Kolkata: Most of the churches in the city have more than 90% of attendance – good for midnight masses, and morning and night masses, at Christmas.
They said they were relieved not repetition last year when the virtual mass and parish people could only join through the link.
However, some seniors chose to stay at home, afraid of infection.
But they made that they could not join the service because the virtual link was not provided this time.
Worshipers wearing masks, making hands unanitized and sitting with adequate distance between each other.
The parish priests ensure that no one crosses Covid norms and even announces how important it is to maintain all protocols for scare Omicron in the air.
The enthusiasm of the worshipers was palpated, who said they were afraid that the Church would not accommodate the physical mass because of scare Omicron.
They admit that they were relieved when the church finally announced prayer times.
“I even brought the youngest grandchild.
We don’t want to lose the opportunity to attend the church physically once more,” said Sunil Baptist, who attended the 8.15 afternoon service at St Teresa Church near Mouli.
There were several people from the community who said they were obliged to go to church at Christmas and greatly missed last year.
“So what if I’m 87? I wake up early so I can leave Park Lane’s residence to St Thomas’s church at Middleton Street.
It’s fun to hear the priest talking to the mass at 10:30 a.m.,” said Dorothy Manuk.
It was echoed by Margaret Coelho, another senior who attended midnight mass at the Church of Lady of Vailankanni at Picnic Garden.
“There are nearly 1,000 people, but they are divided into batches and masses held at several levels of the Church.
Really relieved to return for physical masses,” he said.
But her husband Pius, who was in the late 80s, could not attend the church and said he missed a virtual link that allowed people to join home.
Linda O Brien could not attend Mass because of age and problems in his legs, so the Imam of Christ the King’s Church came home to give him and her husband, Communion.
“We feel blessed,” he said.
Another member of the church, Edwin Arthur Patrick Eccleston who was 82 years old, also stayed at home to be afraid of Covid, even though he lived near his church.
“I don’t want to take risks.
I will attend a mass almost have a link given.
I am currently joining Mass in US churches and Canada, thanks to the opening of the virtual world through the links they provide,” he said.