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It will not be a silent night, but it will be quieter than usual. Churches that hold services during Christmas are restricting the number, and congregations will be banned from joining together to sing Christmas carols.
Many churches have opted for online-only services to avoid having to turn people away as tickets for midnight mass and Christmas Day services have been sold out.
At a time when ingenious adaptation is demanded from everyone, even Pope Francis’ midnight mass in St. Peter’s Square will begin at 7.30pm to comply with the Covid curfew in Italy.
For churches, like pubs and supermarkets, Christmas is the peak time for people to walk through their doors. In 2018, the latest year for which figures are available, 2.42 million people attended Church of England services during Christmas, and millions also participated in Advent and school services. On a typical Sunday in 2018, 703,000 people (1.26% of the population) attended a C of E church.
This year, churches closed during the first national shutdown and services were banned during the second. Now, congregational worship is allowed in all three levels of Covid restrictions, but with strictly limited numbers and other restrictions in place.
In London, tickets for services at St Paul and Southwark Cathedrals and Westminster Abbey were sold out within days. But even small village churches require people to pre-book venues so seats can be arranged in socially distanced bubbles.
At St Petroc’s, a Norman church in South Brent on the outskirts of Dartmoor, there were only a few seats left available for Holy Communion on Christmas Eve earlier this week.
“Normally our traditional Christmas carol services are filled to the brim,” said Vicar Gina Radford, who was England’s deputy chief medical officer until last year.
St Petroc’s and its sister church, St Mary’s, decided that if people couldn’t go to church, “we will take the church to them,” Radford said. On December 17, churches held a traditional nativity service for children in a large barn at a local pet farm, in the presence of pygmy goats, pot-bellied piglets and a retired cavalry horse.
“I would never have thought of this without Covid, and it is attracting people who would not normally come to church. It’s sure to be a beautiful mess and I hope the animals completely outshine us, ”Radford said before the event.
In Brighton, just 70 people attended St Mary’s traditional service of nine lessons and carols on December 13 at a church built to house 1,000.
“We probably could have made it to 100, but we wanted to keep everyone safe,” said the vicar, Andrew Woodward. A local choral society joined the church choir to sing Christmas carols, with the congregation mute behind their masks. “It was certainly different, but it was a beautiful atmosphere.”
This Christmas will be “very strange for a church that loves to open its doors and welcome every soul,” said Heston Groenewald, vicar of All Hallows in Leeds.
The church is streaming all of its services online, with only a handful of worshipers physically present, who will have to “bite their tongues” not to join a trio of carol singers.
On December 13, All Hallows held an online carol service “with everyone singing happily, silently. The community singing on Zoom is a horrible cacophony, ”Groenewald said.
The All Hallows community cafe Rainbow Junk-tion, which typically offers pay-what-you-can-eat meals from donated and surplus food, has become a food bank during the pandemic.
“Our holiday food bank will be open on Christmas Day to offer hot takeout meals. The generosity and love of our volunteers who bring comfort and joy in the holiday season is inspiring, ”said Groenewald.
St Mary’s in Brighton will also serve a hot Christmas lunch to go for anyone who wants it, Woodward said. “70 I suppose, but for 100”.
The pandemic had “had a great impact on many people,” Radford said. “But sometimes out of challenging situations, incredible opportunities arise. We’ve seen a rediscovery of community and relationships, and countless little acts of kindness. “
A spokesman for the Church of England said: “Churches and cathedrals across England would normally receive around six million people on Advent and Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
“By reducing our capacity this year to ensure everyone is as safe as possible, we are adapting in a number of ways. Online-only ticketing, extras, streaming, and special services will ensure that as many people as possible can share in the comfort and joy of Christmas worship. “
