After more than two months of closure, places of worship reopen their doors to the public. This Sunday, May 31, as they had already done the day before, the faithful of Montluconnais were thus able to reinvest the Church of Saint-Pierre, on the occasion of the Mass of Pentecost.
“Obviously, we are all very happy to return, there is nothing better than collective prayer. But I feel a mixture of joy and apprehension, ”confided a parishioner, a few minutes before the start of the service.
“What are we supposed to do?” “
It must be said that in order to attend the service, the faithful were asked to respect certain rules, specified on posters posted on the doors of the church.
Coronavirus epidemic requires, the mask is mandatory, as is friction with hydroalcoholic gel. One out of two alleys is condemned while a marking on the ground indicates where it is authorized or not, to sit down. Provisions that have sometimes caused confusion. Like Odette, who split a “but then, what are we supposed to do?” », In front of the doors of the Saint-Pierre church.
Of course, it gives me great pleasure that the church reopens. But going to mass with a mask on my face, I find it embarrassing. Unfortunately, we have no choice, the epidemic is not yet over.
Odette, parishioner
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111 places in the church, against more than 350 usually
An adaptation which also somewhat turned the course of the mass upside down. To minimize contact, the quest basket did not circulate in the aisles, and the song books were not distributed to the parishioners. Rules that could evolve in the coming weeks, “but we’ll already see how it goes today,” said Father Jean-Pierre Millet, himself having been hospitalized after contracting Covid-19, at the start of the mass.
The faithful find their way back to the church, this Pentecost weekend, in the deanery of Moulins (Allier)
It is absolutely necessary to respect the rules that we are asked to apply. Because, if we don’t, we run the risk of closing the churches.
Father Millet
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Fluttering between the aisles with a bottle of hydroacoolic gel in hand, Régine Giraud had to make sure that the safety distances were respected and that everyone applied the sanitary rules.
“We had to lower the capacity of the church to 111 places, against 350 usually. We have already been more numerous. Mass under these conditions is quite special, but we don’t really have a choice. “
Sid Benahmed
Cécile Champagnat Pictures
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