Church services return

Mass resumes at Our Lady of Lourdes

Announced in- person church services could begin, with health guidelines put in place.

One local church reopened its doors this weekend for the first time in months.

News channel 2's brent kearney went to our lady of lourdes in utica.

He's in the studio.

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None callihan i spoke to father joe last week when the announcement was made and he said he was delightfully surprised.

He said the church wasnt ready that weekend, but he says it is now.

Nats music "for me personally it's just lifting of my soul and i think it has for everyone else as well so it's wonderful."

After 3 months, father joe salerno welcomed back parishioners with a new normal.

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None .

None " well it's a whole lot different but it's something that you have to do.

We're going along with it and we're trying to be as safe as we possibly can."

"it's very different dealing with the masks and you can still recognize people it takes a second but on i'm glad that we're here one way or another."

Tanner bishton is here with his fiance to be baptised and confirmed.

Bishton says its a ceremony that was supposed to happen before the pandemic started.

"it's finally a big weight off of my shoulders it feels like i really did achieve some thing.

And you know just getting closer to god and finally having that relationship so it kind of solidified."

Throughout the mass, father joe reminded those in attendance of the new rules parishioners will be exposed to from now on.

Those include social distancing as well as heavy cleaning both before and after every mass.

Parishioners will now also need to register before coming to mass.

"all of the changes are incidental changes but there are important incidental changes to be in line with the protocols that we must observe what we've come to do remains the same it's just how we're going about it and i didn't receive one complaint so i'm assuming everything is ok."

Salerno says the changes will be difficult to adapt to, but said its for everyone's benefit.

I think it will be, i think we all have to recognize that this is all for the common good not only for those of us that gather but even beyond here.

There's still a pandemic going on this virus is still very real.

And we have to do everything we can, we have a responsibility to do everything that we can to protect each other and to protect others.

Salerno says if you don't have access to the website or facebook page to register for masses, you're asked to call the number that is at the bottom of your screen.

But of course we will have all of that information on our website at wktv.com.

In the studio brent kearney news channel 2> after church