NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Catholic churches across New York City have seen a “real uptick” in in-person Mass attendance since Ash Wednesday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in an interview with 1010 WINS on Friday.
Speaking with 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck Friday morning, Dolan said St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is currently holding Masses at 50 percent capacity, “had to turn people away on Palm Sunday.”
“I mean, it was sad you have to turn people away, but boy, they’re coming back,” he said. “So we’re adding chairs for Easter, so that we can accommodate even more. So I think they’re starting to come back. That’s very good news.”
Many Catholic New Yorkers who have spent the year staying at home and attending virtual Masses, meanwhile, are also looking to get out and volunteer as the weather warms up and COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out, Dolan said.
“You know, what I hear a lot of people saying… is they’ve been the recipient of a lot of outreach and help from people, whether it be healthcare workers, physicians, you name it, our first responders and all,” he said. “We’ve seen what the generosity and the selfless service of others could do, and now we want to do it.”
“We’re not made to be by ourselves all the time. We’re not made to be totally introspective. We’re not made just only to take care of ourselves,” he added. “And maybe that’s what we’ve had to do this last year, so people are rediscovering that it is in giving that we receive. We’re sort of tired of navel-gazing. Let’s get out and be with people and help them.”