A number of area churches will be conducting services this Saturday and Sunday. So, what's different about that? Well, this weekend, for the first time in quite some time, church doors will be open to their congregations.

But as those places of worship reopen, remember that there are certain restrictions in place, foremost among those is the 25% of capacity occupancy rule. And many area churches are preparing their followers with special instructions on their websites and Facebook pages.

The doors of at least three area Catholic Churches will be open this weekend and on their websites, parishoners of St. John Berchman's, St. Josephs's and Mary Queen of Peace are finding specific instructions on the new rules for Mass attendance, including making reservations!

From the website for St. Joseph's catholic Church in Shreveport worshipers see a link that says, "Reserve Your Mass." From there, parishoners select from a list of one Saturday or four Sunday Masses. That link sends site visitors to to eventbrite.com, where they finalize their reservation. And what if the Mass of their choice is full? Well, the St. Joe's website says, "Once max capacity is met, all others will be invited to attend the live streamed Mass in The Activity Center."

Rules for all churches choosing to be open are rather uniform. All attendees are required to wear protective masks. Entry to the church will be limited to one door. Social distance seating will be in place. Hand sanitizer will be plentiful and worshipers are urged to avoid touching surfaces. And in most cases, prayer books, hymnals, etc., will not be used.

If you're not sure about your church's plans for reopening to the public, or to see all the rules pertaining to attendance, take a look at the website or Facebook page for your place of worship.

 

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