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'It’s really special to me' | Parishioners return to in-person Easter Mass service

The pandemic put an end to many in-person services, but with numbers on a downward trend in 2022, families were able to gather and celebrate together.

HOUSTON — It’s a tradition for families to attend church service on Easter Sunday. Those of the Catholic faith go to Easter Mass.

The pandemic put a pause on several in-person services over the last two years, but now that COVID numbers are on a downward trend, many were able to return for an in-person, mask optional service for the first time.

That was the case, for a handful of parishioners at Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.

“It’s really special to me, to be back in the environment and see everyone coming together again,” Elia Macha said.

"It's just coming back with your family. Church was always there before COVID. With COVID, everything kind of got a little weird. You couldn’t be around people you cared about,” Thomas Piland said.

Neither Macha nor Piland was able to attend an in-person Easter Mass since COVID hit.

Macha was grateful for the virtual option but said it wasn't the same.

“Watching it through a screen is very different than being in person and feeling that community around you. Same with online classes, it's just not the same as that in-person attendance," Macha said.

Inside the parish was a sense of normalcy. It was a typical pre-COVID, crowded Easter service with people sitting side by side, singing songs without the mandate of a mask.

Macha said it’s a feeling she missed.

"I'm very excited that we're kind of getting back to normal ... learning to adjust with it so we can all be together again," she said.

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