Do you think Catholics will return to Mass after the COVID-19 pandemic?
On this week’s episode of The Catholic Talk Show, Ryan Scheel, Fr. Rich Pagano, and Ryan DellaCrosse discuss whether or not people will return to church after the shutdowns.
Parish priest Fr. Rich Pagano expressed what he sees at his church in Florida. He says the answers may surprise some, as the media covers spiking Florida COVID numbers.
“This past weekend, I had people come up to me after Mass. (I’m in Florida, so the media is covering us like we are going to fall off of the country and fall out into the Atlantic Ocean with how many cases of coronavirus we have.
“I had people come back to church this weekend expressing, ‘Father, this is the most important thing in my life, and I’ve come to realize that in quarantine.'”
“‘If I’m going to die of this coronavirus, I’m going to die by practicing my faith day in and day out and practicing with the community at the church.’
“So there’s also that testimony of people who are already returning in such turbulent times.
At first, the fear, and the fear mongols really kind of drove people out of the church,” Fr. Pagano continues.
“People are starting to see there’s a vacuum…in their [lives], and they’re missing something. They’re starting to equate that to their faith and the practice of faith.”
Watch the whole episode below:
Click here if you cannot see the video above.
The guys also cover these questions:
• Will Mass attendance significantly drop?
• How will bishops lift Mass dispensations?
• How will priests handle fully re-opening?
• Will the Church and government fight?
• How should Catholics prevent a decline?
What are your thoughts about Catholics returning to Mass?
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[See also: Is the Latin Mass Better Than the Novus Ordo?]