MANILA • After being shut for more than three months, the doors of a Catholic church in Molino town, south of the Philippine capital Manila, finally reopened last Saturday morning.
But fewer than a dozen people walked through those doors.
"They're still cautious," said Father Ned Nazareno, 38. By Sunday, attendance had improved. There were around 60 who came to hear Father Nazareno say mass.
The church could seat 10 times as many. But with the coronavirus outbreak still raging, many are celebrating their faith the way they have since the Philippines went on lockdown more than three months ago: online, on TV and radio.
Church officials have rolled out a slew of precautions since the government let churches, mosques, synagogues and temples reopen this month. All places of worship were closed when President Rodrigo Duterte put most of the country on lockdown in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
For now, churches can admit only up to 10 per cent of their usual capacity.
At Father Nazareno's church, only one parishioner can sit on an entire pew that has enough space for 10. Everyone has to wear masks.
Churchgoers are screened before they are allowed in. They have their temperatures checked, and they have to fill out forms with their addresses and phone numbers for contact tracing.
Some parts of the mass have also been tweaked. There are no longer ushers who go from pew to pew collecting money during the service.
Instead, churchgoers drop their contributions into a wicker basket just outside the door.
Greetings of "peace be with you", previously done with a handshake, an embrace or a kiss, are now executed with just a nod.
Mr Dionisio Alpobre, 80, said he does worry about getting the virus when he goes to church to hear mass, especially as he is in the most vulnerable group, given his age.
"But when it's your time to go, it's your time to go."
Besides, he said, "I feel closer to God" being inside a church than hearing mass inside his living room.
For the Catholic Church, the reopening comes with a bit of financial relief. Nearly 80 per cent of the 100 million people in the Philippines are Catholic.
Most of the church's parishes and dioceses rely on the little sums these 80 million Catholics give when they attend mass.
When the country was placed on lockdown, the church migrated online and priests were live streaming masses. While that allowed the church to stay connected to its flock, the money dried up.
Many churches have had to dip into their bank savings, or seek emergency funding from their dioceses. Father Reymar Arca, 39, from the cathedral in Imus city, said he knew of a few churches which may soon go bankrupt.
Father Nazareno said his church managed to survive three months of lockdown only with the charity of its flock. "Whenever we'd almost run out of supplies, people would come in with food, water, some money," he said.
He is hoping the government will further relax its rules for churches.
He also wants to see at least half his church filled with people and more masses on Sundays.
But all that will depend on how well the church can keep the virus out. "They'll shut us down again if even just one churchgoer tests positive," said Father Nazareno.
Raul Dancel
