Curfew unintentionally impacts church services

Friday, Jun. 05, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY — A curfew issued May 30 by Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall initially caused confusion at the eight downtown Catholic parishes, leading a few of the pastors to mistakenly announce that public access to their weekend Masses would not be allowed. 

Mendenhall called for the curfew after protests against racism, held in conjunction with those nationwide spurred by the death of George Floyd, became violent. Two vehicles were set ablaze, buildings were vandalized, several officers and demonstrators were injured, and dozens were arrested, according to news reports. Governor Gary Herbert called in the National Guard.

The curfew was imposed from 8 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday. When pastors at the parishes received word about the curfew, several were in the middle of their 5 p.m. vigil Mass. The initial announcement did not indicate whether those attending religious services were exempt from the curfew. As diocesan and parish representatives contacted law enforcement officials for clarification, some received immediate responses and were able to let their parishioners know that their church doors would be open. Others had to wait to hear of a late-evening Tweet by Mendenhall that clarified the exemption.

At Sacred Heart Parish, parishioners were concerned about the protests as early as Friday.

“On Friday we saw some people marching outside; the parishioners that were here got a bit scared but nothing happened,” said Fr. Roberto Montoro, administrator. “On Saturday, we celebrated some Confirmations and we got the message that there was a curfew.”

However, on Sunday, “we had almost all the people that signed up for the Masses,” he said. 

Attendance at Sacred Heart Parish, as with all diocesan parishes, is limited because of the social distancing requirements in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure that the church capacity is not exceeded, parishioners must sign up to attend Mass. 

At Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Father Jose Barrera, administrator, cancelled the Pentecost vigil due to the curfew. Parishioners were encouraged to continue the vigil, which had been scheduled from 7 p.m. to midnight, at their homes. 

On Sunday, scheduled services were held.

Father Martin Diaz, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, was celebrating the vigil Mass when he was notified of the curfew. In his final announcements, he was able to let participants know about the curfew and the exemption. He also advised those traveling south and west to return home to avoid the downtown streets near the protest area, he said.

At the cathedral Saturday night, the 7 p.m. Mass and adult Confirmations went ahead after police officials confirmed the exemption and Bishop Oscar A. Solis gave his permission to proceed, Fr. Diaz said.

St. Ambrose Parish pastor Father Erik Richtsteig initially canceled the Saturday vigil Mass and locked the church before receiving the clarification about the curfew. He had not planned to celebrate Masses on Sunday because he had been unable to get word out to parishioners that, under the curfew, services were still allowed. However, parishioners arrived on Sunday for services, so he celebrated the Masses, he said.

Attendance at some May 31 Sunday services was the same or greater than the previous week, the priests said. However, the numbers at the cathedral’s Sunday afternoon Spanish Mass were significantly lower, Fr. Diaz said. 

Father Jacek Buda, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center, also said Sunday attendance was down significantly.

The scheduled Sunday Masses went ahead without incident at the other parishes. None of the parishes reported any incidents or damages because of the rioting that occurred.

Mendenhall subsequently extended the curfew for each night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. through June 8. All churches remain open and services are continuing as scheduled.