Churches to have COVID-19 precautions for Christmas services

Even as COVID-19 infections continue to rise throughout Long Island, in large part due to the highly contagious omicron variant, churches across the region are preparing to welcome parishioners in-person for Christmas services, albeit with enhanced health and safety precautions.

Christmas Mass on Friday night and Saturday across Long Island will, in many ways, resemble the COVID-adjusted services celebrated last year.

Masks will be mandatory at most churches surveyed by Newsday while some will require, if not check, that congregants are vaccinated. Meanwhile, Christmas pageants will be scaled back or eliminated at many churches, pews may be left vacant to allow social distancing for churchgoers, and services may be live streamed for those unable or unwilling to attend in person.

"People are looking for the opportunity to engage to come out and have a celebration of Christmas," said the Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, who will preside over Christmas Mass at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City. "I have asked all of the clergy to keep it down to a minimum. We can do each of these Masses in an hour with a sermon; giving everyone Communion and sending them home."

Provenzano has instructed his clergy to mandate masks at all services, regardless of vaccination status, but vaccine cards will not be checked. Christmas pageants, which typically involve young children and the elderly — many of whom have traveled to attend — were eliminated for safety precautions, he said.

Meanwhile, a half-dozen priests in the diocese have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unable to officiate services, Provenzano said. Supply priests or assistant bishops will be deployed to those churches, he said.

"Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation. Of love becoming incarnate. Of love becoming real," the bishop said. "I am asking all of our congregations to put that into very real, practical means by showing kindness and being overly generous. Part of that is wearing a mask and getting vaccinated."

The Roman Catholic Church's Diocese of Rockville Centre will also follow Gov. Kathy Hochul's mask mandate for indoor locations during their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses at the Cathedral of St. Agnes, officials said.

Gary Zarlengo, senior pastor at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, said he has taken a "neutral" position on the vaccine, inviting members of the congregation to make their own decision. The tabernacle will enforce the mask mandate but not "police" the policy during Christmas Mass, he said.

"It is a serious and delicate balance," Zarlengo said. "It is the conviction of the leadership of Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle to honor local and government regulations as long as they do not violate any biblical command from God. The wearing of a mask doesn’t land in the category of violating a direct command from God, therefore, we are in compliance as a church with this recent state mandate."

The Rev. Jane Kim, pastor of the Community United Methodist Church in Massapequa, said her small church will require masks and vaccination on Christmas, provide services online and will block out every other row for social distancing.

"We will try to give a hopeful and joyful message because a lot of people have experienced darkness in 2021," Kim said. "So the Christmas message is to give them light and provide a hopeful message."

Long Island has about 1.8 million Christians, of whom 1.5 million are Catholics, according to tabulations by The Association of Religion Data Archives.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.