is a noble act for the entire population, not just the elderly,” he said.

Portelli, similarly, said that the parish is “not just a community of elderly,” but is comprised of people of all ages.

“Parishes close by, for example Tal-Ibraġġ, had a Mass catered to children last Sunday, and over 70 children attended their Sunday School Day,” Portelli said. “It was quite an experience; they weren’t expecting so many children. They had to meet outdoors on the church frontiers because they were such a large number.”

 

‘There is no comparison between watching Mass on TV and participating in Mass in person’

With many priests streaming their services online, on television and on radio, The Malta Independent on Sunday asked the three priests how they expect attendance at Mass to be affected in the long run, and if they expect believers to rely on streaming rather than attending Mass in person.

Each of them reiterated that, so long as one is not vulnerable and in a condition to leave the house, believers ought to attend Mass in person rather than follow from the comfort of their homes.

“There is no comparison between watching Mass on TV and participating in Mass in person,” said Gauci. “Nothing and no one will take the place of Mass being celebrated in a church, with a congregation that is present.”

Teuma also echoed the vitality of attending Mass in person, rather than online.

“Streaming will only serve as an excuse for those who do not know the meaning of the Eucharist, an excuse for not attending church services with the rest of the community,” he said. “It is certain that, when things return to normal, those who know the meaning of the Eucharistic experience, and who followed the Eucharist on social media, will participate in the Eucharist in person.”

Portelli added that, for those people who can’t attend Mass at the moment, streaming is “an essential service.”

Consequently, he said it is particularly significant that parishes stream their services once a week to strengthen the bond between local residents and their respective parishes.

“I know people who would follow daily Mass on TV but then on Sunday would turn to our live stream to Mass, to feel 'that's my church', 'that's where I belong',” he said.