Saligao: Even the threat of the third wave of Covid-19 weaving, the Church of St Jerome in Mapapa has canceled all the masses of the week.
Priest paroki FR Dennis Fernandes told the parish that starting September 12, there would be no week until further notice.
However, mass working days, who see a much less presence, will continue to be celebrated for a number of worshipers.
The parish took unusual steps after the Sunday service began watching the swelling crowd.
“People from neighboring villages also began attending services in Mapapa,” said a member of the parish council.
“While we are happy to see the number of people who want to attend Mass, we don’t want to put the lives of risky people.” For now, the St Francis Xavier Church in the Duler and Carmelite monastery, Peddem, will continue to have Mass Sunday.
The church in Duler is known to keep the protocol tight, and parishes are asked to order their place in advance.
Apart from the main parish church, Sunday Mass has also been canceled in other chapels in the city.
While the diocese diocese has not issued specific directions related to this, every parish priest is expected to act with caution and follow all sops and protocols related covid.
At the Carmelite monastery, FR Ivo Dias said that Sunday Mass was being carried out for a large number of people, by obeying all Covid protocols.
“The Mapusa parish church has stopped mass on Sundays, and if we find more people in droves here, we may also have to stop the masses in the monastery,” he said.