Salinas church holds confirmation mass outdoors due to indoor restrictions
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Religious ceremonies are one of the many activities people on the Central Coast say they've missed over the past few months. But now, some Monterey County churches are being flexible in an effort to bring people back. They're holding ceremonies outdoors.
That's how a group of young Catholics were confirmed in Salinas on Wednesday afternoon. The mass was held in St. Mary of the Nativity's parking lot.
"This is the best day ever because I was able to be more with God and to acknowledge him more," parishioner Adrian Tienda said.
“Well, I mean I guess it’s just kind of like connecting more with my family’s religion and being able to continue something that they really believe in,” parishioner Nayeli Anguiano-Palmerin said.
St. Mary of the Nativity has more than 200 young people to confirm this year, and COVID-19 isn't stopping them.
"Unfortunately, with the news of Governor Newsom, we couldn’t hold them inside," Father Fredy Calvario said. "So we are adjusting ourselves to have our celebrations here outside."
And while it's unconventional, people in the audience said it was worth making the change and taking precautions. The parish is encouraging people to wear masks and bring their own chairs and hand sanitizer, if possible.
“They’ve been really obedient, they’ve been really open to that,” Calvario said.
St. Mary of the Nativity is not the only Catholic Church in Monterey County to take its celebrations out into the fresh air. On its website, the Diocese of Monterey has listed more than 20 churches that offer outdoor services.
But, priests acknowledged that things like weather can make the ceremonies more challenging.
“It was kind of windy, so it was getting kind of cold,” Anguiano-Palmerin said.
Nevertheless, parishioners agreed that braving the unpredictable conditions was worth it.
“I would like to ask our parishioners to be patient as they go to other parishes as well. You know, they might find the same difficulties,” Calvario said.
