FRACKVILLE, Pa. — At Saint Ann Church in Frackville, a few parishioners came out for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
That included Judeth Williams of Frackville.
She was more than happy to hear the Diocese of Allentown, which oversees churches in Schuylkill County, will be lifting seat restrictions and going full capacity during masses as churches will return to normal operations.
That will happen on May 22, the weekend of Pentecostal Sunday.
“I think it's fantastic. I'm glad,” said Williams. "And I miss when we were going into churches, I miss when we used to have confession, I mean, I miss the old-fashioned confession."
Karen Domalakes says she can't wait to have mass in an actual church.
“For our church, we have been attending mass in a very large hall. So, I don't know if we'll move out of the hall. But if we do, a lot of people will be happy,” said Domalakes.
“I want to go back to the church. I would rather be standing in a pew where I could kneel,” said Joe O’Neill.
The Diocese says other safety precautions will remain, including the wearing of masks.
For those who don't feel comfortable attending mass because of the pandemic, the diocese says they don't have to; the dispensation remains in place.
Both the Dioceses of Scranton and Harrisburg have not yet made a decision.
Scranton says it has new guidelines for masses includes removing restrictions on separate entrances and exits.
Harrisburg says its COVID Task Force for the diocese will meet next week to discuss capacity limit changes.
Both dioceses say decisions could be made in the near future and would be made public.