BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - "I wish it was based on capacity, not a strict number," said Father Paul Seil, Pastor of St. Bernadette's Catholic Church in Orchard Park. Beginning this weekend, houses of worship in an orange zone in Erie County are restricted to 33% capacity or a maximum of 25 people.
St. Bernadette's is going to continue to offer in-person mass, with reservations required. They are live-streaming masses on Facebook and YouTube.
"We also came up with an idea to allow people to come in for Holy Communion and a prayer card after mass is over. We would never have more than 25 people inside at one time. We're working on that right now," said Fr. Seil.
Every church is coming up with its own plan. Some are holding in-person masses and capping reservations at 25. Others are live-streaming masses, and others have decided to suspend in-person masses.
Fr. Seil said recent attendance at mass, both in-person and through video platforms, has been between 700 and 800. "That's about half of what we would have on a weekend in a normal year."
The 25 person capacity rule also applies to weddings and funerals. "Weddings are very, very rare, for us, right now," said Fr. Seil. "But funerals are going to continue. We rely heavily on funeral directors to help us enforce that." St. Bernadette's offers a live-stream of funerals and baptisms as another option, especially for people who live out of town. "That's something we probably would not have done if not for the pandemic," he said.
Cameras and live-streaming equipment cost the church about 15-thousand dollars.
They also spent money on UV lights to disinfect between services.
Requests for food at St. Bernadette's Food Pantry have doubled in the past several months. "We're doing our best to help in these difficult times. There's always a way to help. It's different now because of the pandemic. But we're still doing the best we can to provide spiritual nourishment - as well as the food that people need during this difficult time," said Seil.
