PHOTO GALLERY: Parishioners return to Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Nearly 20 people attended the first in-person Mass in Columbia on Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church after the expiration of Missouri's stay-at-home order. New guidelines require that churches place a limit of 25% of their maximum occupancy.
Tim Dixon accepts communion from Father Francis Doyle
Tim Dixon accepts communion from Father Francis Doyle on Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Father Francis advised parishioners before Mass that communion “must be received in the hand”, according to a blog post on the church’s website.
Lynne and Tom Coudron pray
Lynne and Tom Coudron pray while attending the first Mass after the expiration of Missouri's stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday. The couple have been going to Sacred Heart for about eight years.
Lace fabric blocks an aisle during mass
Lace fabric blocks an aisle during Mass on Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Missouri’s new guidelines amid COVID-19 stated that churches were now allowed to have in person gatherings, but must allow a maximum of 25% of their occupancy limit. Sacred Heart followed the rule by allowing parishioners to sit in every third row and emphasized a 6-foot distance rule.
Duyet Le and Mary Tu stand to pray
Duyet Le, left, and Mary Tu, 7, stand to pray during the first Mass in nearly a month on Tuesday at Sacred Hearth Catholic Church. Mary attends Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School, a catholic elementary school in west Columbia. “She rings the bell everyday when she comes here,” said Duyet, “and collecting the papers.”
Maribel Arzate prays during mass
Maribel Arzate prays Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church while attending the first Mass after the expiration of Missouri’s stay-at-home order. Arzate usually attends Sunday Mass where a Mass is given in Spanish, but chose to attend on Tuesday since “this is the first time in a month since I can come.”
Duyet Le fixes Mary Tu’s face mask
Duyet Le, left, fixes Mary Tu’s face mask, 7, before Mass begins Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Parishioners were advised to wear face coverings if attending Mass in person and groups who lived together were allowed to sit next to another.
Maribel Arzate holds the door open for Kathy Concannon
Maribel Arzate holds the door open for Kathy Concannon after Mass on Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Mass brought together about 20 people for the first time since Missouri’s stay-at-home order amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vanessa Velez disinfects high touch surfaces after Mass
Vanessa Velez disinfects high-touch surfaces after Mass on Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Sacred Heart was the first church in Columbia to officially announce in-person Mass after new safety guidelines were announced, according to previous Missourian reporting.
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Antranik Tavitian
Antranik Tavitian is a first-year photojournalism graduate student at the University of Missouri. He is a first-gen Armenian-American born in Los Angeles. His work focuses on the intersection of social issues, ethnicity, and identity.
